What drives you as a transhumanist?

[TheAbomb]

I can't wait to join with machines and after Fully exploring this planet moving to other parts of the Galaxy seeking out more knowledge and life.

[Damajin]

I'm a steak soft taco.

I am firm believer that those crunchy taco mother fuckers need to be shipped overseas to and island or something.

i am 100% against the merging of machines with bodies.

Two best posts in this thread, though Tradewind certainly carried it early on which is rather easy for a Pyrofox to do.

What's funny is people coming out against religion and spiritual beliefs and then jumping on the transhumanist bandwagon. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.........utopia is shit.

[Yvaelle]

Two best posts in this thread, though Tradewind certainly carried it early on which is rather easy for a Pyrofox to do.

What's funny is people coming out against religion and spiritual beliefs and then jumping on the transhumanist bandwagon. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.........utopia is shit.

Not sure I see the correlation?

[Damajin]

Not sure I see the correlation?

Both have the inherent foundational premise that adhering to X and following Y, Z, etc. will lead to a better place and people. Both rely on conquering the limitations of the human element, whether it be sin based or biologically based. Both are perfectionist at their core and ultimately have zero room for anything other than itself in things once you start escalating and implementing them. Both have The Answer(tm) and tell you how it will be even with factors of an unknowable amount of unknowns in the way.

I can make more allusions than this but it's enough. Utopianism always is framed in these ways, deliverance transcendence and dominance.

[Sky High]

to get to where you can put my entire conscious on a thumb drive. then plug that thing into a battle mech, and all shall weep!

[Techno-Druid]

Two best posts in this thread, though Tradewind certainly carried it early on which is rather easy for a Pyrofox to do.

What's funny is people coming out against religion and spiritual beliefs and then jumping on the transhumanist bandwagon. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.........utopia is shit.

Religious Demographics for Transhumanism
81.4% Not Religious
9.5 Christian
1.8 Jewish
1.8 Buddhist
5.0 other religions

http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/pellissier20120909

Hell, there's a Mormon Association of Transhumanists.

[J Allen Brack]

Not sure I see the correlation?

Transhumanism falls into the same intellectual wastebin as the retarded quantum consciousness woo that quacks like Chopra proselytize for, as far as I'm concerned. It's mystical pseudointellectual faff born of a false sense of understanding of the known science.

Or in other words, WE WUZ ROBOTS N SHIEEEEEEEET

[Techno-Druid]

Transhumanism falls into the same intellectual wastebin as the retarded quantum consciousness woo that quacks like Chopra proselytize for, as far as I'm concerned. It's mystical pseudointellectual faff born of a false sense of understanding of the known science.

Or in other words, WE WUZ ROBOTS N SHIEEEEEEEET

What's with you guys and the thinking that obsess over robots?

I personally think genetic modification is a less painful process with longer lasting effects.

[Damajin]

Religious Demographics for Transhumanism
81.4% Not Religious
9.5 Christian
1.8 Jewish
1.8 Buddhist
5.0 other religions

http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/pellissier20120909

Hell, there's a Mormon Association of Transhumanists.

You clearly missed the point of what I said. Those 81.4% are religious, just that their religion is Transhumanism. Reading is fundamental, emphasis on fun.

[Techno-Druid]

You clearly missed the point of what I said. Those 81.4% are religious, just that their religion is Transhumanism. Reading is fundamental, emphasis on fun.

So the Christian, Jewish and Buddhist Transhumanists...aren't transhumanists?

[Damajin]

So the Christian, Jewish and Buddhist Transhumanists...aren't transhumanists?

Dude. Follow along.

Religion=Transhumanism. They both have the same tenets, attract the same selection of mental, spiritual and emotional archetypes and aim towards the same ends. When you've got a Christian Transhumanist that's in essence a redundancy.

[Deleted]

Is this based on a movie or something that people fantasize about?

[Yvaelle]

Both have the inherent foundational premise that adhering to X and following Y, Z, etc. will lead to a better place and people.

To invalidate that premise, you would be taking the position that no action can lead to a better place / people? You might disagree with X, but to take issue with X+Y+Z=H+, is if anything, either a retort of logic itself or a denial of the possibility of improvement.

Both rely on conquering the limitations of the human element, whether it be sin based or biologically based.

Conquering biology is something we all do every day, chimps do it when they use use tools to do what their fingers alone could not. Elephants do it when they memorize which plants grow where - and which plants cure what ailments: even memory, and definitely communication, are both means of surpassing our biology.

Conquering Sin is either as simple as changing your ideology (thereby escaping the framework which defines Sin), or by having the willpower to resist temptation.

In either case, these are both common occurrences - the degree to which biology is conquered by adding robotic limbs, or even altering our DNA - is indistinguishable from the use of tools by chimps, or the use of the natural selection for superior brains (compared to much of the animal world) by Elephants.

