I urge anyone who does not believe that we face a difficult and protracted
conflict with those who would impose limits on our ability to transcend the
human animal to take a moment to listen to that arch-conservative, Prince
Charles, in his "millenium message" available at the BBC's web site:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/585000/audio/_586771_tftday.ram
This brief message is a perfect example of the kind of deep opposition to the
application of technology to the basic issues of human nature that we face.
Drawing on the most powerful animal fears and age-old superstitions, the heir
to the British throne preaches a message of opposition to transcending human
limits. His message subtly but clearly connects the current "anti-GM foods"
movement with a more general opposition to the core agenda of transhumanism.
The message is delivered with smooth and reassuring reference to the
comforting bromides of religion and "humanity" and even hijacks the figure of
Einstein as an endorsement for a basically mystical and resigned view of the
human condition.
Although educated Americans and even Britons may consider Prince Charles to
be an irrelevant twit, figures of the traditional cultural establishment like
him wield powerful and subtle memetic power. All of the exposure our ideas
and values have had in the media's "millennial frenzy" of speculation and
"taking stock" actually creates a double-edged sword. For as our agenda of
transcending human nature becomes more clearly defined in the public mind, it
will also become a more well-defined target for opposition from reactionary
forces threatened by those ideas and ideals.
Greg Burch <GBurch1@aol.com>----<gburch@lockeliddell.com>
Attorney ::: Vice President, Extropy Institute ::: Wilderness Guide
http://users.aol.com/gburch1 -or- http://members.aol.com/gburch1
"We never stop investigating. We are never satisfied that we know
enough to get by. Every question we answer leads on to another
question. This has become the greatest survival trick of our species."
-- Desmond Morris
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