From: natashavita@earthlink.net
Date: Mon Sep 09 2002 - 14:03:03 MDT
Original Message:
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From: Simon Smith:
>The title of my article is probably a bit strong, even sensational. In
>fact,
>I'm sure there would be Transhumanism without the Internet. I just believe
>that it would never have spread the way it has, would never have affected
>as
>many people as it has and probably would have grown too slowly to have any
>impact. But I decided "No Internet, No Widespread, Global, Fast-growing
>Transhumanist Movement" was a lame title :)
Each epoch in history has a venue for communication. People marked on
stone, painted on cave walls, beat rhytheic sounds on drums, and sent smoke
signals to the sky. When our technology upgraded, we used handwriting on
paper, typographical print, houseback riders (Paul Revere), and telegraph.
The telephone and the television up the anty on spreading information far
and wide. The television took the spreading of ideas even further,
reaching millions of people around the world. Today, the Internet is the
method by which contemporary culture is able to uncensored and unrestrained
(for the most party) spread information. This is its greatest purpose.
Inasmuch, the Internet, today, is the most beneficial venue for
transhumanity.
The title of your article is accurate if we look at it this way - as a
contempaory venue. If we do not use the tools of the times, we are really
not futuristic.
However, transhumanism yesterday was in existence vis-a-vis the
videography, television, the telephone and print. Therefore, if we did not
use the communications technology of that time (TV, phone, print), would we
say "No TV, No Transhumanity?" Maybe I would have if folks didn't attend
any of my transhumanist video exhibitions. Maybe not. I don't know.
I suppose that if anyone was not living in Southern California, in Los
Angeles that it might seem that way. But, if you were living in Los
Angeles during those years, you would be alarmed that anyone would think
that the Internet was the source for transhumanism.
In some years to come, we might be alarmed when someone living in near
earth orbit communicating with others off-planet with a novel technology
would say "No Space-Echo, No Transhumanity". You might say, "But what
about all the work we did on the Internet?" and he might say,
"Transhumanity didn't get started until we became transhumans through our
echo system."
I like what you wrote here:
"Like-minded people, including such well-known as scientist and writer
Verner Vinge, signed on. The Manifesto has also become somewhat of an art
form itself, as in October 1997 it became the first transhumanist writing
to exit the atmosphere, onboard the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft." Simon
Smith
best,
Natasha
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