At 03:30 PM 1/14/99 -0800, Robin wrote:
>The related thing that most strikes me is the unfortunate
>lack of paper-length contributions on the topics which
>frequently appear on this list.
(snip)
>Now a few people have, over the years, written books
>on the topics we discuss. But these mostly come off
>as idiosyncratic personal visions, instead of part
>of a conversation within a larger community. They
>mostly give the impression that the author thought up
>all this stuff by him/herself, and rarely cite others
>who they are responding to or building on.
>
>Why? It seems to me it is because of jumping too
>quickly to book-length contributions, where paper
>length contributions would be more appropriate.
Writing an essay is another way to elaborate on a topic, and a mode which works well for those who do not want to write lengthy pieces, but do have ideas which can be expressed in a crisp cogent manner. (i.e., Susan Sontag is an excellent essayist, and if anyone hasn't read her, please do, as you will enjoy her uncanny intellect and depth.)
For those of us who are either in or have been teachers, educators or professors, the essay is a wonderful way to present topics for giving a talk at educational institutions.
Natasha Vita-More: http://www.natasha.cc Transhumanist Art Centre - Home of Extropic Art: http://www.extropic-art.com **NEW** Transhuman Culture InfoMark: http://www.transhuman.org PRESS RELEASE: "We are transhumans ..." Meme Orbits Saturn in 2004!
"The best defense is an aesthetic offense."