05-19-2022, 11:55 PM
Hi - Welcome to OA!
Please feel free to join in on any conversations that catch your interest or to start a new one if you are so inclined.
Also - beyond your specific questions below - please feel free to post any questions or concerns you may have about the OA setting or the project more broadly.
Considering your specific questions below - and bearing in mind Rynn's earlier points - here are my thoughts on the matter. YMMV.
Transhumanism is a philosophy or ideology that seeks to actively improve the human condition using technology, including improving upon what are generally considered to be 'natural' human traits and capabilities produced by our biology.
Almost certainly, but while I have transhumanist leanings or might be considered a transhumanist, I don't follow the subject closely enough to be able to specifically say much what 'the public' might be saying or thinking about it that is incorrect. On general principles, many people tend to fear what they don't understand or relate to. I'm sure some online research will turn up specifics. If you want to loop back and ask for our thoughts on those specifics, that's fine.
For SF - Reading Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke when I was 8 or 9 yrs old.
For transhumanism - Reading Vernor Vinge's SF novel Marooned in Realtime in either HS or college and then coming across Extropy magazine (a transhumanist publication of the time) in college.
I don't consider myself a full throated transhumanist, but in general I like to solve problems and think technology can play a big role in solving problems. I also tend to be optimistic about the future, although I will also say if humanity wants a good future we're going to have to work for it.
I don't know how much of the above is tied to transhumanism influencing me or my personality/beliefs making me inclined to have a positive view of transhumanism.
That a defining characteristic of humanity is the evolution of our brains - which allow us to think, plan, and organize to manipulate the world around us - and our hands - which allow us to manipulate the world around us down to a pretty fine level of detail.
Our technology and culture (including transhumanism and everything it proposes) are a direct result of those evolutionary developments and therefore are natural to us. It is physically impossible for human beings to do anything 'unnatural' since by definition that would involve breaking the laws of physics and that's impossible.
If some people want to substitute 'creation' for 'evolution' - the same basic argument still applies.
Coming at this from a different direction - If someone wants to play the 'unnatural' game - I would point out that they likely live in a building, use modern medicine, drive a car, use modern communication tech, etc - and are unlikely to turn any of that down on the grounds that it's 'unnatural'. Especially in the case of medical care. So really, I think this is more about people being uncomfortable with the unfamiliar and trying to then reverse engineer a rationalization for it than any calmly considered philosophy or thinking about what is or is not 'natural'.
I will need to point you to Wikipedia for this one (LINK). More importantly perhaps, I would point you to the references at the end, which include a number of written works and such. Also, Anders Sandberg is one of the founding members of OA - although no longer generally active with the project. You might be able to start from the Wikipedia page and find a working email or Facebook page or something for him and ask him to answer your questions as well. Feel free to name drop OA as part of that if you decide to pursue it. I can't guarantee he'll respond or be inclined to answer your questions, but it certainly doesn't hurt to ask.
Because it aligns with their existing beliefs or proclivities or offers an ideology that they find more attractive than whatever they believed in before encountering transhumanism.
Many people are afraid of change, or differences, or the unfamiliar, or all of these. Particularly when it is described 'from the outside'. They might not even notice it or think twice about it if they just lived thru it without hearing about it first.
Total matter to energy conversion reactors and the monopoles to make them work. Once you have clean and more or less limitless energy a huge number of other problems become a lot more tractable or are just solved by that.
OA doesn't try to predict 'the future' but does try to present a 'plausible future'. Because the future we describe is so wide ranging, I think some of it will happen while quite a bit does not. I can't think of anything I specifically disagree with for firm reasons (rather than just preferring the future not turn out that way) - but I've been part of OA for such a long time, I'm generally used to its depiction. I'd have to seriously dig into my memories to find things I really disagree with but have learned to live with, so to speak.
Hope this helps,
Todd
Please feel free to join in on any conversations that catch your interest or to start a new one if you are so inclined.
Also - beyond your specific questions below - please feel free to post any questions or concerns you may have about the OA setting or the project more broadly.
Considering your specific questions below - and bearing in mind Rynn's earlier points - here are my thoughts on the matter. YMMV.
(05-19-2022, 02:13 PM)TerranGames Wrote: In your words, what is transhumanism, and what does it mean to you?
Transhumanism is a philosophy or ideology that seeks to actively improve the human condition using technology, including improving upon what are generally considered to be 'natural' human traits and capabilities produced by our biology.
