Re: Wilson/Extropian conflict?

Terry Donaghe (tdonaghe@yahoo.com)
Sat, 12 Dec 1998 14:20:05 -0800 (PST)

---Steven Cordich <calrissian@hotbot.com> wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I am 15 and very new to the list, so perhaps its too early to
participate. But a recent thread has generated quite a bit of confusion for me. Perhaps somebody could clear it up. I have been reading the arhives for about a month, so I know there is little all extropians agree on, but I find it interesting that books marked as recommended reading in Max More's Extropian Principles 2.6 clearly lists three books of note:
>
> Robert Anton Wilson's: Prometheus Rising.
> The New Inquistion.
> and
>
> Timothy Leary's: InfoPsychology.
>
> Why is it that some people who seem to be a prominant member on the
list continue to trash as gibberish any and all information presented by other parties about Leary, and specifically his 8 circuits model in Infopsychology?
>
> Having recently read Extropian goals of moving beyond dogmatic types
thinking, perhaps I'm guilty of dogmatic thinking myself when I point out what seems to be a rather sharp division between some peoples views of Leary and Wilson and Max More's listing them as recommeded reading. My time is limited, so could somebody clarify what I'm missing here.
>
> Sincerly,
>
> Steven
>
>
> HotBot - Search smarter.
> http://www.hotbot.com
>
Well, it's never too early to start thinking for yourself. :) There's several books on Max's list that aren't entirely Extropian. I'd be willing to bet that not a single one of them is. I think the point is that each book contains at least a kernel of something useful.

Example: Stephen Covey's "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" is an excellent book and contains lots of good info for becoming a more powerful individual, but it's FULL of religious/christian undertones that are markedly non-Extropian.

Lot's of us on here have differing opinions about lots of things, but the important thing is to remember that only in the market place of argument can memes evolve.

I'd suggest reading at least the top ten books that Max has listed and then explore as many of the others as possible.

I wish I had begun down the path of Extropianism when I was 15. ==



Terry Donaghe: terry@donaghe.com
Individual, Anarcho-Capitalist, Environmentalist, Transhumanist, Mensan

The Millennium Bookshelf: <http://www.donaghe.com/mbookshelf.htm>



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