From: David Musick (David_Musick@msn.com)
Date: Fri Dec 27 1996 - 01:22:42 MST
I agree whole-heartedly with Eliezer -- the "masses" aren't stupid. The sheer
intelligence of the typical human is truly amazing to me. The complex tasks
they accomplish are quite phenomenal, especially when one considers trying to
make a machine which is even close to being that intelligent. Yes, some
humans are slower than others at different tasks, and some humans are smarter
than others, but all of us humans are pretty damn smart. Some of us are a
little ahead of others, but we're also ahead of our selves of a few years ago
-- we *learned*, and I strongly believe the "masses" can learn too. The human
mind is extremely versatile and it adapts to changing situations very quickly.
The "masses" exemplify this very well. The way new technologies have been so
quickly accepted in this century, by the "masses" is evidence of that.
The human race is learning at an astonishing rate, and the pace is quickening.
The "advanced" ideas we take for granted and intelligent ways of thinking
we've adopted to make our lives better will be commonplace in a few years.
Some of us think we're so much smarter than the masses, but they're right
behind us; we just happen to catch on a little quicker than most. Consider
your departure from "normality"; consider all the lessons you've learned and
applied in your life that has made you a smarter, happier and more productive
human. You were raised in human culture, along with all the other "masses",
yet you came across useful ways of thinking and living, which you have applied
in your life. You found ideas, which, once you considered them, seemed
obvious and useful -- the ideas just made a lot of sense. You stumbled on to
the path of self-transformation and self-improvement, and right now, what
you've learned makes you more advanced than the typical human. But it all
came from *learning*. Other people will see the ideas you saw, and they will
make just as much sense to them as they did to you, and the people will adopt
the good ideas just as eagerly as you did.
These ideas, of self-transformation and self-improvement are spreading
incredibly quickly through the culture. Just go to a bookstore and see the
*huge* self-help section! Much of the advice in these books may be bullshit,
but at least people are thinking about improving themselves, and there is such
a huge demand for these kinds of books that thousands of authors are making a
living off writing them. All over the place, I see advertisements for
seminars and lectures on self-improvement. There is a huge demand for this.
By whom? By the masses. The masses want to improve themselves. They are
spending huge amounts of money to find someone to show them the way to do it.
I say, that's pretty Extropian of them.
We, who currently identify ourselves as "Extropian", may be more intelligent
than the typical human, but as far as I'm concerned, our intelligence is a
skill we've learned, and it's something that the "masses" are learning. I'm
very pleased with the progress I see humans making. Humans are smart. And
they are open to new ideas. People want things to be better, and they *will*
make intelligent choices. It sometimes takes a little while, but the good
ideas eventually *do* get adopted.
- David Musick
-- The tradition of seeking better solutions and improving our situation is
an ancient one. I am proud to keep this tradition alive. --
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