From: Max More (max@maxmore.com)
Date: Sat May 25 2002 - 00:56:13 MDT
[Friday, May 24, 11:56pm]
I'm mostly skimming the list -- too buried in other reading and writing to
get involved. However, my attention was brought to this and related
discussions. The disagreement over the use and/or purpose of the Extropian
Principles is fascinating, though I regret that some unfriendly feelings
and responses have come out of it. I have little doubt that probably the
majority of the disagreement is misunderstanding of each other.
Too late tonight, but tomorrow I aim to comment on this. Harvey clearly
sees the Principles as tools of thinking. In an important way, he's right.
Lee seems to see the Principles as a summary of -- or abstraction from --
what Extropians think. (Who are these people? All or some self-described
Extropians? Anyone who would largely agree if they came across them? (A
delightfully common event, I happy to say.) I would not find this
interpretation of the Principles to be accurate as a historical statement
nor as a useful stipulative definition.
The Principles do state that they are a "codification" but now this
discussion indicates that I need to clarify that. Certainly I never
intended this to be understood as a summary, nor as an average of the views
of any group. On the other hand -- probably in the spirit of Lee's concerns
-- the principles are not rules, they are not absolutes, they are not
unalterable. At the same time, they are very far from being an arbitrary
grouping of values and attitudes.
What looks like a strong disagreement between Harvey and Lee may be much
less than it appears. By digging into this question more (over the
weekend), we can benefit from the exercise of surfacing our cognitive
contexts for the differing statements.
"Tools of thinking" seems a reasonable description of the Principles,
though it's in obvious need of explanation and qualification. When, Harvey,
you compare using the Principles in a way comparable to scientific
methodology, rules of logic, and so on, I get very uneasy. Perhaps it's
just your analogy. Yes, the Principles can act a *little* bit like the
rules of logic, but the analogy is dangerous.
Just don't make me re-write the Extropian Principles into a version 4 until
2003, please! Before that, I'm going to finish my book -- which couldn't
be more timely. (Or maybe the book's appendix should include a new version 4?)
More tomorrow...
Onward!
Max
_______________________________________________________
Max More, Ph.D.
max@maxmore.com or more@extropy.org
http://www.maxmore.com
Strategic Philosopher
President, Extropy Institute. http://www.extropy.org <more@extropy.org>
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--- Thought leadership in the innovation economy
m.more@manyworlds.com
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