2.1
What is the philosophy
of transhumanism? Transhumanism
as the modern philosophy was created the philosopher Max More, Ph.D.
Dr. More originally defined transhumanism as "Philosophies of life,
such as extropy, that seek the continuation and acceleration of the evolution
of intelligent life beyond its currently human form and human limitations
by means of science and technology, guided by life-promoting principles
and values." Other definitions of "transhumanism" have
been written over the years, such as "Transhumanism is the philosophy
that we can and should develop to higher levels, both physically, mentally
and socially using rational methods." (Dr. Anders Sandberg) and
"Transhumanism is the idea that new technologies are likely to change
the world so much in the next century or two that our descendants will in
many ways no longer be 'human'" (Dr. Robin Hanson).
Transhumanism
is a set of ideas which represents a world view to improve the human condition.
We support critical thinking in the development of sciences and technologies
to extend the human lifespan, eradicate aging, solve problems of disease,
and encourage and enhance intellectual, creative, physical and mental well-being.
In this regard, it is essential to be aware of the possible dangers that
lie ahead. The examination of potential dangers affect not only transhumanist,
but the entire world. The use of technologies and biotechnologies must be
looked at with a critical and ethical observation.
Transhumanism
can be said to stem, in part, from humanism. "Humanism is a "philosophical
system of thought that focuses on human value, thought, and actions. Humans
are considered basically good and rationale creatures who can improve themselves
and others through natural human abilities of reason and action. Secular
Humanism is a late development emphasizing objectivity, human reason, and
human standards that govern art, economics, ethics, and belief. As such,
no deity is acknowledged." (web definition)
However transhumanism
reaches beyond the sphere of humanism in its goal to improve the human condition.
Not only do we encourage freedom, rational thinking, tolerance, and compassion
for humanity, we seek to improve our selves and the species of "human."
Back to top
2.2 What is the philosophy of Extropy? Extropy is the transhumanist philosophy specifically defined
in terms of The Principles of Extropy. "Extropian" transhumanists
(or transhumanist who are extropic thinkers) want to direct themselves in
pursuing perpetual progress and self-transformation with an attitude of
practical optimism implemented using rational thinking and intelligent technology
in an open society.
The philosophy of extropy is a clearly defined
perspective on transhumanism. Other forms of transhumanism exist which share
many goals and values with extropic transhumanism. Sometimes other types
of transhumanism emphasize some aspects more heavily. David Pearce, for
example, emphasizes the abolition of pain and maximization of pleasure.
This is compatible with, but not essential to, the Principles of Extropy.
The only true incompatibilities between the philosophy of extropy and another
form of transhumanism when the latter clearly rejects one or more of the
Principles. For example, a ruling elite who compelled people to adopt a
technological augmentation would contravene the principles of self-direction
and open society. (Max More)
"Aren’t
all "isms" dangerous, even transhumanism?" Good question! Many isms are dangerous.
Others just help organize related ideas while avoiding or minimizing the
dangers of closed and dogmatic isms. I would suggest that Darwinism is preferable
to Marxism, and Rationalism or Humanism preferable to religious fundamentalism.
However, any system of thought or way of looking at the world can be abused
by those intent on doing so. Some intellectual and value systems or perspectives
invite abuse more easily than others. To the extent that an "ism"
refers to a system of thought that declares itself closed to further improvement,
that claims to be a complete and final truth, then it’s a dangerous thing.
So far in its history, practically all forms of transhumanism have avoided
this problem (though some individual transhumanists may well be dogmatic).
The potentially dangerous nature of "isms" is one reason
we stopped using the term "Extropianism" in favor of "the
philosophy of extropy". Extropy is really a collection of values and
attitudes that fit together well. Extropy makes explicit the relationships
between certain values and attitudes. This helps those who already share
those values to understand and act more consistently. It also stimulates
others who share some of these values to consider adopting the other values
that extropians argue are related. This is not merely a verbal maneuver:
the Principles themselves are revised periodically (since they do not claim
to be final, unquestionable truths), and they include the values of Rational
Thinking and Self-Transformation which are incompatible with dogmatism.
(Max More)
"Is Extropy
a complete worldview?"
Most definitely not! Extropes agree in favoring things like perpetual improvement,
and in using reason and technology to overcome human limits. Outside of
those things, extropians will differ in many ways, both in personality and
philosophy. Extropy does not offer a complete moral system, nor a required
theory of knowledge (though some of us find pancritical rationalism especially
compatible), nor a metaphysics.
"Does
Extropianism refer to a set of required beliefs?" Since all "extropy" refers to is a collection of mutually
supporting values and attitudes, it says extremely little about particular
beliefs. One of the Principles is Rational Thinking, and another is Self-Direction.
Individuals who share these values are not going to want to have their beliefs
dictated to them! We may all favor extending the maximum life span, but
we may have quite different beliefs about what causes aging, how to stop
it, and whether cryonics is a worthwhile backup option in the meantime.
We share the values expressed in The Principles of Extropy, but we will
often differ as to the most effective means towards those ends.
"Are you sure that extropy is
not a thing I can measure?"
Since it’s a metaphor, a name for a moderately integrated group of values
and attitudes, and it’s *not* a force or a thing or a single value or principle,
it cannot be measured. Older definitions of the term may have been misleading
on this point, so I’m glad you raised the question again so I had the opportunity
to stress this point. In case you still feel like "extropy" is
really just the opposite of "entropy" let me point out that entropy
can sometimes *help* with extropic aims. More information is often helpful,
but too much information that is irrelevant to your task can be a bad thing.
So extropy does not always require decreased entropy in an information-theoretic
sense. The entropic process of the our sun’s burning up of its nuclear fuel
is actually very good for us. It allowed life to evolve on our planet. So
entropy is sometimes the friend of extropian aims. We just want to keep
it in its place. Back to top
2.3 What
are the Principles of Extropy? [See Principles directly note and prologue
below]
A Note
on the Use of "Extropy": For the sake of brevity, Dr. More often writes something
like “extropy seeks…” or “extropy questions…” You can take this to mean
“in so far as we act in accordance with these principles, we seek/question/study…”
“Extropy” is not meant as a real entity or force, but only as a metaphor
representing all that contributes to our flourishing. Similarly, when Dr.
More uses “we” you should take this to refer not to any group but to anyone
who agrees with what they are reading. Rather than assuming any reader to
be in full agreement with every one of these principles, this usage instead
imagines a hypothetical person who has integrated the principles into their
life and actions. Each reader is, of course, at liberty to reject, modify,
or affirm each principle separately. What this tentative, conjectural approach
to the Principles of Extropy loses in terms of compelling emotive power,
it gains in terms of reasonableness and openness to innovation and improvement.
Prologue:
What is the Purpose of the Principles of Extropy? Philosophies of life rooted in centuries-old
traditions contain much wisdom concerning personal, organizational, and
social living. Many of us also find shortcomings in those traditions. How
could they not reach some mistaken conclusions when
they arose in pre-scientific times? At the same time, ancient philosophies
of life have little or nothing to say about fundamental issues confronting
us as advanced technologies begin to enable us to change our identity as
individuals and as humans and as economic, cultural, and political forces
change global relationships.
The Principles
of Extropy first took shape in the late 1980s to outline an alternative
lens through which to view the emerging and unprecedented opportunities,
challenges, and dangers. The goal was – and is – to use current scientific
understanding along with critical and creative thinking to define a small
set of principles or values that could help make sense of the confusing
but potentially liberating and existentially enriching capabilities opening
up to humanity.
The Principles
of Extropy do not specify particular beliefs, technologies, or policies.
