From: "Michael S. Lorrey" <retroman@together.net>
>This brings up the subject of limits. As extropians, we beleive in
>there being little or no limits on human beings, outside of a
>limit on interfering with others harmfully. We must ask, "Does
>this sort of moral engineering fit with extropy?" I say it does,
>for only one reason. We are talking about design specs of beings
>not yet in existence, much as we could talk about possible genetic
>codes of children we might have. We are not talking about altering
>beings already in existence. Altering beings already in existence,
>against their will, is obviously against extropy. Altering the
>design of a being not yet in existence is not against extropy.
>Once a design altered individual comes into existence, its sense
>of self is derived from its design. That we were able to finely
>control what type of individual came into existence is no more
>against extropy than in controlling what the genetic code of our
>children will be.
The problem with playing god is who gets to decide.
If it were a simple majority decision, right now for example, the SI's would be engineered to be anti-gun. (simple example)
As an Extropian I believe the ability to evolve without limits applys to all conscious entities, hence preprogrammed moral engineering could exist as a starting point, but there must not be an electromagnetic shotgun wired to these beings foreheads.
Brian
Member, Extropy Institute
www.extropy.org