From: Robert Coyote (coyyote@hotmail.com)
Date: Tue Jul 24 2001 - 14:11:47 MDT
Sign me up with an esthetic modification pack, where I get extreme
bi-lateral symmetry and bone lengths at exact fibrionacci relations to each
other, 6'2'' hight, no signs of aging beyond full development, near
featureless skin, and an unearthly sparkle in my eyes.
ok?
----- Original Message -----
From: <natashavita@earthlink.net>
To: <extropians@extropy.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 24, 2001 12:15 PM
Subject: Re: Extropian bodies
>
> Helen wrote:
>
> >"(snip)I hope that by posing reasonable simple questions to the people
who are against engineering the human body through technology, then I won't
annoy them, and they will open up about what really scares them."<
>
> This is a sensible concern. I've had to deal with it quite a bit when
addressing the future of the human body. People get a little bent when they
think someone is going to take their body away. And for a good cause. "My
body, my life." It's our most fundamental property.
>
> Rather than developing a reference guide of standardized questions for the
average person, I ask questions that are individual-based. "You enjoy tennis
a great deal, what would it be like if you didn't have to worry about tennis
elbow?" Or, "As a CEO and a mother, how do you balance you hectic schedule?
Wouldn't it be wonderful to have an implant communication device so that you
could communiate feelings with your children just to let them know you love
them while you are away?" For basics, most people wear glasses or contacts.
Many people have had braces or have augmented their teeth with veneers,
crowns or fillings. This type of engineered upgrade has modified a large
percentage of humanity. It may seem silly at first blush to mention, but it
helps people relax before stretching their imaginations about advanced
augmentations.
>
> >(snip)... I believe that what scares the 'anti' people is based in the
fact that we 'look' human, and that our humanness is linked to our body
image. This is a strong argument in that it suggests our identity as a
person is linked very closely to how others, and we see the body. What they
are suggesting is that by changing the appearance of the human body then we
are consequently changing our human identity. This seems pretty logical, and
it bypasses in some way, the argument that our 'identity', or rather our
'human identity' is just contained within the brain. They'd argue that
although the information may be stored in the brain, it is still connected
to how we see the body, therefore what effects the body effects the mind.<
>
> There is a distinctive image-territoriality among humans to protect and
patrol the human body in a fixed state. In that the human visual sense is
an extremely strong component of our psychological make-up and identity,
altering it drastically could cause a heck of a lot of resentment and fear.
This is very understandable.
>
> What you need to consider is that changes occur in steps. Alterations and
modifications to the human body will surely alter visual perceptions of our
identities and ourselves. Also consider that multiple personalities will
also be an alternative with new body designs as well as multiple physical
vehicles for transportation and communication. Be careful not to get stuck
on one body and one identity. Alternatively, who says a posthuman will not
resemble a human?
>
> I'll reply off list when I get my computer fixed this week.
>
> Best,
> Natasha
>
>
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