Transhumanism Vs. A Conservative Death Ethos

Posted by $ MikeMarotta 9 years, 9 months ago to Technology
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See also from the Atlas Society, "Transhumanism: How Does It Relate To Objectivism?" by William R. Thomas here:
http://www.atlassociety.org/transhumanis...

"Transhumanists emphasize the use of reason to assess new technologies, view technological progress as desirable, and value individual control over one’s body and mind. Transhumanism is a this-worldly ideology descending from secular humanism and it rejects mysticism. Objectivist values would fit within the Transhumanist tent. And insofar as Transhumanist projections of the future are accurate, Objectivists would be advised to take them into account."

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  • Posted by khalling 9 years, 9 months ago
    I am still grappling with the definition of transhumanism. It's different depending which website you go to, when discussing "movements." I probably fall into the Objectivist camp, but even then its fuzzy. One wonders what is the distinction between this and performance enhancing drugs. As long as they do not pose a major health concern, why are vitamin regimens and work-outs with technologically advanced machines ok but some steroid version is not? You aren't less human because you're missing a leg, why would you be less human with a 3 D printed bionic one? The six million dollar man will always be a hot MAN to me.
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  • Posted by khalling 9 years, 9 months ago in reply to this comment.
    I'm on another post with this very argument right now. You don't even have to look up. Just look next to you. That person has the potential to come up with a new resource with just his mind.
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  • Posted by CircuitGuy 9 years, 9 months ago
    When a new technology makes the death rate fall, the birth rate actually increases at first and then falls. Even though birth rate > the death rate, our production capabilities keep growing with population. If you educate all people, this problem will solve itself without state planning.
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  • Posted by Hiraghm 9 years, 9 months ago
    "Death Ethos"?

    Seriously?

    "Istvan believes the situation will be even worse with a growing, undying population. "

    Istvan is an idiot. Makes me thrilled Admiral Kutuzov sterilized his namesake planet.

    LOOK the f* UP.

    There aren't enough humans to populate even a fraction of the possible habitable (and possible terraformable) planets. Discounting constructs such as Dyson spheres and ringworlds.

    He's just another Malthusian trying to entice naive Objectivists.

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