Nadia <QueeneMUSE@aol.com> wrote:
> In a message dated 9/20/1999 1:31:44
> PM Pacific Daylight Time,
> bdelaney@infinitefaculty.org writes:
For the record, this was quoted from a FAQ at the Extropy Institute Web page. Isn't me (though it makes sense to me):
>> The history of the alt.extropians newsgroup is >> complex and we won't go into it here, just yet, >> but it was decided early on by the people who >> established the extropians mailing list that it >> would be a "safe haven" for extropian people to >> discuss fine points WITHIN the context of >> extropian thought.
> QueenMUSE (delurking)
> I agree that we should have a safe haven...
> Ahh, "extropian thought" ...hmmm.... (thinking)
Difficult matter.... Especially if one wants also to be "daring...."
> This parameter of course is not truly definable,
> unless one is dogmatic, or espouses a "party
> line" mentality, which-in-itself, is against
> extropian principles....
Well, one might say: you have to take a stand on something other than the principle, "let's be open-mnded."
Or: An open mind is an empty mind.
Therefore, some dogmatism is unavoidable.
> ( I remember the recent post about Libertarian
> & non-Libertarian tranhumanist vs extorpians,
> blah blah blah... posters being harrangued
> back and forth ad nauseum.)
> ; - ) you can't even call it a flame, it's just silly!
Which part is silly, and why? The role of government in society seems like an extremely important issue. If (most of) the active members of this list have made up their minds fairly solidly about where they stand on the issue, then someone who believed differently might want a different list.
> However, I agree 100% that posting a quip
> on an already fully developed disccusion group
> list saying (something like)" oh yeah well
> you guys aren't doing anythign new, I
> knew all about this and it's just old hat"
> is a waste of anyone's time.
To be fair to Stan, that isn't exactly what he was doing....
In any event, content aside, he was mostly posing a question, not making much of a claim, which should be okay.
Then again, given that taking a stand requires creating a Gulag, there will always be questions that aren't okay, I suppose. Unless one is a philosopher.... And yet, the philosopher's "principles" --
Tricky.
Gulagification or quietism might be the only options.
Best,
Brian,
Prince of Denmark.
-- Brian Manning Delaney <b-delaney@uchicago.edu> (No need to CC replies to me.)