I know there's already been a good deal of discussion on this thread and what
I have to say here will mostly be redundant of what others have said, but
here's my two cents:
As Max pointed out and as I think the Extropian Principles make very clear,
the "official" statement of the principles and values that define the concept
of "extropianism" are intended to be just that, i.e. a definition of a set of
congruent insights and ideals, and not a prescription for any particular
lifestyle or a specific formula for success in life. In fact, with the
fundamental importance those principals and values place on diversity and
self-direction as both a good in themselves and as an important safeguard
against tyranny and the infertility of "memetic monoculture", I would expect
a healthy extropian community to contain a very wide diversity of lifestyles,
personality types, private ambitions and public institutions.
With that important introduction, I think it's been correctly pointed out
that some things are clearly NOT extropian: You can't be an "extropian
fascist" or an "extropian luddite". In that regard, I think it will always
be easier to say what isn't extropian than what is, especially since, as
"dynamists", we encourage and enjoy innovation: The more successful we are in
implementing our principles and ideals, the more we'll find new expressions
of those ideals in surprising and unexpected ways.
Over the years we've seen many distinct expressions of extropianism. We've
seen that some people are more interested in "inner development", while
others are drawn to the social implications of our values. Some people are
drawn to the technological instrumentalities of our growth and change, while
others are preoccupied with the abstract refinement of the goals we seek.
It's a testimony to the core value of our values, so to speak, that we have
seen such a growth in diversity in the legitimate expression of our 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
ICQ # 61112550
"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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