A few points. First, anti-intellectual fundamentalist factions are
certainly not all religious or spiritual people or representative of
such.
Second, human beings seem to have evolved with a strong belief
component, some of it difficult to resolve out from our general pattern
matching abilities, more of it refined over generations as shared belief
structures have been more survival prone within some limits.
Third, given the second point and particularly in strongly religious (by
polls) and powerful states like the US, it might be a much more
effective policy to use the power of belief turned toward more
science/reason/tech-positive a focus than to attempt to eradicate it
outright. Personally I believe there is room and need for a
religion/spirituality/philosophy that gives a strong technological
vision of what is possible and gives shape to our technological advances
by adding values and vision to guide our use of science and
technology. If you want to look at it that way the urge toward
transcendence of the biologically given that drives so much of what we
do is not that different from the same urge in most spiritual people.
Show the spiritual people how their dreams of heaven, immortality, an
end to want and so on can become actual realities here and now. Clothe
it in God (imho an ultra SI) answering all the prayers of the ages if
that is what it takes to reach them and enroll them. But don't try to
disown a large part of the human race or human nature. That is a losing
position.
- samantha
Steve Nichols wrote:
>
> Have read with interest recent postings on
> neo-luddites and anti-progressive forces,
> chief of whom seem to be the reactionary
> christian fundamentalists in USA.
>
> Post-human (extropian) society will not
> emerge until old human-era supernaturalism
> is defeated. God may be dead, but won't lie
> down until we put our (scientific) ideological
> stale right thru his (fictional) heart.
>
> M.V.T. offer us the edge, how to kill this
> mythology, from which evils such as
> monogamy and religious oppression stem.
> The reason is that MVT refutes the possibility
> for "disembodied consciousness" .... which
> underlies al the claims for existence of
> supernatural entities. Sure, we can evince
> seemingly "supernatural powers" ... but by
> purely natural means and explanation.
>
> I find it horrific that "creationism" (wot a joke,
> why not Ptah creating the world on a potter's
> wheel?) is taught and given credibility in
> so called 'modern' publically funded educational
> institutions, both in Europe and the UK. Are we
> just as stupid as the Taliban?
>
> www.steve-nichols.com
> Enlightened Posthuman
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