From: Keith Elis (hagbard@ix.netcom.com)
Date: Tue Apr 22 2003 - 19:37:04 MDT
This past weekend I was asked the best question I've ever been asked
about transhumanism. Paraphrasing: what is the difference, if any,
between transhumanist views of technology and merely rational views of
the same?
Transhumanism is not just about technology, of course. But the question
is a good one even when looked at in broader terms. What is the
difference, if any, between transhumanist thinking and rational
thinking?
My initial take was that this question was a set-up to either get me to
admit an element of irrationality in transhumanist thinking, or to get
me to claim that non-transhumanists are irrational. But, barring
paranoia, I still find it difficult to answer. Is there some leap of
faith being made by transhumanists that your average person doesn't
make?
Is transhumanism a moral philosophy? That is, does it apply moral
principles, deduce moral principles, or even recognize moral principles?
If it is not a moral philosophy, then what is it? Is it a philosophy at
all?
Transhumanism and extropianism *do* seem to have a discernible roster of
values. These have evolved considerably since I first started reading
about transhumanism in 1996. Or, more precisely, the descriptions of
these values have evolved considerably. Of course values such as reason,
progress, improvement, growth, etc., are not themselves unique to
transhumanism, but in combination they do describe a unique way of
thinking about the universe.
But does this way of thinking about the universe differ from rational
thinking about the universe?
In the end, the best response I could muster to this question was to
bring it back to the perennial issue of starting points and assumptions.
If one values rational thinking alone, then perhaps another's
transhumanist thinking does differ in certain respects. Only very rare
people can truthfully say they value rational thinking and nothing else.
When other values are present, one's thinking may very well vary from
the rational baseline. But this answer doesn't seem good enough to me.
Keith
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