> Max More <maxmore@primenet.com> wrote:
>
> > >And if too many make the boat it's going to be crowded. If
> > >posthumanity is going to be a highly competitive place to live, why
> > >not get a head start? Cull the herd.
> >
> > Well, if this approach fascinates you (it repels me) you'll probably
> enjoy
> > Greg Bear's new novel Slant. He even cites Extropians by name as
> respected
> > in one respect by the group in the book that thinks along the lines
> you're
> > suggesting. (I know you're not necessarily advocating these means.)
> There
> > will be a review of Slant in Extropy Online very soon.
>
> Why does it repel you? Extropy is about rational thought, so what
> rational reason have you got against human culling, genocide or
> general murder? Of course, you could argue that culling people is a
> bad idea because maybe you'll accidentally kill someone who would have
> been useful, etc. But I'm talking about the act, what I want to know
> is for what rational reason does this *idea* repel you?
>
> I ask this not just because it's a difficult question, but because
> Extropy has rationality at its core. Now it's possible to think of
> rational reasons for war, genocide, culling or anything else you care
> to mention, but when a reason against it is called for we tend to fall
> back on morality, ethics, and right and wrong. These IMHO are weak
> arguments against raw and unrelenting rationality, so what defenses do
> we have against someone who's taken a very different slant on Extropy?
Surely they are just *pretending* to be all nice 'n' cosy & fluffy...When the
time comes the masks of benevolence shall be tossed aside to reveal the
stern face of uncompromised reason. Them slick eels...
Seriously...Wax has a point. Why are Star Trek (or My Little Pony) ethics so popular
with this allegedly rational crowd? It does not compute @:-|
DdO
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