Thanks, I was trying to think of exactly how to describe this series of posts, and that phrase seems concise enough. It’s not that it’s not interesting in it’s own way, but even for an already pretty speculative blog, you’re really building castles on air here.
To make yet another analogy, you’re trying to build 100th floor of a huge house of cards here, when you’re not even sure what the 5th floor should be like yet (I was going to say the 1st floor, but I think you’ve at least gotten off to a decent start).”
I couldn’t disagree more. This kind of thinking is very important—not because we need to know RIGHT NOW in order to make some immediate and pressing policy decision, but because humans like to know where things are heading, what we are eventually aiming for. Suppose someone rejects cryonics or life extension research and opts for religion on the grounds that eternity in heaven will be “infinitely” good, but human life on earth, even technologically enhanced life, is necessarily mediocre. What can one say to such objections other than something like this series of posts?
Without a sense that there is a light at the end of the secular rationalist tunnel, many—even most—will give up the fight. This is the relevance of transhumanism to today’s world.
Shard Pheonix, etc:
“It’s premature optimization”
Thanks, I was trying to think of exactly how to describe this series of posts, and that phrase seems concise enough. It’s not that it’s not interesting in it’s own way, but even for an already pretty speculative blog, you’re really building castles on air here.
To make yet another analogy, you’re trying to build 100th floor of a huge house of cards here, when you’re not even sure what the 5th floor should be like yet (I was going to say the 1st floor, but I think you’ve at least gotten off to a decent start).”
I couldn’t disagree more. This kind of thinking is very important—not because we need to know RIGHT NOW in order to make some immediate and pressing policy decision, but because humans like to know where things are heading, what we are eventually aiming for. Suppose someone rejects cryonics or life extension research and opts for religion on the grounds that eternity in heaven will be “infinitely” good, but human life on earth, even technologically enhanced life, is necessarily mediocre. What can one say to such objections other than something like this series of posts?
Without a sense that there is a light at the end of the secular rationalist tunnel, many—even most—will give up the fight. This is the relevance of transhumanism to today’s world.