The Principles do not pretend to be a complete philosophy of life. The world
does not need another totalistic dogma. The Principles of Extropy do consist of a handful of principles (or values or perspectives)
that codify proactive, life-affirming and life-promoting ideals. Individuals
who cannot comfortably adopt traditional value systems often find the Principles
of Extropy useful as postulates to guide, inspire, and generate innovative
thinking about existing and emerging fundamental personal, organizational,
and social issues.
The Principles
are intended to be enduring, underlying ideals and standards. At the same
time, both in content and by being revised, the Principles do not claim
to be eternal truths or certain truths. I invite other independent thinkers
who share the agenda of acting as change agents for fostering better futures
to consider the Principles of Extropy as an evolving framework of attitudes,
values, and standards – and as a shared vocabulary – to make sense of our
unconventional, secular, and life-promoting responses to the changing human
condition. I also invite feedback to further refine these Principles.
The Principles of Extropy in Brief
1.
Perpetual Progress: Extropy
means seeking more intelligence, wisdom, and effectiveness, an open-ended
lifespan, and the removal of political, cultural, biological, and psychological
limits to continuing development. Perpetually overcoming constraints
on our progress and possibilities as individuals, as organizations,
and as a species. Growing in healthy directions without bound.
2. Self-Transformation:
Extropy means affirming
continual ethical, intellectual, and physical self-improvement, through
critical and creative thinking, perpetual learning, personal responsibility,
proactivity, and experimentation. Using technology — in the widest sense
to seek physiological and neurological augmentation along with emotional
and psychological refinement.
3. Practical
Optimism: Extropy
means fueling action with positive expectations – individuals and organizations
being tirelessly proactive. Adopting a rational, action-based optimism
or "proaction", in place of both blind faith and stagnant
pessimism.
4. Intelligent
Technology: Extropy
means designing and managing technologies not as ends in themselves
but as effective means for improving life. Applying science and technology
creatively and courageously to transcend "natural" but harmful,
confining qualities derived from our biological heritage, culture, and
environment.
5. Open
Society: Extropy
means supporting social orders that foster freedom of communication,
freedom of action, experimentation, innovation, questioning, and learning.
Opposing authoritarian social control and unnecessary hierarchy and
favoring the rule of law and decentralization of power and responsibility.
Preferring bargaining over battling, exchange over extortion, and communication
over compulsion. Openness to improvement rather than a static utopia.
Extropia ("ever-receding stretch goals for society") over
utopia ("no place").
6. Self-Direction: Extropy means valuing independent
thinking, individual freedom, personal responsibility, self-direction,
self-respect, and a parallel respect for others.
7. Rational Thinking: Extropy means favoring reason over
blind faith and questioning over dogma. It means understanding, experimenting,
learning, challenging, and innovating rather than clinging to beliefs.
To learn more about the Principles of Extropy. Back to top
2.4 How is the philosophy of extropy a New Enlightenment?
2.5 Is
transhumanist thinking utopian?
2.6 How do I know if I a transhumanist?
Resources:
Philosophy
of Extropy (Dr. Max More)
Extropy Institute Web site
Back to top
5.1 Do transhumanists in general, and friends
of Extropy Institute in particular, share economic and political views?
Do
extropian transhumanists have political or economic views in common? Individuals
will choose whether or not they feel comfortable describing themselves as
extropian transhumanists depending on whether they share the values and
attitudes expressed by The Principles of Extropy. Those principles do not
proclaim any specific, detailed political or economic doctrine. The two
principles most relevant here are "Open Society" and "Self-Direction".
For the full version of each see The Principles of Extropy 3.1. In brief,
these state:
OPEN
SOCIETY: Supporting
social orders that foster freedom of speech, freedom of action, and experimentation.
Opposing authoritarian social control and favoring the rule of law and decentralization
of power. Preferring bargaining over battling, and exchange over compulsion.
Openness to improvement rather than a static utopia.
SELF-DIRECTION: Seeking independent thinking, individual freedom,
personal responsibility, self-direction, self-esteem, and respect for others.
Clearly some political views will be incompatible with extropian thinking.
That is one way in which the philosophy of extropy may differ from other
forms of transhumanism. For instance, technocratic transhumanists may favor
setting up an elite group to determine which genetic modifications are allowed
or which are compulsory for the general population. Socialist transhumanists
would want to centralize control over all economic activity in order to
shape the future. It’s worth noting that socialist transhumanists sometimes
characterize themselves as "democratic transhumanists" but use
the term "democracy" to refer to the socialist goal of using government
power to compel everyone to fit into their notion of "equality".
Democracy, in the more generally accepted sense, is one important way of
implementing the principle of Open Society.
Extropian transhumanists
generally favor market mechanisms over centralized government control, seeing
this as the way to protect self-direction and open society. But the boundaries
between market and government, especially when it comes to determining the
legal rules according to which the market functions, are not always clear.
Some extropian transhumanists, for example, favor the idea of private communities
in which something that looks much like a government exists (but with universal
consent of initial entrants). In addition, the distinction between government
regulation (interference) and the clarification of the property rights underlying
markets may not always be sharp.
While all extropian transhumanists
generally prefer voluntary market approaches to economic issues, we may
differ among ourselves about the extent of the proper role of government.
Some may favor government subsidy of basic scientific research, or certain
regulations they believe necessary to maintaining a maximally open society,
or the provision of services they think will be poorly provided without
state intervention. Others may favor a minimal government that does little
or nothing other than maintain the legal order of the marketplace. And some
would like to experiment with entirely novel social orders using "polycentric
law", which turns law-making itself into a market function.
The fit between the philosophy of extropy and political views therefore
is loose, but not infinitely so. Given commitments to Open Society and Self-Direction,
there cannot be Stalinist or socialist or fascist or theocratic extropian
transhumanists. Any other political positions that, upon reflection, fit
with the goals of fostering open social orders, advancing technological
progress, and personal responsibility is compatible with the philosophy
of extropy. Which social orders and economic rules best further shared extropic
values is a matter for ongoing consideration.
In the end, a crucial
point is that extropian transhumanists are individualists, and so see political
and economic institutions as means to the progress of (trans)humanity. Dogmatic
adherence to any specific political doctrine in the face of developing thought
is therefore inappropriate. It is equally inappropriate for non-extropian
transhumanists to attempt to pigeonhole extropian transhumanists as all
being cut from the same political cloth. Back to top
5.2 What views do extropes have on the dangers
of biotechnology, nanotechnology, machine intelligence, and neurotechnology?
5.3 What views do transhumanists have about religion?
5.4 How does Extropy Institute respond to the
neo-Luddites, including the President’s Council on Bioethics?
5.5 If we succeed in extending the human life
span, is population growth a problem for the future? Simple
projections of the future typically extrapolate exponential population growth
while assuming that other factors remain unchanged. Both of these assumptions
are implausible. Population growth certainly concerns us if it means heavier
pollution, accelerated destruction of natural resources, and lower quality
of life. This issue is complex, but here are some points made briefly to
show why most of us do not see population worries as giving cause to hold
back from seeking extended lives. For a longer essay on the topic, see this:
http://www.maxmore.com/LifeExtensionandOverpopulation.htm
First, as an ethical matter,
even if population growth is or will become a serious problem, I would find
it unacceptable to promote the continuation of aging and dying as a palliative.
The best ethical response is to tackle both
of these challenges. Preventing the extension of the human life span on
such grounds would be rather like refusing to treat a child’s toothache
because she might then eat too much.
