From: Max More (maxmore@primenet.com)
Date: Sun Aug 11 1996 - 18:14:18 MDT
At 09:24 PM 8/7/96 -0700, Hal wrote:
>I first joined the (original) Extropians list in August, 1991. So I
>think the list must be at or near its five year old birthday.
Ah yes, Hal is truly one of the Old Ones! I believe the List started in
August of 1991.
>One thing I found interesting was a message from Max about the Extropian
>Principles. At that time Intelligent Technology and Spontaneous Order
>were not present. Instead there was Cooperative Diversity, which I think
>was intended to get across a similar idea as SO. In fact maybe in some
>ways that is a better term since as was pointed out here in some sense
>everything that happens (non-miraculously) in the world is spontaneous,
>hence governments can be thought of as examples of spontaneous order.
I'd say governments are the result of a kind of SO, but they are not
examples *of* SO. Spontaneously ordering processes can produce results that
themselves are inimical to spontaneous order.
Actually, if spontaneous order is to have any meaning, we have to restrict
the processes that we characterize that way. It's not obvious to me that the
random circumstances, deliberate brutalities and dominations, false beliefs,
etc. that led to powerful governments, constitute an example of a
spontaneously ordering process. What are the principles or rules that govern
that ordering? In a market SO it's the private property rights and price
signals that make up the SO. I'm not sure what it would be in the case of
the development of governments.
Let's see those early postings Hal!
The August 17 Freeland Party can be a Extropians List 5th birthday party as
well as an Extropy magazine 8th birthday party!
Upward and Outward!
Max
Max More, Ph.D. maxmore@primenet.com
http://www.primenet.com/~maxmore
President Extropy Institute (ExI)
Editor Extropy
310-398-0375
http://www.primenet.com/~maxmore/extropy.htm
"I have never lost that humility of soul which is the mark of the truly
great man." — A. Crowley
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