Avatar Polymorph <way@warehouse.net> writes:
> Anders Sandberg writes:
> Sentists, and some other transhumanism-like groups, appear to be
> basically mystical: knowledge about the future can be achieved through
> non-rational insight.
>
> Strictly speaking, it is transhumanists who are being non-rational, by
> not acknowledging the nature of boosting. PEOPLE ARE ANIMALS. ALL BEINGS
> ARE CAPABLE OF BEING BOOSTED BY MIXTURES OF APPLICABLE NEUROLOGICAL
> MODIFICATION SYSTEMS,
Hmm, I see no reason for all those caps. Are you trying to shout?
If I understand your reasoning correctly, you think transhumanists are non-rational for not discussing the possibility of uplifiting/boosting other entities, such as animals. Is this a correct interpretation?
If so, then you are wrong, since these matters has been discussed on this list in the past. There was a long discussion about uplifting squids around a year ago, and there have been occasional bursts of thinking on the ethics of the process. Not to mention David Pearce's sketches in The Hedonic Imperative.
But generally people are more interested in things that give *them* or their close ones a benefit. You might regard all entities as close ones, but others may have other priorities. This is still completely rational in the sense of using efficient means to reach one's goals.
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension! asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/ GCS/M/S/O d++ -p+ c++++ !l u+ e++ m++ s+/+ n--- h+/* f+ g+ w++ t+ r+ !y