From: Holger Wagner (Holger.Wagner@lrz-muenchen.de)
Date: Thu Feb 05 1998 - 09:03:16 MST
Berrie Staring wrote:
> So what do I think I can contribute:
> I plead strongly for an organization that educates people
> "all of them". People like to think in visuals. Let's paint them
> this beautiful future that is coming. Let's show them that there
> is a real chance to make some thing out of this: with the environment
> , the world hunger, war. Not by shutting down science and go back
> to basic "this favorite spiritual mantra", but by embracing the new
> technology's for the good things they bring. Yes realistic and Yes,
> we look at the side effects of what comes along with them.
> I think if Extropie & Transhumanism want to grow to a well known
> and respected philosophy (accepted as a realistic bunch of
> people by the world of science) we do have to work on Marketing.
> ......and that's were I come in ;-)
[...]
I've just read an article by Frederick Edwords which seems to adress the
same problem, only with Humanism (I don't know much about Humanism but
it seems very much to be Transhumanism or Extropianism without focussing
on the future or the Extropian Principles, right?) The title was
"Freethought challenges of the '90s", and it should be available
somewhere on the web (I read it on my PalmPilot... ... I found it, see
below ;-) )
The most interesting idea in that article was to engage in all kinds of
"social" work. You don't reach "the masses" with discussions about
high-tech or even advanced psychology/philosophy because they don't even
understand what you're talking about. Instead, *live* Dynamic Optimism
and Spontanuous Order in a way that people can see -
"The most Atheist and Humanist groups around the world do this. For
example, during my travels in India I met with the people of the Atheist
Center in Vijayawada who were active in counseling battered women,
rehabilitating criminals, providing birth control services, helping
people develop a rational life-style, even teaching 'atheistic' dances."
(Frederick Edwords "Freethought challenges of the '90s" -
http://humanist.net/humanism/freethot.html)
In that respect, I think the idea of "Extropian Gatherings" is quite a
good one - provide that kind of service for anybody, but make it an
"Extropian/Transhuman Service" ;-)
Unfortunately, that sort of action needs a certain "critical mass" - a
lot of supporters and a few people who are willing to spend a great
amount their time... in that respect, I find working with like-minded
organisations and individuals quite important.
later,
Holger
-- o---------------------------------------------------------------o | "That's the funny thing about memories, isn't it? We are not | | what we remember of ourselves, we are what people say we are. | | They project upon us their convictions - we are nothing but | | blank screens." +$+ Trevor Goodchild in "Aeon Flux" | \_______________________o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| "Best do it so" -?- \ mailto:Holger.Wagner@lrz-muenchen.de | ! http://www.extropy.org ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^% PGP-Fingerprint: BD 78 AE 5A AD 20 91 AC E6 77 A8 B4 12 D1 9C 39
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