From: Extropy Institute (natasha@natasha.cc)
Date: Mon Sep 15 2003 - 23:06:23 MDT
Extropy Institute Newsletter
ExI - Changing the Game (September 16, 2003)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Natasha,
Extropy Institute has grown from a groundbreaking
futurist organization to a worldwide incubator for
solutions. Having spent the last 15 years developing
a grid for transhumanity, ExI is now going in a new
direction. In doing so, we've taken the "ism" out of
extropy and
heading toward the many cultural, economic and
technological riddles that wait to be solved and the
questions that need to be answered. ExI's
design of thinking systems and solutions for the future
will unfold over the next year as we approach business
structures and
educational systems, probe each others brains and
nourish the very environment from which we thrive.
Right now it's time to
move on to new gardens. Hey, it's an uphill trek - we're
packing a new website,
new mission, and new principles, for a new direction.
Come along - the sky is still blue, Mars is in the
southwest just before dawn, and tonight Sirius will
shine brightly in reflection of our deepest
desires.
CONGRATULATIONS to DAVID McFADZEAN! ExI's
Directors
elected David McFadzean to the board. David has
contributed enormous Internet savvy and strategic
business development to ExI and we decided that his
talents are indispensable for our future.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In this Issue:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* WHY DO WE NEED EXTROPIC SOLUTIONS?
* ExI's NEW MISSION STATEMENT
* NEW! "Extropy-Chat" Email List
* ExI Launches New Website!
* Principles of Extropy, Version 3.1 (by Max More, Chairman)
WHY DO WE NEED EXTROPIC SOLUTIONS?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Human beings achieved "civilization" thousands of years
ago. Yet we have not shaken off the ancient tyrannies
that haunt the human condition. We suffer physical and
emotional sicknesses ending in decrepitude and death.
The primitive parts of our brain spur us to envy, to
hate, to despair, and to kill. Our philosophies and our
religions attempt to express our highest values, yet we
use them to oppress and control. We use them to crush
the world's complexity into a simplicity that we can
clutch like a security blanket for the human condition.
Human ingenuity has created astonishing institutions
and technologies to remedy these problems. Yet our
intellectual and emotional limitations often spawn new
problems from our attempted solutions, while our
primitive drives find ways to abuse them. The ever-
accelerating pace of change breeds anxiety even as it
glimmers with hope. Powerful technologies ever more
rapidly shake up entire cultures and economies as well
as each individual life. As we continue to experiment
with technology using legacy brains and antiquated
strategies, uncertainty and anxiety continue to plague
us.
Extropy Institute New Website >> http://www.extropy.org/index.htm
ExI's NEW MISSION STATEMENT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Extropy Institute sees enormous potential in advanced
decision making and strategic thinking, coupled with
emerging sciences and technologies, to quicken
humanity's resolution of these fundamental problems.
We aim to gradually but firmly change the rules of the
game called "being human".
In pursuit of our mission, Extropy Institute assembles
individuals from diverse domains of expertise. We gather
these ambitious, daring minds to combine creative and
executive approaches to expose the fundamental roots
of our problems. We see this advanced, multi-faceted
solution-seeking as the best way to create a radically
better future.
We need not remain slaves to our cultural and
evolutionary history. For centuries, cultures around the
world saw human slavery as part of the natural order,
until they were shown irrefutably otherwise. Likewise
today, many of us passively accept or stridently defend
the inevitability of human stupidity, malice, conflict,
aging, and death. We invite you to participate in our
mission to connect and cultivate the ingenious and
intrepid shapers of the future.
Extropy Institute New Mission >> http://www.extropy.org
NEW! "Extropy-Chat" Email List
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome to the "Extropy-Chat" List. ExI's new email
list is launched today.
ExI's email list is the longest running transhumanist
email list in the world. Now entering its second decade,
the Extropy-Chat (formerly "Extropians") email list is
open to ExI members and non-members alike. It is a
general-purpose discussion forum. The List covers all
manner of topics over time, and you can search back
several years through the archives on the Web to find
previous posts on topics that interest you. We also
provide a daily digest version for those who prefer
receiving fewer emails.