Second, limiting population
growth by opposing life extension is not an effective
approach. Keeping the mortality rate up is simply not an effective way to
slow population growth. Population growth depends far more on how many children
families have than on how long people live. To the extent that concerns
about overpopulation are justified, activists would do much better to focus
on reducing birth rates.
Third, population growth has been slowing
down for decades. The peak average annual population growth rate was reached
in 1970 at 2.07%. That rate slowed to 1.46 percent in 1990-95 then to its
current annual growth rate of 1.2 per cent. The United Nations expects it
to fall to 0.46% in 2050. World population reached 6.1 billion in mid-2000.
Depending on future fertility rates, the global population is projected
to reach 7.3 billion to 10.7 billion and to begin falling not long after
that. Global population growth, says the United Nations, will have slowed
to a standstill by 2100 or earlier, and may even be negative before then.
Significant extensions in maximum life span will surely come first
to the more developed countries. But it is those countries that have the
lowest or negative population growth. (In fact half of all population
growth is accounted for by six countries: India, China, Pakistan, Nigeria,
Bangladesh, and Indonesia.) Population levels in more developed countries,
now at 1.2 billion, will probably stay about the same as now for the next
50 years since fertility levels are expected to remain at or below replacement
level. But, by 2050, the populations of 39 countries are projected to be
smaller than today, including Japan and Germany
(14 per cent smaller), Italy and Hungary (25 per cent smaller), and the
Russian Federation, Georgia and Ukraine (28 to 40 per cent smaller). Europe
is barely growing, with a 0.03 percent growth rate. Eastern Europe’s population
is already shrinking by 0.2 percent annually.
No one can guarantee
that this trend will continue, there is an economic logic to it. In developing
countries children are regarded as producer goods that are expected to go
to work and support the parents in later life. As countries become more
developed, children are seen instead as consumer goods as goods to
enjoy, not as smart investments. Children here are very expensive, and less
significant as a later means of support, given that parents here live longer,
have medical insurance, and other means of support.
Fourth, even
to the extent that population growth continues, pollution need not increase
nor available resources be depleted. This may sound counterintuitive, but
that’s largely due to making linear projections of existing conditions.
As we grow wealthier, we can afford to demand reduced levels of pollution.
More advanced technology helps make such reductions possible and gradually
cheaper. Improved pollution control is not inevitable. We need to intelligently
craft legal rules of liability to ensure that polluters bear full costs
of their activities. This will give them incentives to reduce output.
In addition, we are becoming an information-based society. The shift
towards information-based goods means we produce more economic value with
less physical stuff. Between 1977 and 1999 the value-to-weight ratio of
GDP has increased from $3.64 to $6.52. In other words, we produce 79% more
value with the same physical mass. This trend is clearly continuing and
looks almost inevitable. A few references:
“The New Old Economy” by Jonathan Rauch
“Where is Energy Going?” by Jesse Ausubel
“Dematerializing the Economy” by Ronald Bailey
Overall,
then, human intelligence, new technology, and a market economy will allow
this planet to support many more humans than we are likely to see, given
trends toward lower birth rates. Responsible people will seek longer lives
and expanded resources, freedom from aging and freedom from pollution. (Max More)
5.6 Does Extropy Institute see serious limits
to progress from limited resources?
5.7 Does Extropy Institute see serious limits
to progress due to environmental concerns?
5.8 What positions do extropians take on environmentalism
and wilderness conservation? The
ideas and values expressed within the extropian community are vigorously
individualistic, tend to find the workings of the freest possible market
systems as the best current mechanisms for incubating a positive future
for humanity and challenge the sacred cows of the fundamentalist "environmental
movement," such as the pessimistic assumption of scarcity and limits
that pervades that cultural milieu. But the core of extropian ideas also
values compassion, generosity and a reverence for the beauty and power of
the natural living environment of the earth.
By and large,
extropians find that an "absolutist" evaluation of "nature"
is as evil as is a thoughtless destruction of the beauty that nature offers.
The hard questions come in deriving the right balance. Extropians reject
dogmatic answers to questions about nature and the environment, while seeking
a rational ethical balance between humanistic values and preservation of
the non-human world. It is difficult to draw a "bright line" between
"nature" and "man". It is possible to say that humans,
their technology and their effect on their environment are "natural"
because consciousness and its products developed as part of the spontaneous
order of the Earth's biosphere.
Thus in one
sense the concept of a "natural" environment distinct from humanity
(or posthumanity), per se, is untenable. Many extropians conclude that such
a concept of nature distinct from humanity and its technology cannot lead
to a rational conservation ethic because, unless we advocate human genocide,
it is hopelessly vague and confused. But this realization does not justify
any particular human action. Instead, extropians look to their insight into
the fundamental value of spontaneous ordering that has occurred in the natural
world to find guidelines for interaction with the non-human world.
For now, at
least, Earth is the only planet of which we are aware that has spontaneously
generated a rich biosphere. This phenomenon is scarce. On the other hand,
raw materials for an industrial society are abundant beyond those found
on or in this planet. Earth constitutes a tiny fraction of the mass of the
solar system. Even with the primitive survey of the solar system we have
already made, we know we can find and exploit elsewhere the resources that
an expanding industrial civilization needs. Coupled with this basic knowledge,
extropians advocate the responsible and safe development of technologies
such as molecular nanotechnology, genetic engineering, artificial intelligence
and robotics that hold out the very real promise that humanity can continue
its pattern of accelerating progress and steadily widening prosperity while
"walking more lightly" in the non-human world.
Extropian environmentalism
places a high value on the living wilderness simply because it is rare and
options exist and more will exist for the continued technological development
of consciousness other than consuming those living wilderness zones. This
does not place an unreasonably absolute value on living wilderness, but
simply makes preserving it as much as possible one value among many, albeit
a great value. Preserving the living wilderness zones of our home planet
is consistent with the value of spontaneous order simply because life on
this planet is, so far, one of the two most complex examples of this phenomenon
of which we are aware (the other being the human mind itself and its cultural
products).
If for no other
reason, mere curiosity about spontaneous order should lead us to interact
with at least some wilderness zones as little as possible, at least until
we better understand the processes that gave rise to them and by which they
continue to operate. Post-human beings will have the power to allow the
planet that was their cradle to continue to harbor a rich diversity of biological
life at least similar to that which originally gave rise to them. We don't
tear down the Louvre to build apartment blocks, we build housing elsewhere.
No one is significantly poorer because of it and at least some people are
much richer because of it.
Thus, along
with buying wilderness zones for their value as such, the privatist environmental
ethic favored by extropians also looks to develop technological alternatives
to consuming these areas, as much as possible, so that the relative market
value of other options will spontaneously support maximal preservation of
living wilderness. This is not the absolutist ethic of "sustainable
development" that has come to dominate the mainstream environmentalist
movement, but rather simply the economic value free people put on technological
and economic developmental pathways that impact the rich and diverse biosphere
of Earth less rather than more. Back to top
5.9 What position do extropians take on racism
and eugenics?
Extropians place a very high value on the rights of individuals to self-determination
and self-direction. The philosophy of extropy is fundamentally opposed to
any form of racism or other judgment of individuals based on similar specious
groupings. Extropian opposition to racism is not a function of any kind
of post-modernist "politically correct" cultural relativism. Most
extropians strongly endorse the notion that the highest product of human
culture is the scientific method and that the 18th century Enlightenment
represented the real birth of a rational human civilization based on the
scientific method and a fundamental valuation of human liberty. Extropians
base their opposition to racism on those values. Overt racism and even the
milder forms of "racialist" thinking are inconsistent with extropian
values of individualism and self-determination and our esteem of the scientific
method and world-view.
