On 28 Apr 2001, at 18:51, Ben Goertzel wrote:
....my point...was that if
> transhumanists want to improve their public image, then they should do
> things that are associated with goodness in the public mind.
>
> The advantage of transhumanists improving their public image is: More people
> will listen to them, and more people will fund them.
>
> Thus I am suggesting that by judiciously diverting some efforts from direct
> pursuit of transhumanism to "good works" goals that promote good PR and good
> will toward transhumanits, transhumanists may ultimately do MORE for
> transhumanism than by devoting ALL their efforts directly to transhumanist
> goals.
Ideally, you want to find good works which tie in with the purposes
of TH--not just for convenience and economic efficiency, but because
of American cynicism in general.
Now, tell the truth--what do you think when you see a newsreel of
some rich and famous actress ladling out soup in a homeless shelter?
If you're like most, you laugh. Big deal, she's there for 20 minutes
and goes back to her mansion in Bev Hills. Even donating money to
some cause (typically chosen in cooperation with a pubulicist/PR
firm, believe it or not) appears to be just some effort at looking
good. Sadly, this is true even if the intention is sincere, because
it's a very cynical society.
NOW--what do you think when you find out that Celine Dion is active
with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, does benefit concerts for them
(That's some serious bucks)--and has for many, many years, because
her NIECE DIED of CF? Whole different thing, isn't it?
If you find causes which are logically connected to TH, you will
avoid the cynical reaction AND naturally draw attention to TH because
of the connection--which makes an interesting tie-in for the media.
One example: People with severely damaged or severed spinal cords.
You must however avoid or downplay the head-swapping-on-live-bodies
association. The research could also be applicable to the development
and control of artificial or partially artificial bodies--which could
in turn be a stopgap measure to keep the head going while the body is
cooled for future reunification. This is two minutes' thought; there
are doubtless many, many other possible good causes.
jm
Make sense?
John Marlow
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