Over the years, this List hosted innovative discussions
on the Internet continuously since 1991. We welcome
innovative discussions pertaining to scientific,
technological, philosophical, artistic, economic, and
social perspectives on the future.
Please be aware that the content of the Extropy-Chat
List does not automatically reflect Extropy Institute or
the philosophy of extropy itself. As with most mailing
lists, it reflects opinions on various subjects and the
posts therein should not be viewed as official
endorsements of Extropy Institute or vice versa.
Please carefully read the List Agreement below,
followed by more information about the Extropy-Chat
List.
Welcome!
ExI's New "Extropy Chat" email list >> http://www.extropy.org/emaillists.htm
ExI Launches New Website!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Along with a new mission, new email list, revised
principles, and new business strategy, ExI launches
its new website. ExI will have a more comprehensive
resources page,
media and PR page, and a page specifically for "The
Futurists QUIZ." Along with the QUIZ, we are also
launching a new email list, "ExI-Solutions", by invitation
only.
While the new website reflects the new direction of
ExI, some of its pages are still being designed as I write
this. If you have talents in the area of web design or
digital
media, please let us know. In return for your talents,
we will provide a free membership to ExI.
NEXT MONTHS EXPONENT NEWSLETTER TOPICS:
(1) Transvision 2004 elects George Dvorsky, President
of the Toronto Transhumanist Association and Deputy
Editor and a columnist for "Betterhumans" as the Chair
of its next conference, which will be held in Toronto,
Canado. We look forward to a featured profile on
George next month. (2) Gina Miller and Leigh Christian
are elected to ExI's Executive Advisory Team (EAT);
and more.
ExI's New Website! >> http://www.extropy.org
Principles of Extropy, Version 3.1 (by Max More, Chairman)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An evolving framework of values and standards
for continuously improving the human condition
Prologue: What is the Purpose of the Principles of
Extropy?
Philosophies of life rooted in centuries-old traditions
contain much wisdom concerning personal,
organizational, and social living. Many of us also find
shortcomings in those traditions. How could they not
reach some mistaken conclusions when they arose in
pre-scientific times? At the same time, ancient
philosophies of life have little or nothing to say about
fundamental issues confronting us as advanced
technologies begin to enable us to change our identity
as individuals and as humans and as economic, cultural,
and political forces change global relationships.
The Principles of Extropy first took shape in the late
1980s to outline an alternative lens through which to
view the emerging and unprecedented opportunities,
challenges, and dangers. The goal was and is to use
current scientific understanding along with critical and
creative thinking to define a small set of principles or
values that could help make sense of the confusing but
potentially liberating and existentially enriching
capabilities opening up to humanity.
The Principles of Extropy do not specify particular
beliefs, technologies, or policies. The Principles do not
pretend to be a complete philosophy of life. The world
does not need another totalistic dogma. The Principles
of Extropy do consist of a handful of principles (or
values or perspectives) that codify proactive, life-
affirming and life-promoting ideals. Individuals who
cannot comfortably adopt traditional value systems
often find the Principles of Extropy useful as postulates
to guide, inspire, and generate innovative thinking
about existing and emerging fundamental personal,
organizational, and social issues.
The Principles are intended to be enduring, underlying
ideals and standards. At the same time, both in content
and by being revised, the Principles do not claim to be
eternal truths or certain truths. I invite other
independent thinkers who share the agenda of acting
as change agents for fostering better futures to
consider the Principles of Extropy as an evolving
framework of attitudes, values, and standards and as
a shared vocabulary to make sense of our
unconventional, secular, and life-promoting responses
to the changing human condition. I also invite feedback
to further refine these Principles.
More on Principles of Extropy >> http://www.extropy.org/principles.htm
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Quick Links...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join Now! >> http://www.extropy.org/membership.htm
Directors, Council of Advisors, and Executive Advisory Team >> http://www.extropy.org/directors.htm
Best Business News Source on the Web! >> http://www.manyworlds.com
International Association of Biomedical Gerontology - Aubrey de Grey - >> http://www.gen.cam.ac.uk/iabg10/
More About Us >> http://www.extropy.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email: natasha@natasha.cc
voice: 512 263-2749
web: http://www.extropy.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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