Racism and
racialism are seen by extropians as both morally wrong and antithetical
to our desire for social progress on the one hand and are also simply unsupported
by any sound scientific fact or theory. In the first instance, we judge
individuals as much as possible on the basis of their own achievements and
character, rather than because of superficial characteristics. In this regard,
we value diversity, especially when it is an expression of individual personality:
On both a moral and psychological level, extropianism is a joyful affirmation
of the potential richness of human existence. Thus, racism is the ugly opposite
of the things we value.
Taking a strong
stand against racism and racialism is also vitally important to extropians
and other transhumanists because the transhumanist agenda of human augmentation
and transcending the human animal are sometimes confused in public discourse
with primitive notions of racialist eugenics. Extropians oppose any program
of racialist eugenics on deeply principled grounds: They are inconsistent
with the fundamental Enlightenment values of human liberty and dignity and
are not supported by any kind of rigorous scientific theory or research.
Furthermore, the few misguided contemporary proponents of such ideas do
a grave disservice to the legitimate goals of the philosophy of extropy
and transhumanism, by threatening confusion of the real goals of the program
of the Enlightenment with archaic tribalism. Back to top
5.10 Is Extropy Institute concerned about people
around the world who struggle to acquire the basics of human existence?
5.11 How does Extropy Institute see the poor,
the disabled, the physically or psychologically dysfunctional fitting into
a transhumanist future?
References:
"ENVIRO: Wilderness Preservation" (Greg Burch, 1995)
"Two Signposts on the Road to a New
Enlightenment"
(Greg Burch, 1999)
Back to top
6.1 What is the scientific method and why is it crucial
to transhumanism?
The scientific
method is the best way yet discovered for winnowing the truth from lies
and delusion.
It involves
the following steps: 1. Observe some aspect of the universe. 2. Invent a
theory that is consistent with what you have observed. 3. Use the theory
to make predictions. 4. Test those predictions by experiments or further
observations. 5. Modify the theory in the light of your results. Go to step
3.
For more information,
see The Scientific Method FAQ published by the sci.skeptic newsgroup.
6.1.1 What
is the difference between a fact, a theory and a hypothesis?
A fact is a
statement of observable truth. A theory is a conceptual framework that explains
existing facts and predicts new ones. A hypothesis is a tentative theory
that has not yet been tested.
For more information,
see The Scientific Method FAQ published by the sci.skeptic newsgroup.
6.1.2 What
makes a theory "falsifiable"?
The characteristic
of being "falsifiable" is required for any scientific theory or
hypothesis. This means that there must be some experiment or possible discovery
that could prove the theory untrue. This allows the theory to be proven
or disproven in some way.
For more information,
see The Scientific Method FAQ published by the sci.skeptic newsgroup.
6.1.3 Can
science ever really prove anything?
Science must
always be open to new observations and adapt itself as new information becomes
available. Because of this trait, some people question whether anything
can be finally, definitely proven at all. It could be argued that just because
gravity has always made objects fall to the ground before does not really
prove that they will continue to do so in the future. However, after repeated
observation and testing continues to prove a theory as correctly predicting
future events, the likelihood of it turning out to be wrong becomes increasingly
small.
For more information,
see The Scientific Method FAQ published by the sci.skeptic newsgroup.
6.1.4 Why
do "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence"?
This is a common
expression among scientists who are challenged to disprove some unlikely
theory that overthrows accepted theories. As theories continue to have repeated
success at predicting future observations, they develop a higher track record
of reliability. If some new theory comes along that tries to overthrow the
existing theory, it must have an even higher level of evidence to overthrow
previous successes of the current theory. The more accepted and better tested
a theory is, the higher the threshold will be for the evidence required
to refute it.
For more information,
see The Scientific Method FAQ published by the sci.skeptic newsgroup.
6.1.5 What
is Ockham's Razor?
Ockham's Razor
(sometimes spelled "Occam" as a Latinized variant) is the principle
proposed by William of Ockham in the fifteenth century. He said, "Pluralitas
non est ponenda sine neccesitate", which translates as "entities
should not be multiplied unnecessarily". It means that if two theories
explain observable facts equally well, the simpler theory should be used
until more evidence comes along to prove or disprove it.
An example
would be a series of dots in a straight line. It is simplest to assume that
future dots will also be along the same path. There are an infinite number
of more complicated possibilities that merely start out straight and then
diverge later. But until new dots show up that proves one of these more
complicated possibilities, it is best to stick with the simple straight
line.
It is important
to remember that Ockham's Razor does not guarantee or predict that the simplest
explanation is always right. It just suggests which one should be considered
first.
For more information,
see The Scientific Method FAQ published by the sci.skeptic newsgroup.
6.1.6 What
is the "Experimenter effect"?
This effect
is an unconscious bias introduced into an experiment by the experimenter.
This can come from looking for small effects that are subjective, from not
treating many different samples identically in all respects, or from preconceived
notions that can skew the interpretation of the results.
The way to
combat such bias is to have double-blind studies, peer review, and repeatable
results. Double blind studies are where a control group and an experimental
group are tested, but neither the scientist nor the group knows which is
which until later. This prevents the observer or the observed from skewing
the results with preconceived notions. Peer review is having other experts
review an experiment and its procedures to see if any mistakes were made
or if they can catch something that the original experimenter missed. Repeatable
results simply means that anybody should be able to perform the same experiment
and get the same results. The more often results are repeated, the more
likely it is that they are dependable.
For more information,
see The Scientific Method FAQ published by the sci.skeptic newsgroup.
6.2 In what ways does human reasoning typically
fall into error?
6.3 What tools, methods, and techniques exist
for improving critical thinking?
6.4 What tools, methods, and techniques exist
for improving creative thinking?
6.5 What methods can be used on an organizational or social
level to improve critical and creative thinking?
6.6 What is pancritical rationalism (PCR) also known as
Comprehensively Critical Rationalism (CCR)?
PCR is a prescription
for rationality that emerges from the work done in evolutionary epistemology
based on the work of Karl Popper, William W. Bartley, and Donald Campbell.
Pancritical rationalism and evolutionary epistemology agree in denying that
our knowledge is grounded in justification. In their alternative view, our
knowledge is grounded in a combination of conjecture and criticism. Our
knowledge consists of those propositions that survive criticism, not those
that are deductively derived from a set of "self-justifying" or
"nonpropositionally justified" axioms. PCR tells us that we need
both rich, fruitful conjecture and disciplined, effective criticism to increase our
base of knowledge.
What distinguishes
PCR from the older idea of critical rationalism is that critical rationalism
could not defend itself against the accusation of an irrational commitment
to rationality. By doing away with all recourse to justificationism, PCR
can be seen as rational as long as it exposes itself to its own criticisms.
Although critical rationalism was not itself justifiable, PCR is itself
criticizable, and therefore meets its own criterion of rationality. Some
transhumanists find PCR appealing as a view of knowledge partly because
it does away with any form of dogma, even at the most fundamental level
of the foundations of knowledge. It provides the ultimate answer to irrationalists
and fideists (those who believe something purely on faith) who attempt to
position rationalism as itself depending on a fundamental assumption that
must be taken on faith.
More information
can be found in William Bartley's The
Retreat to Commitment
or the collection Evolutionary
Epistemology, Rationality, and the Sociology of Knowledge, edited by Bartley and Gerard Radnitzky,
and in Max More's Pancritical Rationalism: An Extropic Metacontext
for Memetic Progress.
6.6.1 What problem does PCR solve?
6.6.2 What is evolutionary epistemology?
6.6.3 What other types of criticisms help us develop
knowledge?
