From: Dan Fabulich (dfabulich@warpmail.net)
Date: Fri Jul 18 2003 - 20:14:49 MDT
Bryan Moss, Harvey Newstrom and Mike Lorrey have been making a number of
good points about taking "action". I'd like to follow this up as somebody
who has made no crucial contributions to the transhumanist movement aside
from talking... the sort of person about whom many people here have
complained a great deal.
To be perfectly frank, the reason I've had a hard time committing myself
to act on transhumanism in any meaningful way is that I've had an
extremely hard time figuring out how and why to do that.
Many people here have already pointed out the problems of deterministic
optimism; many Marxists (deterministic optimists of a very different
breed) used to call this the philosophy of the "obstetrician": if all goes
as normal, the revolution is inevitable; so all we can do is get ready for
it. Get people used to the idea. Hold hands. If, by some chance, an
emergency arises that looks like it's going to threaten the outcome, by
all means, fix it, if you can. But other than that, all that's left now
is cheerleading... don't knock yourself out over it.
The Marxists were happy to argue about obstetricianism at length: is this
attitude a "problem"? Or is it some kind of "symptom" of some other
problem? Is it even wrong? What would be the alternatives?
Well, one possible alternative might be called the ascetic approach:
because the Singularity (or whatever) isn't inevitable, we have to work as
hard as we possibly can towards making it happen. If you have any
time/money, devote it to the Singularity... ALL of it! at least as much as
you can to the point where devoting any more would make you less able to
devote more later.
[But how much later? Even a mediocre deterministic optimism would suggest
that some of us, the young ones, already probably have *somewhat* more
time available than is commonly believed...]
Eliezer has at least claimed to adopt a position something like this...
though I note that he still seems to find time to read a few web comics
every now and again, and perhaps watch a bit of anime. Still, we have to
assume that Eliezer and others like him are at least trying to be ascetic;
maybe they already are at least "maximalist" ascetics if one considers
one's own present willpower as a limitation which we work to overcome.
And, of course, aside from that, we'd have to worry about an extremely
non-extropian alternative: fatalism, here employed in all the negative
senses. We're going to die at the normal time [or sooner], no matter what
we do, so why bother working to overcome it? Why shouldn't extropians
just "get over our fear of death" and come to terms with life as it is, as
some people wish we would?
So I've just listed three extremist philosophies: fatalism, asceticism and
obstetrecianism. Each one advocates a radically different attitude
towards how we should live our life: fatalism suggests that we all need to
see therapists immediately, develop a family, and live for today while
building a legacy as we plan for retirement. Obstetricianism suggests
that we plan our lives as if we are already immortal today: invest in the
extremely long term by taking few risks, acquring lots of money and saving
it, and advocating the future. Asceticism tells us to abandon our earthly
pursuits and to work. Hard.
As everyone keeps saying, obstetricianism may have seemed more plausible
in the 90s, but in the last few years it's grown to look pretty dingy.
And, more to the point, it's unproductive. Yet, when Bryan says this:
> What's funny is, a lot of fears could be alleviated if we just admitted
> how difficult this stuff is. Designer babies? Not likely!
as a sort of "antidote" to obstetricianism, I know I can't help but think
to myself that if he's right, and the ultratechnologies are as "unlikely"
as he suggests (or even conceptually confused) and that most of it was
"hype", asceticism is no way to spend one's life.
To use Eliezer as an example again, (never merely as a means, I promise,):
last I checked, Eliezer has no girlfriend and no intention/expectation of
even seeking one, no job except for pursuing the Singularity, no pleasures
except for those he takes with some measure of guilt/remorse. (That
feeling you get in the back of your throat... I might be having it now as
I write this.)
This is all fine if that works... nobody said asceticism would be easy.
but if the Singularity is "hype", then an ascetic lifestyle devoted to it
would be beyond absurd: it would be a tragedy. Perhaps it would be a
noble tragedy, if the work of the ascetic laid the groundwork for grand
improvements in the lives of our descendents, after everyone alive today
is dead. But if the ultratechnologies are *just* "hype", then it wouldn't
even be that.
Basically, I've figured out how to be an obstetrician, because it's
stupidly easy. Anyone can do it. But I can't be an ascetic so long as
there's a better than even chance (from this side of the fence) that I'm
really an obstetrician or that we're all doomed.
In the meantime, I work a fulltime job doing stuff unrelated to the
Singularity (but I'm still young) ... and wait ... and cheerlead.
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I hinted at the answer above, but it should seem obvious now what it must
be: all of the positions I've described are "extreme." None of them are
balanced against the other; all of them are taken to their "logical
conclusions." It's clear that there needs to be a middle ground, a
sliding scale. Get used to working part time and perhaps I'll find it
more fulfilling than I realize; maybe I'll get hooked and become an
ascetic instead.
Perhaps my imagination is simply drained, but it's hard to see what kind
of work I can usefully do in my free time, to contribute to the
ultratechnologies. Bryan was completely right when he said that they
"cast a vast, ominous shadow over any attempt at practical action." For
example, I respect the Free State Project, but it's a rather long shot
that it'd bring the Singularity much closer. It's a lot easier for me to
imagine ascetic life paths than it is for me to think of a way to usefully
contribute in my spare time.
I have sent a few extra dollars to ExI, and the Singularity Institute...
I just sent a few more as I think about it. But it's not the same.
Hopefully, I'm just not clever enough to see the other options. Any
suggestions?
-Dan
-unless you love someone-
-nothing else makes any sense-
e.e. cummings
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