From: Crosby_M (CrosbyM@po1.cpi.bls.gov)
Date: Fri Nov 29 1996 - 10:53:17 MST
I wrote:
<a potential Transhumanist Trilogy: THE Power, Omega and the Singularity.
Lyle hasn't lost his sense of humor - that's what parody is, twisting
things out of the context they're normally seen in, just as Lyle recently
asked David Musick to substitute "corporations" for "highly advanced
beings" in his The Power of Symbiosis thread to see what it sounded like.>
Argh, I meant to write Trinity, not Trilogy!
Michael Lorrey wrote:
<Actually, I did not read his suggestion of substitution as a parody,
because I have theorized on, as others have, of the current existence of
transhuman organisms here on earth, operating at such a slow baud rate that
they are not noticed by us. They are commonly referred to as a: "nation",
"corporation", "government", "ethnic group", "profession", "species", or
"ecosystem".>
Hey, I take what Lyle is saying about the kinds of cyberorganisms you
mention very seriously too!
I think we need to consider these existing 'spontaneous orders' whenever we
rev up our dynamic optimism and contemplate boundless expansion through
self transformation.
A while back, people on the list proposed changing the definition of SO in
BEST DO IT SO to self-ownership. I recall that some people had complained
that 'Spontaneous Orders' weren't always extropian. Of course, no one ever
said they were; but, they are there, and they are 'bigger' than us and
can't be ignored. I hope the new Extropian principle of Self-Ownership
will explicitly address some of these exo-self issues that were sort of
murkily folded into the old Spontaneous Order principle.
True, Lyle's suggestions are not parodies (Lyle prefers riddles ;) The
effect is similar though - things are seen out of their usual context and
insights are sometimes obtained.
Mark
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