[ExI] [Extropolis] Thoughts on the manifesto of futurist science (1916).

[Giulio Prisco]

Hi John,

< something that W.B. Yeats said about that just before World War II
started…>

This is one of my favorite pieces of poetry as well. Unfortunately, it is
very much applicable to our time. However, I don’t read it as an appeal to
the rational brain, but as an appeal to the feeling heart.

< I disagree with that, the foundation of realpolitik is practicality not
ideology…>

They aligned with the fascist party because they wanted to be left in
peace. Sounds practical to me.

< I see strong parallels between Italian fascism and its leader and modern
day American fascism and its leader…>

Sorry, I don’t know who is the leader of modern day American fascism.
Concerning the leader of Italian fascism, there’s a recent historic novel /
biography in three volumes. I read it in Italian, but I see that at least
the first book has been translated:
https://www.amazon.com/M-Century-Novel-Antonio-Scurati-ebook/dp/B09132GN4M/

< And according to them one of those German professors who ​was​​ stupid,
petty and idiotic was Albert Einstein…>

This is an interesting topic to research. I’ll do so, but my guess is that
the Italian futurists were referring to those stupid, petty and idiotic
German professors who condemned Einstein. I guess the Italian futurists
would have found Einstein interesting, at least because he was irreverent.
Throwing stones at old sacred cows and all that. I’ll research and say more.

< Nobody says somebody doesn't have a right to do psi research, but such
people do NOT have a right to demand respect from scientists for such
activities…>

I’m sitting on the fence with an open mind. If I were a psi researcher, I
wouldn’t demand respect. I would just demand to be left in peace, like, do
your research and I’ll do mine, and let experiment decide. I might
criticize the anti-psi cancel mobs when they seem to forget the science
that they loudly claim to defend.

On 2023. Jun 6., Tue at 4:38, John Clark <johnkclark at gmail.com> wrote:

> At Turing Church <https://www.turingchurch.com/> Giulio Prisco Wrote:
>
> *> Western culture could use an injection of vitality,*
>
> At least in the USA the problem is not a lack of vitality, it's a lack of
> rationality. And vitality is not necessarily a good thing if it's aimed in
> the wrong direction. I'm not usually big on poetry but I do remember
> something that W.B. Yeats said about that just before World War II started:
>
> *"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon
> the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of
> innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are
> full of passionate intensity. The center cannot hold."*
>
> *> Italian futurism and fascism were not natural allies, but were
>> essentially incompatible*
>
>
> I once thought that American transhumanism and American fascism were
> completely incompatible, but around 2016 I learned to my sorrow I was
> entirely wrong about that.
>
>
>> *> as emphasized by top representatives of both. That many futurists
>> joined Benito Mussolini’s fascist party was due to realpolitik more than
>> ideology.*
>
>
> I disagree with that, the foundation of realpolitik is practicality not
> ideology, and the foundation of practicality is rationality but, as events
> later proved, there was nothing rational about Benito Mussolini's fascism,
> things did NOT turn out the way his ideology predicted it would.  I see
> strong parallels between Italian fascism and its leader and modern day
> American fascism and its leader.
>
>
>> *> Italian futurists were anti-clerical, but not anti-spiritual. On the
>> contrary, many participated in theosophical salons and were open to
>> paranormal phenomena, life after death, spiritualism and all that.*
>
>
> The same thing could be said about American fascism except that they are
> pro clerical.  And science is open to any idea, new or old, provided there
> is a rational reason to believe that it might be true.
>
> *> I’ll now translate some passages of “La Scienza Futurista” (1916) and
>> comment. The manifesto begins with a strong condemnation of the science
>> establishment that, “hypnotized by the stupid books of the countless
>> university professors of Germany,” is “superficially precise, pettily
>> accurate, idiotically sure of its own infallibility, without any brilliant
>> explosion.”*
>>
>
> And according to them one of those German professors who was stupid, petty
> and idiotic was Albert Einstein.
>
> *> I don’t intend to affirm that psi is real or defend any specific result
>> of psi research. I just want to defend the right of scientists to do psi
>> research,*
>
>
> Nobody says somebody doesn't have a right to do psi research, but such
> people do *NOT* have a right to demand respect from scientists for such
> activities if, despite centuries of effort, they fail to come up with
> anything that is both interesting and repeatable. Instead the interesting
> stuff is not repeatable and the repeatable stuff is not interesting.
>
>> John K Clark    See what's on my new list at  Extropolis
> <https://groups.google.com/g/extropolis>
>
>
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