X-Message-Number: 21478 From: "mike99" <> Subject: RE: Bill McKibben's book msg. #21471 Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 11:49:13 -0700 The quintessential McKibben idea, as expressed in the Publishers Weekly review, has to be this: >[McKibben] "We need to do an unlikely thing: We need to survey > the world we now inhabit and proclaim it good. Good enough." McKibben > presents an uncompromising view, and an essential view. Readers will come > away from his latest brilliantly provocative work shaking their > heads at the > possible future he portrays, yet understanding that becoming a pain-free, > all-but-immortal, genetically enhanced semi-robot may be deeply > unsatisfactory compared to being an ordinary man or woman who has > faced his > or her fear of death to relish what is. On the contrary, I think many people (although probably not many who would waste their precious time reading McKibben's book) would say that becoming "a pain-free, all-but-immortal, genetically enhanced semi-robot" is (to borrow a phrase from Shakespeare) 'a consummation devoutly to be wished.' I look at it his way: If one accepts the selfish gene theory, we are already semi-robots of a biological variety. Becoming pain-free, all-but-immortal, genetically enhanced versions of what we already are is clearly a better option than remaining the pained, mortal, genetically defective semi-robots we are now. What I want is for the two options to become real. Let those of us who choose to change have the freedom to become greater-than-human (pain-free, all-but-immortal, genetically enhanced, etc.). Then let other humans see what we have become and decide for themselves whether or not they would like to become like us. The great danger is that people like McKibben and Bill Joy will prevent any of us from becoming posthuman. Then there will be no inspiring and attractive posthuman examples. Freedom is our friend. If we are free to change, many others will follow our lead. But if we are blocked, then those who blocked us will claim (and themselves believe) that they have saved humanity. And no counterexamples will be around to prove them wrong. Regards, Michael LaTorra Member: Extropy Institute: www.extropy.org World Transhumanist Association: www.transhumanism.org Alcor Life Extension Foundation: www.alcor.org Society for Technical Communication: www.stc.org Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=21478