From: Anders Sandberg (asa@nada.kth.se)
Date: Mon Mar 17 2003 - 02:58:18 MST
On Sun, Mar 16, 2003 at 07:46:01PM -0700, alexboko@umich.edu wrote:
>
> So, I ask the question I've been asking in one form or another on this forum
> over and over for years, but never as concisely as now:
>
> What do we do?
[Complex answer. Short form: extend the current narrative by
professionalising transhumanism]
You mention http://www.hf.caltech.edu/hf/b3/scenarios/, and I think it
is a good example of what we have to do. If you examine the scenarios it
is very obvious (to us) that they totally ignore the possibilities so
dear to us. Instead these scenarios are variants of the standard futures
people usually think of (you will find variants of these scenarios again
and again in the future studies literature) - people are very much
trapped in a standard narrative of what the possibilities are (things go
on as usual, we revert to barbarism or we end up with a world state) and
cannot see things outside it. A bit like when Herman Kahn outlined
different future world systems in 1970, and completely missed the
possibility of Soviet imploding. That was simply not part of the range
of thinkable things.
[ We should also be aware that we are ourselves often trapped in a
narrative of our own. On Transvision 2000 I had a mini-lecture about my
distrust of the "railway to the future" standard view of the future
among transhumanists. We have plenty of things that are unthinkable to
us, but thanks to the existence of another, dominant future paradigm we
are at least often reminded of many things that we would otherwise have
ignored, like to justify the ethics and practicality of the
transformations we believe in. ]
Now, scenarios like the above are powerful because they make people form
images of different futures and can energize them into acting to make
them real or avoid the truly bad ones. Never underestimate the power of
a great story. That is why _Limits to Growth_ has been so influential,
despite lousy science and predictive power. If new scenarios of the
future can be made part of the range of the conceivable, they can also
be discussed, analysed and promoted/rejected.
As long as transhumanism is inconceivable it has no chance. So we have
to make it part of the big narratives. This is where my standard
arguments (you have all heard them before) about writing, writing,
writing for the meme-carriers come in. Describe you views - in fiction,
as engineering sketches, as simple essays, as books, as corporate
reports, scenarios, as artworks, as political speeches, as academic
papers, conference proceedings - and make sure they end up published. If
people hate them, great, then you can get into a debate with them about
why they are good or bad (one way of getting published with an
unconventional view is actually to criticize one current position or
view from your perspective - it acts as a hook to get you published and
part of the debate). If people love them, continue by discussing the
next steps of making things real. Concentrate on getting these ideas
conceivable to the people that work with ideas and communication; they
will both spread them further and be influential critics/helpers.
Right now we are in no position to make laws, influence policy or fund
research. But that will change as soon as these ideas become relevant
and are taken up by new mainstream groups. We might very well end up
with our current institutions and networks supplanted by new >H
institutions, something we personally might find disagreeable if we are
not early adapters and efficient risers (it happened with internet and
nanotechnology). But if these new institutions embody our ideas, we
should be happy. Transhumanism in suit works.
On the really practical level, we have to find better ways of
communicating. I think part of it is the professionalisation of
transhumanism. Instead of having it as a hobby, we should make it our
job. It is great earning money and influence from doing what you like.
So the issue for each of us is how to either integrate transhumanism
into current jobs, or how to create jobs for ourselves that promote
transhumanism. It can range from being an academic over think tanks to
physical training.
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension! asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/ GCS/M/S/O d++ -p+ c++++ !l u+ e++ m++ s+/+ n--- h+/* f+ g+ w++ t+ r+ !y
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