From: Patrick Inniss (inniss@m3.sprynet.com)
Date: Tue Nov 17 1998 - 08:12:36 MST
Phil Goetz wrote:
>I think that anyone who regarded themselves as a transhuman would
>necessarily be a bigot, since they would regard themselves as greater than
>human. So they would be racially bigoted against humans.
>
>If someone who regards themselves as transhuman has altered genes, then
they
>are calling themselves superior on the basis of their genes. It is a short
>hop from there to making judgements about different human races on the
basis
>of their genes. If transhumans are not so bigoted, I would guess it will
be
>more a matter of disinterest than of principle.
>
Hell, some of us don't need any cotton-picking genetic engineering to feel a
little superior. But that in itself doesn't make you a bigot in my book.
After all, I think I have a superior moral system to a god-believer, but I
don't think that makes me a religious (or anti-religious) bigot. As long as
my opinions are rational and I don't seek to deny rights to any other person
based upon their ethnic/religious status, who cares what my feelings
regarding our relative abilities are?
But this does raise a significant question, which may or may not have a
ready answer depending upon how much humanism is in transhumanism. The
Humanist Manifesto II of 1973 specifically prohibits discrimination (but not
feelings of superiority) as normally defined (except sexual orientation
isn't explicitly mentioned), and I think it would also include transhuman vs
human discrimination. If transhumanist fully embrace humanist ethics, then
we have at least a firm ethical stance on the issue.
Regards - Pat
Pat Inniss
inniss@m3.sprynet.com
http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/inniss/
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri Nov 01 2002 - 14:49:47 MST