I think you are right, because all those topics come from the Extropian Principals. But I think you have just given me an idea!
It may be too broad a spectrum to include Transhumanism, Self-Ownership, and Spontaneous Order into the same list. This translates into cryonicists and cyberpunks talking with gun-owners and libertarians talking with anarchists and tax evaders. This is a diverse mix. Even I got confused as to what was on-topic, hence my question.
Maybe we could divide Extropians into a list for each of the major principals?
perpetualprogress@extropians.com
selftransformation@extropians.com
practicaloptimism@extropians.com
intelligenttechnology@extropians.com
opensociety@extropians.com
selfdirection@extropians.com
rationalthinking@extropians.com
and we could keep the general extropians@extropy.com for other discussions, discussions about the extropian movement itself, or discussions about extropians themselves. Also, general announcements or references can be sent to the main list as well. Each person could subscribe to the main list and whichever specific topic list they desired.
Would this work to subdivide topics? Would this work for the gun debate, if it primarily was held in selfdirection? This might help keep some threads on topic. It might help keep on-topic threads like guns away from people who want to talk about a different on-topic subject.
I think it would be useful. It might help encourage discussions in all extropian areas, and not just a few. If there are topics that are of interest to everybody, but don't fit into a category, it might help lead to expansion of the Extropian Principals. If there is a topic that doesn't get much traffic, it could indicate a need for more information in that area.
Any comments?
> > What is the purpose of the Extropians List? Without even arguing
> > pro or con on the politics of flag burning, is this an Extropian Issue?
>
> If you're into transhumanism and technology, there are lots of
> resources and groups talking about those subjects. The Extropian
> Principles, however, explicitly value self-ownership and spontaneous
> order. Political issues that conflict with these princliples are
> on topic. Particularly issues that concern supression of freedom
> to explore new ideas and new technologies.
>
> Anyone who fights death is a transhumanist; an Extropian has to
> fight both death /and/ taxes.
>
> --
> Lee Daniel Crocker <lee@piclab.com> <http://www.piclab.com/lcrocker.html>
> "All inventions or works of authorship original to me, herein and past,
> are placed irrevocably in the public domain, and may be used or modified
> for any purpose, without permission, attribution, or notification."--LDC
>