Re: `extropianism'? (was: Re: Are Extropians promoters of an ascetic ideal and alienation?)

From: Natasha Vita-More (natasha@natasha.cc)
Date: Mon Aug 04 2003 - 00:08:44 MDT

  • Next message: Natasha Vita-More: "Re: Are Extropians promoters of an ascetic ideal and alienation?"

    At 12:49 PM 8/4/03 +1000, Damien wrote:

    >At 06:08 PM 8/3/03 -0700, Natasha wrote:
    >
    > > Extropy Institute prefers not
    > >to use "ism" for the extropian philosophy.
    >
    >Natasha has made this lexical point repeatedly of late. It reminds me of my
    >own irritation when most people use `sci fi' for what I and almost everyone
    >inside the science fiction community have always called `sf' or `SF'; or
    >when I hear `deconstructionism' instead of `deconstruction'. These
    >distinctions strike outsiders as utterly inconsequential, and insisting on
    >them as laughable, but I can't help myself. Still--

    I remember before I knew to use the SF reference, I was really slammed for
    saying "Sci Fi". Understandably so because there is a big difference
    between the SF reference/knowledge/understanding and Sci Fi reference/lack
    of knowledge/consciousness. Although the Sci-Fi channel on TV is pretty
    funny at times.

    >In the case of `extropy', I find it hard to see how this recently coined
    >noun has any special claim to group-membership status. The usual patterns
    >in German (I think) suggest that the equivalent term for extropy theory in
    >that language would be `extropismus', akin to `extropism' in English--as
    >indeed it does seem to be used in Europe--and I admit that's rather ugly.
    >Most people here are extropians, not extropists, although some are
    >exhibitionists. But I suppose the point isn't the *word* as such, it's the
    >automatic implication of group-think that goes with any -ism. At least
    >nobody has yet suggest Extropianity. :)

    Hahah a ha ahaha... I'll take extropanity over insanity any day! (The "i"
    intentionally omitted.)

    And yes, you are correct. The "ism" is so clickish, don't you think. I
    mean, I'd rather like to think as ExI being a business oriented
    multi-disciplinary think-tank concerning prescient issues of technology and
    the future, rather than a group-think ism. Group-think is the opposite of
    constant expansion, by its very nature.

    And yes, I am intentionally stressing this point.

    Natasha

    Natasha Vita-More
    http://www.natasha.cc
    ----------
    President, Extropy Institute
    http://www.extropy.org
    Founder, Transhumanist Arts & Culture
    http://www.transhuman.org
    http://www.extropic-art.com
    http://www.transhumanist.biz

    This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sun Aug 03 2003 - 22:17:15 MDT