Re: STORY: The Transhumanist Racist

From: Michael S. Lorrey (mike@lorrey.com)
Date: Wed Jun 09 1999 - 07:41:05 MDT


Anders Sandberg wrote:

>
> Unfortunately I agree with Eliezer. My (very limited) experience of
> discussing with racists show that they are not particularly fond of
> having their views of the world disturbed. However, I noted that they
> are indeed rather susceptible to biological arguments, which makes
> them even more upset when you start throwing some transhumanist ideas
> at them. They usually retreat to cultural superiority instead, which
> was the reason I had the Doctor add memetic engineering.
>
> Seriously, I don't think we will be very successful at "curing"
> racists by arguments like this. It is not much a question about
> rationality but rather dealing with an emotional worldview. But
> technologies like above may of course make that worldview ever more
> untenable.

Having spent time in the military (which attracts both minorities and dumb
rednecks) as well as out west, I can from experience state that racism is in
fact a matter of ignorance. Ignorance is curable. Granted if an ignorant person
is bombarded with the same stupid ideas for long enough, it becomes more
difficult to enlighten them.

--
TANSTAAFL!!!
Michael S. Lorrey
Owner, Lorrey Systems
http://www.lorrey.com
ArtLocate.Com
http://www.artlocate.com
Director, Grafton County Fish & Game Assoc.
http://www.lorrey.com/gcfga/
Member, Extropy Institute
http://www.extropy.org
Member, National Rifle Association
http://www.nra.org
"Live Free or Die, Death is not the Worst of Evils."
                  - General John Stark


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