Avatar Polymorph writes:
> There have been discussions here before about
> uploading animals. And I think a large number of
> our discussions apply to boosting the utility of
> matter - be it animal, vegetable or mineral.
The problem with taking a reductionist's stance is it becomes difficult to determine when to stop reducing. Matter is just a temporary state of energy, do why dwell upon that state? Why dwell upon energy since it is an artifact of M-branes, D-branes, or P-Branes (depending on your preferred flavor)? Etc.
Transhumanism is a philosophy, an outlook on the malleability of the current "human condition" and the idea that its a good thing to explore the possibilities of existence, irregardless of how wild the pathways are that such thinking leads us. The problem with Sentism is formulating a system of precepts that aren't (1) truisms - so broad-based as to be irrelevant, or (2) expanding the scope of our discussion to the point that we are paralyzed by the sheer volume of issues that present themselves.
I think Transhumanism balances the potentialities of the future with our current situation quite well. Within its rubrick we are able to explore a variety of issues that have yet to be thoroughly explored. Perhaps, once we've explored (and experienced) the events and issues we discuss on this list and other fora, we can turn our attentions to the next era, whatever it may be.
Doug
doug.bailey@ey.com