Re: Present dangers to transhumanism

GBurch1@aol.com
Sun, 29 Aug 1999 08:32:05 EDT

In a message dated 99-08-29 01:22:17 EDT, Max wrote:

[Regarding a kooky, anonymous letter from an anti-transhumanist]:
> I'd like to keep an eye on them.

You -- and we -- should. Like (just about) everything else in nature, rationality and self-control are distributed on a bell curve. By and large, extropians and transhumanists are at the good end of these curves. There ARE people at the other end and they CAN be dangerous. It only takes one psychopathically obsessed nut-case to cause a tragedy. Perhaps because I spend time down at the courthouse, I may be more sensitive to the weird and the violent, but let me urge everyone to simply be aware of the POSSIBILITY of one or more Bad Crazies becoming obsessed with opposition to transhumanism. Especially folks who have made a public commitment to transhumanism and extropianism should exercise some common sense in being aware of their environment and not disregarding signs that could indicate you've become the focus of some misguided person's violent obsession.

     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
                         "Civilization is protest against nature; 
                  progress requires us to take control of evolution."
                                      -- Thomas Huxley