References:
"Progress, Counter Progress, and
Counter-Counter Progress"
(Greg Burch, 2001)
The Scientific Method FAQ
"The Retreat to Commitment" (William Bartley)
"Evolutionary Epistemology, Rationality,
and the Sociology of Knowledge" (William Bartley
and Gerard Radnitzky)
"Pancritical Rationalism: An Extropic
Metacontext for Memetic Progress" (Dr. Max More)
Back to top
7.
CULTURAL MOVEMENT
7.1 What are the precursors to transhumanist thinking?
Transhumanism
represents a world view which seeks to improve the human condition. In doing
so, we support critical thinking in the development of sciences and technologies
to extend the human lifespan, eradicate aging, solve problems of disease,
and encourage and enhance intellectual, creative, physical and mental well-being.
In this regard, it is essential to be aware of the possible dangers that
lie ahead. The examination of potential dangers affect not only transhumanist,
but the entire world. The use of technologies and biotechnologies must be
looked at with a critical and ethical observation.
Transhumanism
can be said to stem, in part, from humanism. Humanism is a "philosophical
system of thought that focuses on human value, thought, and actions. Humans
are considered basically good and rationale creatures who can improve themselves
and others through natural human abilities of reason and action. Secular
Humanism is a late development emphasizing objectivity, human reason, and
human standards that govern art, economics, ethics, and belief. As such,
no deity is acknowledged." (web definition)
However transhumanists
reach beyond the realms of humanism in the goal to improve the human condition.
Not only do we encourage freedom, rational thinking, tolerance, and compassion
for humanity, we seek to improve our selves and the species of "human."
Back to top
7.2 Who are the pioneering transhumanists? Alexander "Sasha"
Chislenko developed the "Great Thinkers and Visionaries" in the mid-1990s as a reference
to people he thought were responsible for many of our transhumanist ideas.
Sasha was an extraordinary visionary of transhumanism.
How did
the memetic spreading of transhumanity begin?
Transhumanism
manifests the results of humanity’s drive to improve the world. The
spreading of transhumanity developed slowly at first through writings, books,
university courses, and word of mouth; but with the advent of the Internet,
like moments in time that somehow all came together and crystallize, Transhumanity
fused. Anyone of the trailblazers could tell you how transhumanist their
individual elbow grease carved distinct memes, but it was more than just
a handful of imaginative minds along with an accumulation of events that
coalesced, one by one.
The "Transhumanist
Timeline" (below) shows the diverse elements that had a part in the
architecture of transhumanity. Recognizable. Technological advances,
scientific discovery, literary and artistic vision, philosophical understanding,
and economic needs were strong. These unique areas of interest reached a
point, a tipping point, in the 1990s and took a decisive turn from the static
acceptance of humanity’s limitations toward a commitment to humanity’s progress.
Biological Evolution: |
|
First cell divides: Terrestrial Life
|
4 billion years ago |
Biped |
4,000,000 BC |
Homo Erectus |
1,000,00 — 300,000 BC
|
Human |
50,000 — 30,000 BC |
Transhuman |
late-20th Century |
Posthuman |
Unknown (21st Century)
|
Communications Evolution: |
|
Artifacts as ritual |
28,000 BC |
Cave painting |
20,000 BC |
Symbols as language/writing |
3,500 BC |
Alphabet |
1,500 BC |
Printing Press (Gutenberg) |
1450 |
Telegraph (Morse) |
1836 |
Radio (Hertz) |
1884 |
TV Broadcast (Britain) |
1927 |
Technological Art Movement |
1960s |
VR (first generation) |
1980s |
World Wide Web |
1989 |
Technological Evolution:
|
|
Tools as Technology/fire |
1,000,000 — 2,000,000 BC |
Thermodynamics (Thomson/Carnot) |
1849 |
Sex change |
1931 |
ABC (electronic computer) (Atanasoff
& Barry) |
1942 |
The Game of Life (Conway) |
1940s |
A-Life: Cellular Automata (von Neumann) |
1948 |
Artificial Intelligence (Turing) (Minsky,
McCarthy) |
1950 (1956) |
"The Pill" (birth control) |
1950s |
Human in space (Gagarin on Vostok
1) |
1961 |
Transhuman cryonically suspended |
1967 |
Implants (artificial heart) (Cooley) |
1969 |
Genetic engineering (Cohen & Boyer) |
1973 |
Nanotechnology conceptualized (Drexler) |
1981 |
In Vitro Fertilization |
1978 |
Cloning (Dolly) |
1997 |
DNA Sequenced (Venter) |
2000 |
Memetic Evolution:
|
|
Mathematics/astronomy |
1,800 BC |
Law of Logic (Aristotle) |
387 BC |
Science/Art Coalesce (Leonardo da
Vinci ) |
1452 |
Earth not center of universe (Copernicus)
|
1543 |
Human Rights & Freedom of Speech
(Bill of Rights) |
1789 |
Theory of Evolution (Darwin) |
1858 |
Modern Art |
1880s |
Psychoanalysis/Ego (Freud) |
1893 |
DNA/double-helix (Watson/Crick) |
1953 |
Smi²le (Leary) |
1976 |
Transhuman (FM-2030, Damien Broderick)
|
1982 |
TransArts "Transhumansit Arts"
(Natasha Vita-More) |
1982 |
Transhumanist Philosophy of Extropy
(Max More) |
1988 |
Transhumanity culture flourishes across
the Net:
Extropy
Institute, Foresight Institute,
Transhumanist Arts &
Culture, Aleph, Transcedo,
World Transhumanist Association,
De:Trans, Singularity Institute |
1989 — 2003 |
Transhumanity
was not a novel concept, the precursory ideas from Julius Huxley and Teilhard
de Chardin, and others were known, albeit ideas coalesce at different points
in time and place. In 1947, Allan Turing gave some important comments on
the prospects for machine intelligence in a talk in 1947 but his most constructive
proposals were put in an unpublished report for the National Physical Laboratory
that he wrote in 1947-8. In 1959, Watson and Crick discovered the DNA/double-helix.
In 1959, Marvin Minsky founded what became the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory with John McCarthy. In the 1960s, FM-2030 (f/k/a FM Esfandiary) taught courses on futurism
at New School of Social Research in New York City, and introduced his futurist
philosophy of Upwingers. Marshall McLuhan wrote Understanding Media, first published in 1964, focuses on the media
effects that permeate society and culture. Many futurist events were
occurring—birth control pill, first human in space, in vitro fertilization,
feminism, technology, psychoanalysis, to name a few. Unfortunately
events were occurring as well —War, death, disease and poverty. While
the problematic events in human history were at a point of stasis, progress
was on its way toward improving the human condition.
"Transhumans,"
the early transhumanists, were formally meeting In the early 1980s:
The University of
California Los Angeles became the central watering hole for transhumanists,
where FM-2030 lectured on the futurist ideology of Upwingers. Around that
time EZTV’s John Dore provided an off-Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary
Art venue in its Media Gallery and featured such artists as Dr. Timothy
Leary, and John Spencer at Space Tourism Society organized many transhuman
space-related events. Natasha
Vita-More (formerly Nancie Clark) had just completed the short futurist’s
film titled "Breaking Away" at the University of Colorado. FM
and Natasha met and soon they began holding gatherings for transhumans in
Los Angeles, which included students from FM’s courses and audiences from
Natasha’s productions at EZTV Media Gallery in West Hollywood. Across the
planet in Australia, Damien Broderick, science fiction author, wrote The Judas Mandala. In 1982, Natasha authored the transhumanist Arts Manifesto
(f/k/a "TransArt"). In 1985 through 1994, Natasha produced and
hosted the cable TV show "TransCentury UPdate" on transhumanity.
