Re: Transhumanist Declaration (Now New And Improved!)
Sonny B. (sonb@hotmail.com)
Sat, 11 Apr 1998 21:12:29 PDT
>Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1998 12:19:38 -0400
>From: Reilly Jones <Reilly@compuserve.com>
>Subject: Re: Transhumanist Declaration (Now New And Improved!)
>To: Extropians List <extropians@extropy.com>
>Reply-To: extropians@extropy.com
>
>otter@globalxs.nl wrote 4/11/98: <Btw, suggestions for a better
sounding
>name are welcome; "Enlightened Rationalism" is too long and sounds too
>pompous-a__ed.>
>
>A recap of the description you gave:
>
><What it all boils down to is that any rational person... will use any
>means that are available to him to reach his goals. Sometimes his
actions
>will benefit others, sometimes they will be neutral, and sometimes
people
>will get hurt.>
>
>No rationality is used in setting goals, only morality. Rationality
sifts
>through various means to various goals in the process of choosing a
goal,
>but is silent over the actual final choice of a goal. It is akin to
the
>difference between effectiveness and efficiency. Means are always
>important because private virtues develop public virtues, which
facilitates
>the achievement of great aims, while private vices develop public
vices,
>which facilitates slop.
I don't think it is accurate to imply that only morality is used for
anything. Actually, the process of deciding to use the moral etiquette
is in itself a rational to "faciliate the achievement of great aims".
Sonal Batra
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