From: "Mike Lorrey" <mlorrey@datamann.com>
>
> While I continue to be unemployed (anyone out there have positions
> open?) while local employers prefer to outsource the sort of work I do
> to Indian job shops...
I while ago Max More asked for feedback/ideas regarding extropians and
transhumanists (his email was entitled "What Can We Do For You?"). I meant
to write a few of my thoughts to Max, but got waylaid (by my own self,
natch).
But Mike's post has brought Max's query to my mind again. I'm writing to
the whole group, because I think this is an important point. Extropians,
futurists and transhumanists portray themselves as optimists regarding
scientific and technological progress - good things to come in the future.
But racist jibes are old. This is a free country, and I'm 110% behind
people using free speech to express themselves. But racist jibes are old.
I'm not saying extropians and transhumanists on this list are mostly
racists, but so help me, it seems as if there are a few. It's been
explained that extropians and transhumanists are more "open" about voicing
their opinions, and that's why it only SEEMS as if there's more "politically
incorrect" stuff that may be regarded as racist. But I don't buy it. One
doesn't have to worry about holding politically correct positions for their
own sake. If something is a good idea, it's a good idea. If it's not, it's
not. And hooray for the marketplace of ideas.
But because racist jibes are old, a group's credibility may be impaired if
there are ideas bandied about that are regressive; even more so if that
group wants to promote itself as "progressive." Extropians and
transhumanists may be "above" caring about racial conflicts in the world,
but those conflicts are real and their problems are abundant.
I personally am very interested in what progress may bode for humas (and
posthumans) in the future, but what prevents me from calling myself an
extropian are the somewhat (from my perspective) odd mixture of politics.
Ayn Rand, for instance. She's on the extropian reading list. Er.... isn't
she considered a joke? (I read a lot of Ayn Rand in college many years ago,
so I'm not unfamiliar with her writings, but to take her seriously...yipes!)
I don't consider myself an extropian because of this strange mixture of
politics which emanate - obliquely, at times, but detectable and musty and
somewhat offputing, IMO. While I do not have time to read even 20% of the
posts, I have enjoyed reading many of them, most of which I have found to be
interesting and helpful and original. Yep, some great stuff ...
O.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Sat May 11 2002 - 17:44:29 MDT