Re: humanism vs. transhumanism?

mark@unicorn.com
Wed, 1 Apr 1998 07:50:55 -0800 (PST)


Remi Sussan [sremi@compuserve.com] wrote:
>I'm an antiauthoritarian: I think democracy is the closest form of
>"spontaneous order " that we know, the best way we found to limit, and
>eventually break down, power structures.

Hmm, I don't understand how you can call "do what the majority tell you or
else" democracy an example of antiauthoritarian "spontaneous order", or
claim that it limits and breaks down power structures when the real-world
examples seem to show democratic bureaucracies bloating until they collapse
due to lack of funds to steal.

That democracy is better than many other forms of government is obvious,
that it's much good for anything is not.

>Other find that capitalist
>libertarianism is a better way.

It's unfortunate, of course, that libertarianism/anarcho-capitalism is
incompatible with democracy, when democracy is compatible with
libertarianism/anarcho-capitalism.

I can see that transhumans can support involuntary democracy, but I don't
see that Extropians can; there's nothing spontaneous about being told
what to do by the majority on pain of death for refusal.

Mark