With a viewing audience of over 100,000, this boutique talking head show
reached 100,000 people.
In 1986, Dr. Eric Drexler's famed book on nanotechnology,
Engines of Creation, was published in hardcover by Anchor Books. Alcor
Foundation’s Southern California location became a nexus for futurist thinkers
and Northern California’s tech-heads were carrying copies of Engines of Creation. Yet, not all activists who were
interested in improving the human condition were involved in "transhumanism."
Some didn’t know of the world "transhuman," although they were
certainly pioneering in what is now transhumanism.
In 1987, Max More moved to Los Angeles from
Oxford University in England, where he established the first European cryonics
organization, known as Mizar Limited (later Alcor-UK), to work on his Ph.D.
in philosophy at the University of Southern California. More met Tom Bell
at the USC, and together they pursued ideas about the future. Tom coined
the term "Extropy" to reflect these ideas and Max authored the
philosophy of Extropy as "An evolving framework of values and standards
for continuously improving the human condition."
In 1989, Extropy
The Journal of Transhumanist
Thought was published,
which formally brought together the most daring, futurist thinkers of the
time to write about AI,
nanotechnology, genetic engineering, superlongevity, Uploads, Idea Futures,
Robotics, Space Exploration, politics and economics of transhumanism. Soon
alternative media began reviewing the magazine and the magazine attracted
interest from likeminded thinkers. Later,
More and Bell co-founded Extropy Institute, a not-for-profit 501(c)3 educational
organization. ExI was formed as a networking and information center
to use current scientific understanding along with critical and creative
thinking to define a small set of principles or values that could help make
sense of the confusing but potentially liberating and existentially enriching
capabilities opening up to humanity."
By 1990, Extropy Institute’s email list was launched
in 1991 and in 1992, began producing the first conferences on transhumanism,
and affiliate members throughout the world who began organizing their own
transhumanist groups.
Extro Conferences, meetings, parties, on-line debates, and documentaries
have continued to get the idea of the transhuman to the public. But
the cyberculture across the Internet became the most fertile breeding ground
for people interested in exploring new tools with websites such as Extropy Institute, Alcor Life Extension Foundation, Foresight Institute, and Transhumanist Arts & Culture.
In the
mid-1990s, transhumanity
continued to spread on the Internet through the networking of Extropy Institute’s
conferences. If LA was the spawning place of transhumanity, the Internet
became the womb. From a few hundred people to many thousands of people,
transhumanist ideas are spreading with the help of media awareness and continued
hard work of all involved. Today there are other organizations that have
joined Extropy Institute to further transhumanist ideas such as Alcor Life
Extension Foundation, Foresight Institute, Transhumanist Arts & Culture,
Aleph in Sweden, TransVision in Europe, and World Transhumanist Association,
The Singularity Institute, and numerous other organizations currently being
developed.
As the culture
of transhumanism grows, it is imperative that transhumanist organizations
work together. Diversity is welcomed but cooperation is essential. That
transhumanist organizations not push one political or spiritual view on
their members or transhumanity as a culture. In order to encourage sustainability,
we must not get caught up in political jargon or positioning. A futuristic
political plan must consider all of transhumanity, as well as humanity.
Cooperation in making sure that no one’s foot is being stepped on and that
we consider basic economics — supply and demand, a conscientious efforts
in spreading accurate information, and understanding that no one person
or organization is going to be on top, but that the culture of transhumanity
must be networked and transparent. Back to top
7.3 Transhumanist Culture: How does transhumanism
affect Arts & Culture?
7.3.1 Transhumanist Culture: The transhumanist culture is
continually in the making. Transhumanism marks the beginning of our
human evolution as we continue to improve the human condition. Transhumanist
ideas originated in diverse cultures. We can find traces of transhumanist
thought in our earliest inventions and discoveries. From marking the surface
of prehistoric cave walls over 17,000 years ago to transmitting signals
across the light years of space, ingenuity has illustrated humans’ use of
technology. Our desire for extending life and life longer, mirroring our
own image in omnipotent reflections, pushing beyond our limitations—has
catapulted our species toward an accelerated evolution from human to transhuman,
to posthuman.
The transhumanist
history is comprised of events that have transformed our species. These
events are the result of innovations generated through transhumanist creativity.
In every aspect of our being—each inch—each thought—creativity is in action.
It is the fire behind our passions. It is the fuel igniting our will. No
matter how diminutive or how colossal an idea, it is in the creative impulse
that has accelerated our evolution. Evolution happens on many fronts. It
is not just our biology that mutates and evolves, it is also our psychology
that undergoes transformation.
For the first
time in history transhumans are actively researching and developing the
skills to end death. It is not an immoralist's pipe dream—but an objective
to be attained, and perhaps in our lifetime. Those of us who actively call
ourselves transhumanist do so with a commitment to extending and improving
life. The commitment to extending life is a litmus test for transhumanity.
If we do not overcome death, we have no future.
Our evolution
has been a cumulative process. Footprints across time have left traces of
our reach beyond ourselves for something better. From the earliest plebeian
cultures to the advanced complexities of social systems the future has been
unfolding. Today we are on the threshold of the present evolution—the transhuman.
TOWARDS THE END OF AGING
The single
most important factor in "ageless thinking" is to think outside
the box. One’s autonomy is the most valuable aspect of existence. With this
in mind, we can decide for ourselves what is essential in developing and
maintaining our individual lives and how to establish goals to achieve our
desires. If the goal is to live a healthy life, we can adjust our activities
to align with the physiological and psychological findings that are best
suited to healthy living. We can abolish ageist myths and implement creative
ways to enrich our lives. We can redefine our identities to suit our goals.
We can learn to think in ways that remove stigmas and constraints placed
upon society by the thought of old age and dying.
We must seek
the challenges of modifying ourselves, creating distinct views, embracing
new behaviors, and welcoming the unfamiliarity of change. When it is our
choice to explore challenges, we begin to take charge of our future. Our
individuality is our dignity. The knowledge that is gained, the wisdom of
experience, become the helping hand of change. The more we challenge our
existence and make attempts to learn new skills, the more in balance with
our own identities we may become.
Science and
technology are not standing still. Just as we are carving our own new identities,
science is also finding its place in the anti-aging movement. New information
on how we view aging is occurring in many scientific communities. Genetic
engineering is having an impact on how we age and reversing it. Hormone
replacement therapy is being used to counter age decline. New markers of
aging are redefining the categories of age. Becoming aware that we can live
longer is effecting people’s desire to live longer. Cosmetic surgery is
giving us extra years of youthfulness. Nanotechnology and artificial intelligence
are developing important roles in medicine and aging. Cryonics is the best
available safety net for extreme longevity.
What can
we do right now to take charge of our future?
"Today
by carefully applying the technology developed during the past century (especially
in the past 20 years), it may be possible to develop a practical, custom
tailored, medically safe and scientifically sound life-extension (anti-aging)
program. Currently, such a program is limited to the types of intervention"
such as "diet, exercise, supplements, hormones, drugs, and monitoring).
In the foreseeable future, however, techniques such as using drugs, hormones
and neurotransmitters in slow release capsules, grafting tissue from hypothalamus,
pineal and other areas of the brain, and genetic manipulation of aging control
programs will all become available. Each year that one gains by preserving
one’s health and prolonging one’s life now, significantly improves the chances
that one will be around to enjoy the benefits of the tremendous rejuvenation
technologies which will become available in the future." (Christopher
B. Heward, Ph.D., The Endocrinology of Aging.)
What are the
bio-markers in determining age? How do we know which bio-markers are dependable?
