[ExI] Towards a new transhumanist movement.

Alan Grimes agrimes at speakeasy.net
Thu Oct 14 04:02:48 UTC 2010


om

This posting has been on my mind for the last few weeks. I had a minor
illness but the medication was a doozy and it's taken a while to get my
brain back into gear.

Tonite, I intend to ramble on about what I think I've learned from my
last ten years of trying to slow the stampede towards destructive brain
uploading and then unveil a new strategy for promoting a future of
diverse choices. (Whether I actually execute that strategy is another
issue).

om

What I've learned is that trying to argue with uploaders is hopeless.
You can't get them on philosophy, you can't get them on technicalities,
you can't get them on logistics, and you can't appeal to a stronger
desire. They literally live for the sake of sticking their brain in a
meat grinder.

My problem with that is that they've taken over the whole of
transhumanism, and if the chairmanship of the "Future of Humanity
Institute" at Oxford University means anything, then they've
commandeered that too.

If broader transhumanism is to have any chance at gaining a foothold,
the deathgrip of the uploaders must be loosened.

This is why I get in the face of uploaders at practically every
opportunity (and then some).

And I have failed. Even simple efforts to propose a covenant that will
garentee, in principle at least, the sanctity of individual (and even
collective) choice on the issue have failed. Indeed, they claim,
repeatedly, that it is morally permissible, (even on some occasions
obligatory!) to replace the earth with a simulation of the earth
provided only that the simulation be of some minimal "resolution" enough
to preserve the "identity" (whatever the hell that means) of its
inhabitants. Computronium being the only measure of merit.

One fundamental problem that I seem to be facing is that while the
uploaders have presented a "golden path" for their vision, alternative
visions require a sufficiently powerful imagination to even see, much
less evaluate. Uploading, by contrast, is force-fed to all who will
crack a book by many different authors in it's orthodox (destructive)
and protistent (Moravec) forms. Despite the obvious advantages of the
Moravec approach, I would say that 80% of the verbage on the subject is
still hard-core in favor of the destructive approach.

My personal survival would seem to depend on me finding a solution to
this problem. The task of achieving a singularity single-handed seems
impossible. Therefore I require the support of an actual movement to
mobilize the resources that will be required -- a movement that is
willing to admit a path of personal evolution that doesn't involve
uploading.

om

So here's what I propose. I propose a new transhumanist movement with a
clear, dogmatic vision. This vision will be decided upon in committee by
the few people whom I hope share my concerns. The vision must match
every quality and promise of uploading except the actual uploading part.
Then I require the people who participate in that committee commit to
make the preaching of whatever comes out of that meeting their mission
in life. (Obviously, I hope they will be free to do anything at all once
it comes time to make any real decisions.)

Once the features of the dogma of New Transhumanism are decided upon, me
or someone else will codify them. These texts must then be treated as
absolute dogma. Any disagreement of any core tenant must be treated with
exactly the same derision that someone opposing uploading now faces. New
Transhumanism must then mirror everything the uploaders do. If the
uploaders make a movie, then we must make a movie. If the uploaders
write a blog post, then we publish a blog post. If they say that
everyone will be an upload in 30 years, then we say that everyone will
be X in 30 years.

I think it is becoming necessary to create a memetic identical but
opposite twin to uploading. I intend to precisely mirror every statement
and attitude expressed by the uploaders.

While the vision of New Transhumanism must, for memetic purposes, be
obnoxious and dogmatic, the goal is not to commit the same evil the
uploaders are. The goal is to broaden the tent of transhumanism by
erecting a second stake and, by doing so, make room for many more
visions of transhumanism.

This project will have a number of stages.

The first is what I'm doing right now, to float the idea out in public
to see if there is any interest.

Next, I hope to solicit papers that outline a vision and explain what
memetic strengths the idea might have against uploading.

Next, I want to hold some conferences, one on the east coast, and maybe
one on the west coast. (I shudder at the thought of going near an
airport...) I encourage other people to hold conferences elsewhere,
though I don't have a passport. The only people dis-invited to these
conferences are those who refuse to check their zombie-like love of
brains at the door.

Once a consensus is reached, let the meme-war begin!


-- 
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DO NOT BUY OBAMACARE.
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