From: Anders Sandberg (asa@nada.kth.se)
Date: Fri Jan 07 2000 - 08:11:26 MST
=?iso-8859-1?q?florence=20peterson?= <flossposs@yahoo.com> writes:
> Anders: Re. gregs opposition page.
> >A good idea. It might be useful to add more
> information on which memes
> each group promotes that are counter-transhumanistic,
> although this is maybe
> the second step after compiling a good starting list
> of anti-progressgroups.
> I thing Anders has underplayed his hand here, surely
> it's the memes that are the real opposition here, an
> idea can be far more powerfull than an indervidual or
> organisation. Admitadly memes must have a means of
> propogation, so it would be foolhardy not to account
> for these.
Yes. I have a vision of a page or database with various memes and
comments/rebuttals against them; at first it would be just the most
frequently heard opposing views, later it might expand to more subtle
opposition or bad transhumanist memes (there are after all some of
those too).
> The great thing about the meme counter-offencive is
> that we can all 'try this at home', by evaluating and
> countering the anti-extropian memes that dwell within
> us! I suggest atrophy and fear to be two things I
> would like to enclude on such a list.
Good point! Although I guess you mean apathy rather than atrophy?
Other memes or thoughts that I have in the past tried to fight in our
community is naive technophilia, us-vs-them-thinking and technological
determinism. There are plenty more memes to be found, understood and
blasted away by the light of reason.
> Question- how would you go about conveying sufficent
> future shock, without sending ones audience screaming
> into the night?
I have found it good to start with stuff that already exists, that
feels a bit here-and-now and relating to themselves - practical stuff,
spectacular and fun things that have appeared on television etc. Then
I try to give a bit of a historical context, showing how quickly
things have developed and that this trend is likely to continue in the
near future. Then I try to make them think about what this means.
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension! asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/ GCS/M/S/O d++ -p+ c++++ !l u+ e++ m++ s+/+ n--- h+/* f+ g+ w++ t+ r+ !y
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