From: Natasha Vita-More (natasha@natasha.cc)
Date: Sun Nov 25 2001 - 15:52:07 MST
Robert, excellent post. Thank you.
Natasha
At 10:44 AM 11/25/01 -0800, you wrote:
>
>I'm annoyed over the recent hashing and rehashing of the
>"name calling" on the list.
>
>I cannot find any documentation on what is and what is
>not "proper behavior" on the list (if someone knows where
>this is, please let me know).
>
>I can however go back to the Extropian Principles --
>> 2. Self-Transformation - Affirming continual moral, intellectual,
>> and physical self-improvement, through critical and creative thinking,
>> personal responsibility, and experimentation.
>
>I want to bring up the "personal responsibility" perspective
>here. There are proper ways and improper ways to pee in the
>water hole.
>
>Here is a *proper* way:
>
>"I feel that you are the weakest link".
>
>Here is an *improper* way:
>
>"You *are* the weakest link".
>
>The first takes personal responsibility for your "feelings".
>It is fine with me for people to "feel" almost anything.
>Getting ones feelings off ones chest from time to time
>may contribute to moral and physical self-improvement
>(through relieving stress). So saying something the
>first way may be considered extropic.
>
>The second statement makes an assertive claim and does not
>propose a any critical thought path or experiment that might be
>conducted to ascertain whether it is a valid or invalid
>statement. Given the highly subjective nature of the
>opinions we have of other individuals its highly questionable
>whether the validity of the statement could ever be determined.
>So such statements tend to be less than useful and quite
>unextropic (particularly if they generate dozens of additional
>unextropic messages).
>
>Now, it is of course feasible, for example using current /.
>software, to create a site and subject such assertions to
>a vote. That doesn't make them true or false because as often
>happens on the TV show the results of a "vote" do *not* always
>reflect reality.
>
>If I notice people making the second type of declarative
>assertions in the future, without providing an efficient
>method for determining its validity, I will <plonk> them
>for demonstrating a lack of "personal responsibility".
>We need to encourage the people on the list take
>more *personal responsibility* for *how* they speak.
>If people notice me misspeaking declaratively, please
>feel free to <plonk> me as well.
>
>If we do not become more effective at promoting "wisdom"
>and "intelligence", I for one am not going to want an
>"indefinite lifespan".
>
>Robert
>
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