(05-19-2022, 02:13 PM)TerranGames Wrote: Are there any misconceptions that the public has about transhumanists?
Almost certainly, but while I have transhumanist leanings or might be considered a transhumanist, I don't follow the subject closely enough to be able to specifically say much what 'the public' might be saying or thinking about it that is incorrect. On general principles, many people tend to fear what they don't understand or relate to. I'm sure some online research will turn up specifics. If you want to loop back and ask for our thoughts on those specifics, that's fine.
(05-19-2022, 02:13 PM)TerranGames Wrote: What drew you into transhumanism, and sci-fi in general?
For SF - Reading Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke when I was 8 or 9 yrs old.
For transhumanism - Reading Vernor Vinge's SF novel Marooned in Realtime in either HS or college and then coming across Extropy magazine (a transhumanist publication of the time) in college.
(05-19-2022, 02:13 PM)TerranGames Wrote: How has being a transhumanist affected you, as a person?
I don't consider myself a full throated transhumanist, but in general I like to solve problems and think technology can play a big role in solving problems. I also tend to be optimistic about the future, although I will also say if humanity wants a good future we're going to have to work for it.
I don't know how much of the above is tied to transhumanism influencing me or my personality/beliefs making me inclined to have a positive view of transhumanism.
(05-19-2022, 02:13 PM)TerranGames Wrote: Some people believe that transhumanism is "unnatural," and that we shouldn't mess with the way we were created, how do you respond to that?
That a defining characteristic of humanity is the evolution of our brains - which allow us to think, plan, and organize to manipulate the world around us - and our hands - which allow us to manipulate the world around us down to a pretty fine level of detail.
Our technology and culture (including transhumanism and everything it proposes) are a direct result of those evolutionary developments and therefore are natural to us. It is physically impossible for human beings to do anything 'unnatural' since by definition that would involve breaking the laws of physics and that's impossible.
If some people want to substitute 'creation' for 'evolution' - the same basic argument still applies.
Coming at this from a different direction - If someone wants to play the 'unnatural' game - I would point out that they likely live in a building, use modern medicine, drive a car, use modern communication tech, etc - and are unlikely to turn any of that down on the grounds that it's 'unnatural'. Especially in the case of medical care. So really, I think this is more about people being uncomfortable with the unfamiliar and trying to then reverse engineer a rationalization for it than any calmly considered philosophy or thinking about what is or is not 'natural'.
(05-19-2022, 02:13 PM)TerranGames Wrote: How did transhumanism begin, as a movement, and are there any important works or authors I should read about?
I will need to point you to Wikipedia for this one (LINK). More importantly perhaps, I would point you to the references at the end, which include a number of written works and such. Also, Anders Sandberg is one of the founding members of OA - although no longer generally active with the project. You might be able to start from the Wikipedia page and find a working email or Facebook page or something for him and ask him to answer your questions as well. Feel free to name drop OA as part of that if you decide to pursue it. I can't guarantee he'll respond or be inclined to answer your questions, but it certainly doesn't hurt to ask.
(05-19-2022, 02:13 PM)TerranGames Wrote: Why do you think people become transhumanists?
Because it aligns with their existing beliefs or proclivities or offers an ideology that they find more attractive than whatever they believed in before encountering transhumanism.
(05-19-2022, 02:13 PM)TerranGames Wrote: Why do you think many people are strongly opposed to it?
Many people are afraid of change, or differences, or the unfamiliar, or all of these. Particularly when it is described 'from the outside'. They might not even notice it or think twice about it if they just lived thru it without hearing about it first.
(05-19-2022, 02:13 PM)TerranGames Wrote: If you could get one piece of technology from OA tomorrow, any technology, what would it be and why?
Total matter to energy conversion reactors and the monopoles to make them work. Once you have clean and more or less limitless energy a huge number of other problems become a lot more tractable or are just solved by that.
(05-19-2022, 02:13 PM)TerranGames Wrote: How well do you think OA predicts the future, and are there any specific things you disagree with?
OA doesn't try to predict 'the future' but does try to present a 'plausible future'. Because the future we describe is so wide ranging, I think some of it will happen while quite a bit does not. I can't think of anything I specifically disagree with for firm reasons (rather than just preferring the future not turn out that way) - but I've been part of OA for such a long time, I'm generally used to its depiction. I'd have to seriously dig into my memories to find things I really disagree with but have learned to live with, so to speak.
Hope this helps,
Todd