[ExI] Zero State & other 'splinter' transhumanist movements

[Amon Zero]

On 3 May 2011 08:00, Amon Zero <amon at doctrinezero.com> wrote:

> 2011/5/3 Samantha Atkins <sjatkins at mac.com>
>
>> ENOUGH! When the hell is this group going to be actually about making a
>> future we look forward to living instead of endlessly chewing the same cud
>> year after effing year?  I have had it!
>>
>
> I think ExI is very good at what it does, there is some truly remarkable
> thought in here, but if it's organization-toward-action you want, may I
> suggest you check out this new transhumanist group I'm involved with:
>
> http://zerostate.net
>


I was going to hold off mentioning this until an official statement is
prepared, but couldn't let Samantha's relevant comment slide by. Now that
I've mentioned Zero State, I suppose I'd better give a little more
information. Before I do, let me say that I believe deeply in the
intellectual value of lists like ExI, and none of what I have to say is
remotely intended as a criticism of this list.

I've been involved with transhumanism (admittedly very quietly in the early
years) for the better part of two decades now. Compared to many younger
people coming to these ideas afresh now I'm some kind of "old timer", but I
see myself as occupying a curious space between transhumanist 'generations'.
I was not an early-days Extropian, but have been around long enough to
remember when Extropy *was* transhumanism, for all intents and purposes. I
still consider myself to be an Extropian, among other things.

Then of course came the WTA (and later, Humanity+), which seemed to signal
an age of pluralist and popular transhumanism. The very populist impulse
that drives H+, however, has alienated any number of younger newcomers who,
ironically, crave the older, more extreme vision of transhumanism. Add to
that the extreme economic times we live in, and the matter of subcultures -
both factors which tend to radicalize young people - and thus evolves the
niche for a new form of transhumanism.

In short, transhumanism appears to be splintering. That's not to say that
the various facets of transhumanism do not heavily overlap, but that the
wheel simply seems to be turning once more. This phenomenon has been noticed
and commented upon by blogger Paul Raven, who recently spoke for H+ UK:

http://futurismic.com/2011/03/08/schismatic-transhuman-sects/

Recently, some people may have been aware of a minor and (to my mind)
pointless scuffle between Raven's "classic" transhumanists and a new group
known as the "transhuman separatists". Don't worry, I'm not going to argue
in favour of Transhuman Separatism. Many of the people involved are good
friends of mine, but they are largely operating in an arena where the
"grown-ups" know everything already, and seldom want to engage in
conversation. When they do, the extreme TS stance and juvenile vigour
encourages them to disengage pretty quickly.

The thing to remember is, however, that these 'kids' are going to grow up.
They *want* to further transhumanism. They want *action*, and they *don't*
want bland populist Kurzweilian messages, for the most part.

When I first came across TS, my first impulse was to criticize it.
Rigorously, frequently, and loudly. Maybe verbally beat some sense into
them. But the sheer fact that I stuck around led to an interesting
development... they began to understand me, and I them. It soon became clear
that there was a way forward.

So, we formed the notion of 'TX' (Transhuman X), a network of transhumanist
nodes and subcultures, each with different values, intentions, and
perspectives, but at root willing to work together for a transhumanist
future. "Work" here is the key word... these are people who are not content
to sit back and be technology's cheerleaders. They want to help. To
innovate. To engage.

Right now, the nascent TX network barely exists as anything more than an
idea. Because my belief system is not a good fit with the ideas of
Transhuman Separatism, I set up my own node within the TX network. That node
is known as the "Zero State". The term 'zero' refers to the sum of human
knowledge that we *know* would continue to be important to civilization
after a period of extremely rapid technological and cultural development (or
Singularity, if you prefer). It's simply a name that conveys the feeling
that after point X, all bets are off.

The two common values of all TX nodes are:

- Art and culture can contribute to transhumanism too (not just science &
engineering)
- Considered action is preferred over ungrounded philosophical conversations

That second point makes it clear why I responded to Samantha, I hope.

Zero State has announced its principles, values, and intent here:
http://zerostate.net

Among other things, we will be carrying out and supporting work in the areas
of Artificial and Augmented Intelligence, political engagement, and virtual
world building (i.e. the development of infrastructure for a "virtual
State").

Even if just for a chance to share your opinion on these matters, I hope
some of you will come and visit us. We're all in this future together!   ;-)

All the Best,
Amon
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