From: Natasha V. More (fka Nancie Clark) (natasha@extropic-art.com)
Date: Thu Aug 14 1997 - 06:53:52 MDT
At 10:14 PM 8/13/97 -0500, Eliezer S. Yudkowsky wrote:
>Re: The Future of Gender
>It's too bad I wasn't there. Among the issues I would like to have raised:
Too bad you weren't there! What great questions you have! I would have
loved you to be at the discussion. This is the type of input and thinking I
was looking forward to.
>1. Emotional differences between genders arise from differing evolutionary
>cost-benefit ratios. Given certain new methods of reproduction, what would be
>the corresponding emotional changes?
One concept I am interested in is autosexual or the advanced asexual. It
seems that if we had a "switch" to turn on and off sex, then we would not
have the emotional preoccupations about same. Sex, although centered in the
brain, is emotional and conjures up emotions in the dance and in the act. A
choice that many may make presently and in the near future would be not
eliminate sex which would affect gender. I wonder if these non or
negsexuals will be genders or species.
>Given a new "gender" which reproduced
>its ideas into the child's mind, would any new evolved emotions arise? What
>about triple sexuality?
We already witness triple sexuality. One may be take on a male disposition
one day and a female disposition another day, and then on the third day be
neither - androgynous or asexual. Or, one could be a combination of all
three, or something different. These will be more defined in the near
future, again. As far as genitals, one could have both male and female
genitals and then a third structure for a different type of pleasure or
stimulation.
>2. What if we're not evolving emotions? If we design them ourselves, would
>we want to invent any new emotions? How would this affect social interaction?
> Suppose parents are required by law to be incapable, emotionally, of harming
>their child... how would this affect dating? Might not both partners circle
>cautiously to ensure a potential child would not be harmed by the other?
This is an important issue. As we become less and less biological, we will
be shedding aspects of our biology. Nerves will eventually start to be come
eliminated. In doing so, we will decide what sensations, feelings, we will
want to maintain. We may decide that we only want pleasurable feelings, and
just a smidgen of pain -- as a reminder or red flag.
As we grow more extropic as transhumans, we will also be shedding emotions
that do not serve our needs. We will be develop our emotions as "refined
emotions." We can start doing that now by raising our EI (emotional
intelligence).
>3. How would thoughtsharing of various types affect sexual mores? Define an
>Augmented human as a "primary" human supported by several other experts
>sharing the world through virtual reality and communicating continuously,
>waking and sleeping, on subvocal/subconscious/hypnotic channels. (Augmented
>humans are addressed as "Augmented Sally" to emphasize that you're talking to
>everyone, not just Sally.) If Augmented Sally and Augmented Fred have sex,
>how would this affect the Augmentations, which could be of mixed genders?\
This scenario is a good example of the possibilities that lay ahead.
>Note that none of these questions address uploading.
>You all know why...
Yet, an upload inhabit any shape or form. What if an upload wanted to
explore "early transhuman" sexuality?
Natasha Vita More [fka Nancie Clark] - natasha@extropic-art.com
"Treat your friends as you do your pictures, and place them in their best
light."
Jennie Jerome Churchill
More Art Studio - http://www.extropic-art.com
NEW: Transhuman Posters
Press Release: *Extropic Art Manifesto* orbits Saturn -1997-1998
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