Is there available a reliable way to ascertain our functional age?
We age differently
depending on which bio-marker we are looking at. We may be in good shape
cardiovascularly but have poor elasticity in skin due to over exposure to
the sun. Our bodies change with time. The best approach is to look at a
broad spectrum of aspects of aging. It is not simple, or inexpensive, and
there is still little data available on these factors.
What is a bio-marker
of aging? Biomarkers of aging are indicators of how far we are progressing
on the pathway of degenerative diseases that are associated with death.
Any biomarkers that give us a clue about how this degenerative progression
can tell us our functional age and longevity. Some bio-markers are more
reliable than others. For example, cardiovascular fitness is important but
may not be as important as cholesterol levels and homocysteine levels, the
amino acid that is a marker of cardiovascular risk.
An athlete
such as an ice skater who appears to be physically fit, suddenly dies of
a heart attack. Jim Fixx died before 40 despite being a top runner. Although
heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death, young, healthy individuals are
considered to be out of risk. How could this happen? Are we using a wrong
gauge to determine our health? What is going on biochemically and biologically?
We need to know the risk factors.
Over the course
of our lives, we probably get and beat many cancers that happen because
our immune system is functioning at an optimal level. Yet, as we get older,
or if our immune system weakens, our body’s loses its ability to recognize
and fight off the invasive cancers. This retardation in recognizing the
cancer as being a non-self and to produce antibodies and mobilize white
blood cells to take charge allows the cancer to grow. Cancer is the number
2 cause of death.
What if there
was a lucid test to checkout our immune system and see how it is faring?
What if we could simple check in on a daily or weekly basis and summon up
different bio-marker for a report on how we are aging? Dr. Christopher Heward
has developed such a test, BioMonitor. BioMonitor is a consistent measure
of how we are functioning physiologically and compares that to our chronological
age and our rate of aging. We then can make adjustments in biological selves.
The far future
is coming into near range with undertakings such as the Human Genome Project
which is an international effort by geneticists to decode all two billion
base pairs of the human genome. The human genome is the entire set of genes.
Another area of close-range explosion is the application of gene therapy
to medical problems. These techniques will alter genetic programs and alter
the rate of aging.
The process
of understanding our physical makeup - our genes - and their relationship
to aging is an enormous undertaking. Just imagine a settler in the late
1800’s who has been crossing the planes in a covered wagon, old before his
time, being given a shiny new red Ferrari along with a portable computer
and cellular phone. Imagine a young woman in the 1700’s in New England,
unable to explore her own imagination, being censored, restricted and bullied
by the town masters for having tea with her friends, imagine her attending
a televised presentation where a woman not only hosts the show, but makes
forthright statements about her own views openly in front of millions of
people and whose voice is carried across electronic wires across the entire
world!
Now, imagine
our scientists, engineers and visionaries one hundred years from now and
the work that has been accomplished in genetics and altering or controlling
the rate of aging.
"These
facts and projections point toward a rapid understanding of the aging process
and an application for technologies to significantly extend lifespan. These
technologies will be developed and applied faster than we age. The net result
will be an unlimited maximum lifespan. Will people live forever? Not as
biological machines." (Robert Bradbury, founder and president of Aeiveos Corporation.)
Nanotechnology
involves the study of chemistry, physics and engineering to build objects
or machines atom by atom. To add significantly to lifespan, a nano machine
could repair aged issues and organs. Nano machines might also be used to
reanimate people who have been frozen in cryonic suspension. Further in
our future will be the integration of the human/transhuman being and machine.
That will be a time for a possible cybernetic indefinite lifespan.
If their desire
is to learn about life, to extend life, then through the use of technology
and masterly skill, we all will benefit from the tenacity and labor of their
efforts. We can also become paralleling visionaries in our own rights stretching
beyond the constraints of yesterday’s and today’s limitations on our lifespan.
In summary,
we are on the journey of life extension. It is not a Gulliver’s Travels.
We are not interested in a society where people grow older and more feeble
but never to die. We are primarily interested in extending life — indefinitely
and adding to the quality of life. The quality of life must be of a high
standard and designed in such a way as to give people a reason for living
longer. What we are envisioning is a future where old age doesn’t exist
as it has ever been known before. It is a future where we can grow healthier
and more youthful as long as we wish.
Transhumanist
Sexuality: Automorph
Gender and Sexuality: Reconstituted and Reconfigured Gender and Sexuality
The new sexual
landscapes will bring about different types of sexuality, different types
of genders. In the future, we may still want to perform the traditional
types of sex, or we may want to participate in the reconstituted and reconfigured
gender roles and sexuality that will radically change us. We may do away
with our bodily nerves, but keep some sensations, the ones for pleasure
of perhaps some for pain to remind us not to do something. Yet, eventually
we will begin to shuttle more and more parts of ourselves as we become post-biological.
Gender traditionally
refers to social and cultural categories such as masculine, feminine and
neuter. There are parts of our brains that are programmed for female and
male behaviors. Altering the genitalia does not change this. Yet, in the
future there will be a blurring of these traditional categories. Female
does not merely mean a person who wears nail polish and frills, has a capacity
for communication and empathy, or is endowed with a mothering instinct.
Nor will masculine merely mean a person who is rugged, emphasizes spatial
temporal thinking, or the protectorate of home and hearth. The continuous
blurring of these distinctions will enable the reconstitution of genders.
What has yet to change is the XX and XY or XYY chromosomes. Herein lies
a current scientific truth determining our sex and our genetic gender. But
not for long. We will alter aspects of our brains and switch genders by
augmenting "direct route gender swaps" for easy access and quick
fix gender changes.
Sex and somatic
gender identity are not so immutable. Sex, (how organisms are classified
as female or male on the basis of their reproductive organs and functions)
is being modified by surgery and hormone treatment. In society today there
are bisexuals, transsexuals, homosexuals, asexuals, and intersexuals. Soon
there will be negsexuals, solosexuals, technosexuals, postsexuals, multisexuals
VRsexuals or even just plain ole’ sexuals who remain nostalgic of the 20th Century. Back to top
7.3.2 Transhumanist Arts - From da Vinci to "Transhumanist
Arts"
Artists and the arts, throughout
history, have been the voice and the vision of civilization. Artists,
as communicators, reach more people and are capable of introducing more
ideas about culture than any other area of study or professional endeavor.
Artists and the arts bring together the passions, the dreams and the hopes
of humanity and transhumanity and express these emotions in ways that touch
us deeply.
Whether it
is high-end electronic or robotic, multi-media pieces, or filmmaking, poetry,
fiction, science fiction, video, paintings, music, dance, sculpture, architecture,
literature—our work communicates to culture and affects the pulse of culture
What marks
the beginning of Transhumanist Arts? The independent film "Breaking Away" (1980) marks
the beginning of Transhumanist Arts. This short, 8-mm film by Natasha Vita-More
was filmed by Don Yannacito (Independent Film Dept., University of Colorado),
and shot on location at Red Rocks Amphitheater. The central theme of the
short depicts the human quest in overcoming dogma and evolutionary limitations.
Transhumanist
Arts was founded in 1982 by
Natasha Vita-More (f/k/a/ Nancie Clark) and introduced as an "art theory"
(originally, "TransArt"). The "Transhumanist Arts Statement"
written to established a poetic doctrine of transhumanist expression: "Transhumanist
Arts represent the aesthetic and creative culture of transhumanity…Our aesthetics
and expressions are merging with science and technology in designing increased
sensory experience…Transhumanist Artists want to extend life and overcome
death…If our art represents who we are, then let us chose to be transhumanist
not only in our bodies, but also in our values…As Transhumanist Arts comes
into focus, as the tools and ideas of our art continue to evolve, so too
shall we."
