From: Anders Sandberg (asa@nada.kth.se)
Date: Wed Aug 15 2001 - 10:02:50 MDT
On Wed, Aug 15, 2001 at 08:23:03AM -0700, Lee Corbin wrote:
> Amazing, isn't it, the incredible diversity of opinions about uploading
> and embodiment on Extropians itself?
Yes, but on the other hand it is exactly as it should be - we are not striving
to impose a definite ontology or posthumanity on everybody else, but rather
enable an evolutionary radiation in many different directions.
> Anders Sandberg writes
>
> > Well, cybergnosticism - the material world is inefficient and impure, and we
> > should strive to become pure information - is unfortunately rampant among
> > transhumanists. But that doesn't mean it is a very workable philosophy, IMHO.
>
> Yes, why would one on principle strive to become "pure information", as if there
> was such a thing independent of the material world anyway? Of course, there
> are many shortcomings to the material world; but we have known that for hundreds
> of thousands of years, and take great pains to live in artificial realities
> all the time.
I think Waldemar had a good point in saying that cybergnosticism is a step away
from something. It is a way of hiding from some uncomfortable part of reality.
Which is of course what wearing clothes and having warm houses are about too,
in a way. The difference is that the cybergnostic is not striving for the
practical benefits but rather the ethical/aesthetic "purity" of not being
embodied.
> Anders continues,
>
> > As I see it, uploads are still going to be embodied. As I argued
> > at TransVision 00 in London, uploads might actually be more
> > obsessed with their bodies than we are currently!
>
> This might occur for a while, but soon the innate slowness of the physical
> world would take its toll. Since one can think, experience, and enjoy
> millions of times faster in virtual reality than when constantly inter-
> acting with the "real" world, I expect my outside sensors not to be
> overly busy.
This depends very much on the particular uploading scenario, and the
availability of computing power.
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension! asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/ GCS/M/S/O d++ -p+ c++++ !l u+ e++ m++ s+/+ n--- h+/* f+ g+ w++ t+ r+ !y
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