From: Lee Corbin (lcorbin@tsoft.com)
Date: Thu Aug 16 2001 - 09:12:56 MDT
Helen writes
>
Perhaps I should mention that I'm writing a masters paper on attitudes to the
modification of the body - grounded in the sociology of the body - hence why I'm trying
to understand the various strains of thought regarding the body by those on this list.
There is a definite obsession with the body in this particular discipline - something
<
In what particular discipline? You don't mean on the extropian list, do you?
>
that I'm hoping to challenge in this paper - it seem to be based on modern to postmodern
values of subjectivity versus objectivity, knowledge versus expression...and the like.
It stems from Satre and even a Romantic notion that the body and self are a whole, and
that happiness can be found by disciplining and shaping the body to an ideal of
perfection - here the media comes in and does its stuff!
<
Well, it would be totally amazing IMHO if you establish such
connections. I always thought that obsession with one's physique
(that began not coincidentally about the time that Arnold
Schwartzenegger started to make it really big in the movies)
really stemmed from the same luxuries that we all enjoy in
modern day society. Namely, that we all have the time and
wherewithall to engage in odd things, whether it is body-
building, or following email discussion lists, or watching
Star Wars 200 times.
>
Now the problem that I'm getting though is that extropians want to modify and enhance
themselves through science and technology - their goal is immortality or at least
longivity. Now this goal is based on being able to create/design a better body, one that
does not have the fraility and limitations of the present biological one
<
This remark might be better addressed to those who are attempting
to cheat death by getting very healthy, or like Spike Jones, by
caloric restriction. (I'd still bet that they don't quite see it
as the same thing, but I don't know.)
I'm a convinced cryonicist, and still think that it's my own best
chance at living forever. (I simply doubt that anti-aging drugs
will be found soon enough for me.) Yes, in the cryonics literature
one does often encounter the statement that one will probably re-animate
with the body of a 20 year old; but honestly, this seems like small
change to most cryonicists, who simply wish to continue living
regardless of what kind of body they get. So there simply is *not*
such a "goal to create/design a better body" for cryonicists.
> - so aren't you just as obsessed with the body as those people who go
down the gym everyday and bust a gut also trying to create the ideal body?
So you're question below about strange ideas about the body doesn't make
sense to me.
<
Now does the following question make sense after all?
>>If I am correct in the above paragraphs, then the next question
>>must arise for me and those who agree with me, is, where are
>>people getting all these strange ideas about body image? Has
>>something in our culture recently changed?
>
Of course it could all come down to self confidence and if one has a strong sense of
identity - if you're particularly subject to others remarks and opinions of you, then
of course you will be affected more than someone who has a definite sense of who they
are...and more importantly who they want to be.
<
That hasn't been my experience. I've noticed some cryonicists and
extropians get really devoted to becoming maximally physically
healthy, and they showed absolutely no signs of lacking self-
confidence. Sure, people who *are* very insecure---typical teenagers,
for example---can be overly concerned by their appearance (the pants
must drag on the ground *just so*), but we can exclude those cases
when we are talking about extropians. So no, it's not self-confidence
either.
Lee
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