From: Keith Elis (hagbard@ix.netcom.com)
Date: Wed Apr 15 1998 - 22:56:33 MDT
Nick Bostrom wrote:
>
> Keith Elis wrote:
>
> > TRANSHUMANISM: Any philosophy of life that accelerates our development
> > beyond currently human limitations by way of science, technology,
> > creativity, and other rational means.
> >
> > This requires every philosophy that might call itself transhumanist to
> > *prove* it by pointing to the ways it accelerates development.
>
> Social systems tend to be quasi-chaotical, so it might be impossible
> to tell with any certainty what philosophies have what effects on our
> development. Suppose Rifkin formulates a really horrible philosophy
> that causes a huge backlash for all technophobic thinking. That would
> then make him a transhumanist,
Not if his means is irrational. But I suppose if Rifkin were a clever
transhumanist (now there's a turn of phrase one doesn't get to see too
often), he might rationally design such a strategy.
Neologism anyone?
SAPPER MEME: An offensive (as opposed to benign or defensive) meme,
intelligently-designed to infect a host, reduce the host's memetic
immunity, and prepare the host for infection.
Is there already a term for this?
> whereas we ourselves, if we have bad
> luck, might not be.
Again, the test is rationality. My basic point is that a philosophy of
life is more than merely a hobby. At this point, transhumanism doesn't
have a ton of tools to work with to achieve the acceleration of
development. That doesn't mean one shouldn't do anything. I don't think
anyone diasgrees with this, I just wonder if it would be an appropriate
thing to include in the definition. And I think it can be included by
just getting rid of 'seeks.'
>
> ("by way of" is probably better than "by means of", since "means" is
> otherwised used twice in one sentence.)
Yes, I tried to slip that one by without anyone noticing. :-)
Hagbard
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