From: Eliezer S. Yudkowsky (sentience@pobox.com)
Date: Wed Sep 11 2002 - 20:20:31 MDT
Samantha Atkins wrote:
> Eliezer S. Yudkowsky wrote:
>
>> I object to this proposed amendment as I'm not sure that difference,
>> for the sake of difference, is always rational. There are rare
>> occassions when does happen to be rational. But usually "difference
>> for the sake of difference", without attention to whether it's a
>> good difference or a bad difference, is the aimless product of
>> aimless rebellion.
>
> Are you going to attempt to limit who is and is not part of
> transhumanism or extropianism to only those who fully pass your working
> view on what is rational? Are we in the business of judging good and
> bad differences? The items mentioned were things like race, gender,
> age, body type and views on religion, sexual orientation and the like.
> I don't see how any of those, except possibly (narrowly) views on
> religion, has anything to do with rationality.
No, Samantha. I am not attempting to limit who is or is not part of
transhumanism. I am, however, objecting to a statement that "racial
diversity" is valued by transhumanism/extropianism because I personally
feel that race is *absolutely irrelevant* and that to value "racial
diversity" departs from the principle of colorblindness. Others may feel
differently and still be part of transhumanism. Thus a statement intended
to represent transhumanist views as a whole should ideally remain neutral
on the subject.
>> And likewise from the perspective of combating racism, I believe
>> there is no value to either racial diversity *or* racial unity; in
>> the face of the future race is simply irrelevant. To attempt to
>> value "diversity" is to abandon colorblindness.
>
> Hardly. Seeing everything has monotone is not the same thing as full
> acceptance and welcoming of all persons of like mind regardless of
> otherwise different from you they may be.
Race is not relevant as either a difference or a similarity.
>> If every transhumanist were of the exact same race and body type, I
>> don't see how it would make the slightest difference one way or the
>> other. How does this supervene on cognition?
>
> Cognition is not everything.
Race is not anything, except insofar as there are still some people
remaining who unfortunately pay attention to the irrelevant bundle of
characteristics they call "race".
-- Eliezer S. Yudkowsky http://singinst.org/ Research Fellow, Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence
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