RE: Hakim Bey (was: RE: virtual nation building)

From: Colin Hales (colin@versalog.com.au)
Date: Tue Feb 26 2002 - 16:17:11 MST


> On Tue, Feb 26, 2002 at 12:43:29PM +0100, Amara Graps wrote:
> >
> > Primitives and Extropians
> > http://www.t0.or.at/hakimbey/primitiv.htm
>

Riefying the eschaton set the tone for the whole dialogue (for me, anyway)
and I read a pervasive fear and preemptive nostalgia for assumed loss. He
sees the singularity as apocalyptic and extropians as the bearer of the
weapons to bring it about. All couched in an exclusionist word-cloud.

The various translations/interpretations/wrist slaps helped. I wish I had an
'AskAndersSemanticExtractoriser' online full time. However, in the absence
of this and being comparatively philospohically and linguistically
'challenged' I have a need for valid points to be expressed succinctly and
quickly. Call me a lazy illiterate Engineer.

Isn't it obvious that technology has moral implications oozing everywhere
and that the reality of the integration of technology into our lives is
patchy and likely to remain something like that despite any individual's
dreams? That reality is grey? That ideals and utopias are unlikely? There
you are. The whole thing in a couple of sentences.

Maybe it is a kind of poetry. I just wish that the message conveyed was as
compelling as all the verbage used to convey it. For me neither poetry nor
cogent written argument received any justice. I could have presented this
email as a viking rowing chant and sounded really academic. It just seemed
such a wank.

There you go. A slightly longer version of 'full of it'. I guess I'm just
lazy. I love the way Ms Grapps throws a smelly fish into the ring and sits
back and watches the cartoon cloud fight! :)

Colin



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