From: Samantha Atkins (samantha@objectent.com)
Date: Tue Oct 15 2002 - 23:57:42 MDT
FutureQ wrote:
>
> It's unfortunate that some prefer to see the spread of knowledge and fact
> as spreading hate. I hate no one. I merely chose to share some literature
> by a respected author and researcher that bravely encounters some
> uncomfortable facts. Don't shoot the messenger.
Your message gets confused if you let it be read as "All Muslims
or all religious people are EVIL" instead of "Islam is dangerous
and there are also real dangers in all religions and in
religious belief". See the difference?
>
> I do dislike when people let their religious beliefs stiffle reason and
> thereby chose to disaprove the technologies we need for our goals. My life
> depends on them not just my immortal aspirations. If someone threatens my
> life by overt violence I am justified in seeing them as an enemy. How is it
> different for ones that vote my demise? Maybe to some this Extropian stuff
> is an interesting intellectual diversion or hobby. It's plain survival for
> me.
>
> Perhaps someone could elaborate the virtues of religion that will advance
> the cause of Extropianism.
>
A lot depends on what you call "religion". Personally I think a
form of cyber-gnoticism is quite compatible with Extropianism.
I think taking on in real-time the creation of heaven on earth
is compatible with Extropianism and can advance the cause.
Being a techno-bodhisattva, dedicated to the well-being of all
sentients and freeing them from suffering, is compatible with
extropianism and can advance the cause. Seeing technology as
God (or the diety of one's choice) giving us the means to
overcome all physical adversity and to "grow up" into the
fullness of phrases some religions apply to human beings such as
"the children of God" is, imho, quite compatible with
extropianism and can well advance the cause.
If you could use the religion-shaped aspects of human
psychological and social structures to advance all the
transcendent good goals of religion but do so within and using
the reality of science and technology and spread such memes this
could greatly advance extropic goals.
The best of spirituality and religion has a lot to say about
going beyond the evolutionary programming, the human defaults
and seeing oneself as One and considering the well-being of all
ones own well-being. This sort of stuff might easily save us
from using our wonderful technology to enslave ourselves or
frittering away any and all possible utopias for the sake of
continuing scarcity-model, evolution-enforced competitive
patterns - selling our future for a larger pile of green than
those around us, disowning one another as we rush once again to
"get ours".
Does that give you a few ideas in answer to the question?
- samantha
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