At the onset
of the transhumanist movement, transhumanists referred to themselves "transhumans".
It was not until the late 1980s that the phrase "transhumanist"
took hold. Around this time, Transhumanist Arts theory had evolved into
an arts organization. Today Transhumanist Arts is both an organization and
an art period, reflecting the creative innovations and artistic expressions
of transhumanity.
As an art theory,
Transhumanist Arts coalesces the arts, sciences and technologies by recognizing
the exponentially growing rate of change in our society. These rapid changes
include mass computing power, superintelligence, nanotechnology, biotechnology,
genetic engineering, superlongevity, fast-track communications, the Internet
and its offspring, space exploration, human augmentation for improving and
extending life, and the Singularity. The technological advances directly
affect culture and thus the arts in countless ways.
By 1990,
Transhumanist Arts had become an organization. Today Transhumanist Arts is both an organization
and an art period, reflecting creative ideas and artistic projects developed
during the period of transhumanity.
On January
1, 1997, a genre of Transhumanist Arts, Extropic Art, launched a Manifesto
on the Internet, and the movement was champagne toasted in good cheer in
Los Angeles. In the ensuing months, hundreds of creative thinkers signed
the Manifesto, and others began calling themselves transhumanist extropic
artists. In October of 1997, the Manifesto was sent into space on board
the Cassini Huygens spacecraft. It is the first writings of transhumanity
to leave the earth and travel through the Asteroid Belt to Saturn. By this,
the meme "We are transhumans . . ." has spread far beyond Earth,
out into the Solar System.
As an outgrowth
of Transhumanist Arts, the Extropic Art genre represents an aesthetic culture
of transhumanity—ideas about super intelligence, superlongevity, biological-technological
interface, intelligence and creativity augmentation, space exploration,
the Singularity (or Spike). Extropic Art is not limited by conventional
art forms or modes of the arts. It can indeed be an artifact such as an
image, a musical score, a film, or story, or it can be many creative modes
of expression, such as innovative ideas and activities.
Other genres
of Transhumanist Arts are "Automorph"—the art of consciously and
comprehensively sculpting one’s psychology and physiology "Art as Being".
"Exoterra" is the fusion of art and the universe.
Automorphing has become an active expression for
many transhumans because of rapid interest in how the body might look in
the coming decades as well as interest in our continued interface with computers.
Most of us want to live indefinitely and in doing so we can now actively
set into practice reinventing ourselves and redesigning how we want to look.
Automorphing is self-sculpting.
Exoterra, on the other hand, can be works produced
by space architects or space educational designers, composers who bring
to mind the musical wondrous elements of space, science fiction, space paintings,
poems and electronic imaging are all mediums that lend themselves to Exoterra
Art. "On several occasions, I have been asked how Transhumanist Extropic
Art differs from or opposes preceding genres such as Expressionism, Dadaist,
Actionism and Conceptual Art. Extropic Art doesn't intentionally differ
from any previous genre or movement, it has evolved out of them."
Italian Futurism
rejected tradition and worshipped the machine, Dadaist used shock tactics
and feared optimism, Fluxus focused on the state of mind of the artist rather
than the objet d’art, Conceptualists had great thought and little product,
and so on. Yet, these genres have influenced Extropic Art and the Transhumanist
Arts period. Futurism allowed the artist to participate in the Industrial
Revolution with new tools, Dadaists questioned the "museum dogma,"
Fluxus generated thinking, Conceptualists went a step further. These genres,
from abstract expressionism and Modern Art through Performance Art, have
influenced Transhumanist Arts.
The difference
between some previous genres is found in the tools we use and the reason
why we are producing art—what occurs in our minds. For the first time in
history, transhumans as artists want to live indefinitely, want to live
in space, want to augment our intelligence, want to grow more desirable,
brighter, more creative.
Art genres
or movements either react to the preceding ideas or they mesh ideas from
the past with new vision and new tools. Surely, an extended lifespan is
not a new concept, but how transhumans view extending the human lifespan
is. In the past, immortality was a wish either gained by some religious
promise, pseudoscience or by mystical means.
Transhumanists
understand that we have biological limitations and that by intelligent planning
we will be able to extend our lives. A similar parallel can be drawn with
the idea that "my life is my art"—a theme used in several genres.
However, transhumanists see our lives as a work in progress as we evolve.
The tools of our trade are changing so rapidly, as I have stated already
in the section on Transhuman History; we must keep up with these changes.
We do not have to be driven into a mad frenzy with relentless changes and
expense of such changes, but we must at least have an understanding of where
it is going. It is perfectly clear that the new tools are heading in the
direction of refining and designing and prolonging life. Extreme life extension
is on the drawing board."
Today there
are an increasing number of artists who are beginning produce art in a transhumanist
mode. As humanity steadily advances to the next evolutionary stage, more
and more artists will make the shift towards transhumanity.
Transhumanist
Arts Trends: From 20th Century Art to 21st Century Art —
Transhumanist
Arts of the 21st Century did not appear out of the
blue. Much of its content has evolved from art movements and art forms of
artists who preceded it. The historical continuity of this art can be illustrated
through the early 20th century and even farther back in time though ancient
myths and perceptive visionaries. Today, the Transhumanist Arts culture
is still forming.
The beginnings
of artists engaging in either science or technology and individualism was
evidenced in Futurism (Italy 1908) and Dadaism (France 1915). Futurism rejected
traditions while glorifying contemporary life by emphasizing two dominant
themes, the machine and motion and advocated the fusion of art and science.
Dadaism was more a world-view rather than a style. The Dadaist manifestos
were often aimed at startling the public into reconsidering accepted aesthetic
values. This type of rethinking—employment of technology, science, individualism
and the revoking of traditional standards—is transhumanist in scope. Although
Dadaists tended to be irrational and negative and Futurism was short-lived,
Transhumanist artists are rational and dynamic optimists and intend to live
indefinitely.
Abstract Expressionism
(1940-1950s) kicked-off the Contemporary Art Movement with predominant concern
of self-expression. While the trends were approaching a cybernetic concepts
in art with lasers, holography, and neon art, Conceptual Art (1960s-1970s)
had enormous influence on artists merely by reflected the artistic mind.
The act of thinking became the art form. By offering models for problem
solving and engagement in non-art systems (meaning not producing an object
of art such as a painting or sculpture or poem); interests in science and
technology was at a peak. Soon after, Performance Art (1970s to present)
presented an extraordinary open-ended art form where artists’ desire to
communicate more directly with viewers than through an "object".
Simultaneously,
High-Tech Art (a contemporary art) (1970s) utilized diverse technologies
with the sentiment that the more effective the High-Tech Art, the more it
transcends its hardware. However, most tech art remains an exploration in
technological art rather than a world-view. It is a part of the Art &
Technology movement, but its more recent art expresses ambivalence of postmodernism
towards technology. It is important to keep in mind that not all tech art
is transhumanist in scope. The use of high-end technology or great aesthetic
value in subtranshuman concept or storyline does not equal transhumanist
magnitude. Elaborate special effects fall short of content when the use
of great technology is used to repeat antiquated myths. Back to top
7.4 What other prominent organizations are there? Foresight Institute, Alcor
Foundation, World Transhumanist Association
7.5 What activist groups can I join?
7.6 What email lists can I subscribe to?
7.7 I'm thinking of writing an article on transhumanism.
Any tips?
References:
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