From: Anders Sandberg (nv91-asa@nada.kth.se)
Date: Fri Jun 20 1997 - 12:56:22 MDT
On Fri, 20 Jun 1997, Len Flatley wrote:
> i am currently of the opinion -- and please play devils advocate
> here, if any of you has any ideas -- that new ideas more often
> than not ARE scary and frightening to the established order.
Only if they suggest that the current status quo has to change. If
they are just ideas, then they are usually irrelevant (although many
groups have discovered too late that simple ideas can have unexpected
consequences).
> i'm afraid that if you have something truly revolutionary to say,
> something as exciting and vibrant and transforming as
> TRANSHUMANISM, you WILL create enemies, you will scare people,
> you will get people accusing you of satan worship, forming a cult,
> or whatever else is fashionable in Tabloid TV. You will either
> have to shut up, stop publicizing your ideas, or soften your
> ideas if you want to avoid this.
Yes, transhumanism is extremely radical and threatens a lot of
groups. Softening it is IMHO the wrong idea, I think it is better to
introduce it gradually and show how the many reasonable ideas one is
presenting leads to a bigger picture. People can accept the idea of
living healthier using (say) food supplements or calorie restriction.
They can accept the idea of having knowbots making them more
efficient. They can accept the idea of using psychology to develop
oneself. Once they have accepted many of these small ideas it becomes
more natural to accept other ideas (like planning their lives, since
they will live longer), and so on.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension!
nv91-asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~nv91-asa/main.html
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