From: Eliezer Yudkowsky (sentience@pobox.com)
Date: Tue Jan 14 1997 - 23:06:41 MST
Okay. There's been some discussion lately of whether Extropian Art
should appear on the poll. My position is that Art belongs with, say:
*) Reading science fiction.
*) Eating lunch.
*) Going to scientific conferences.
And not with:
*) Twiddling with protein synthesis.
*) Trying to one-up Lenat's EURISKO.
*) Building Firefly-oid tools for 'Net societies.
In other words, Art, even Extropian Art, may be important, or even
necessary, but is not an activity directed at Singularity or populating
the galaxy. It does not belong on a poll about what ends are most
important and what means we use to get there.
I apologize to anyone who may have been offended by my lack of artistic
sensitivity. I have hypothesized that some areas of aesthetic
appreciation were taken out by my Algernonic enhancement, so please bear
with me.
That being said, if anyone sincerely believes that modern Extropian Art
is an act specifically hastening Omnipotence, Plenitude and Co., or that
some kind of Transcendent Art is a goal worthy of separate mention and
not simply inclusion under Perfect Ethics, and most of all that our
modern Extropian Art is actually a step Power Art (forgive me,
Pournelle!), then I shall revise the Poll appropriately.
Alternatively, if you think the poll should be about what you actually
do, and should include such items as "peer-reviewed publications",
"science fiction conventions", and "Extropian Art", the poll can be
modified in that direction as well.
Or, YOU can do it! I'm not going to shoot you if you make up your own
poll, really!
--
sentience@pobox.com Eliezer S. Yudkowsky
http://tezcat.com/~eliezer/singularity.html
http://tezcat.com/~eliezer/algernon.html
Disclaimer: Unless otherwise specified, I'm not telling you
everything I think I know.
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