Both are perfectionist at their core and ultimately have zero room for anything other than itself in things once you start escalating and implementing them. Both have The Answer(tm) and tell you how it will be even with factors of an unknowable amount of unknowns in the way.

Transhumanism is not at all a holistic ideology claiming to have The Answer to "Life, The Universe, and Everything", it simply observes a pattern by which we are actively improving our biological capability through the combination of technology, medicine, and genetics. The only ideological tenet of Transhumanism is to embrace this change, wherever it may lead us. We pontificate, but none of us claim to know we will become Star Trek or something.

What you are suggesting is that Transhumanists are making the claim, "Star Trek is heaven, and if you give Elon Musk all your money, you will get to sit on a nebula cloud, and play the harp with Q someday".

I can make more allusions than this but it's enough. Utopianism always is framed in these ways, deliverance transcendence and dominance.

I would argue that Transhumanists are as much or more aware of the possibility of a Dystopian future than anyone - but if we have any such a collective belief - it is that we cannot stop the inevitability of the future whether Utopian or Dystopian.

Therefore opposition to the Future Tide is a waste of everyone's time: let's get on with it, either it's Star Trek (Utopian) or Transmetropolitan (Dystopian), or something inbetween - let's see it before we die here, in tomorrow's past.

[Damajin]

To invalidate that premise, you would be taking the position that no action can lead to a better place / people? You might disagree with X, but to take issue with X+Y+Z=H+, is if anything, either a retort of logic itself or a denial of the possibility of improvement.



Conquering biology is something we all do every day, chimps do it when they use use tools to do what their fingers alone could not. Elephants do it when they memorize which plants grow where - and which plants cure what ailments: even memory, and definitely communication, are both means of surpassing our biology.

Conquering Sin is either as simple as changing your ideology (thereby escaping the framework which defines Sin), or by willpower to resist temptation.

In either case, these are both common occurrences - the degree to which biology is conquered by adding robotic limbs, or even altering our DNA - is virtually indistinguishable from the use of tools by chimps, or the use of the natural selection for superior brains (compared to much of the animal world) by Elephants.



Transhumanism is not at all a holistic ideology claiming to have The Answer to "Life, The Universe, and Everything", it simply observes a pattern by which we are actively improving our biological capability through the combination of technology, medicine, and genetics. The only ideological tenet of Transhumanism is to embrace this change, wherever it may lead us. We pontificate, but none of us claim to know we will become Star Trek or something.

What you are suggesting is that Transhumanists are making the claim, "Star Trek is heaven, and if you give Elon Musk all your money, you will get to sit on a cloud and play the harp with Q".



I would argue that Transhumanists are as much or more aware of the possibility of a Dystopian future as anyone - but if we have any such a collective belief - it is that we cannot stop the inevitability of the future whether Utopian or Dystopian.

Therefore opposition to the Future Tide is a waste of everyone's time: let's get on with it, either it's Star Trek or Transmetropolitan, or something inbetween - let's see it before we die here, in tomorrow's past.

No, I'm actually not invalidating that particular premise except to say that Utopia is impossible. Objectives far short of that goal and made in exact acknowledgement of its' impossibility are perfectly valid.

I agree with what you said on Sin and Biology, I'm not disputing the efforts I'm saying perfection is impossible which is a major premise of both things which are very dogmatic and insular.

Good job on the Hitchhiker's nod, I seem to be one of the few around these parts who appreciates that genius.

There are certainly Transhumanists making that claim or something in similar vein, and who promise a world of infinite years and golden electropermanence. This might be modern salesmanship of course but as someone trained as a salesman I know the underlying motive is to instill loyalty to a product or idea, create zeal and expansive interest in it to increase personal and material investment in it, to act as guiding principles. Religion of course does the same.

I'd agree with the Dystopian argument except in the case of religious people because that's front and center as the counter to tenet obedience.

[Vash The Stampede]

I agree with a lot of things with transhumanism, I just don't label myself a a transhumanist. It's a rather useless movement. Who wants better medicine? Everyone obviously does right? Who wants to not grow old and die? Pretty sure everyone does as well. Who wants a bigger penis, bigger breasts, big muscles without exercise, and different color hair? Who wants to solve hunger and energy needs with technology? Who wants humanity to go to Mars, and other planets eventually?

Everyone wants this, but no transhumanist with capital is using the money wisely. Instead, money was used to campaign for president to spread the word. Some ask for donations cause they need it for something. instead of donating the money to a research facility like SENS, who is actually working on this technology.

Right now people don't believe this stuff will ever happen. It's right next to Aliens, Santa Clause, and Time machines. People want to see proof. They want progress. They want capital pumped into this. Not a freakin bus.

[Shadowferal]

Right now people don't believe this stuff will ever happen. It's right next to Aliens, Santa Clause, and Time machines. People want to see proof. They want progress. They want capital pumped into this. Not a freakin bus.

We do agree on this...

'so strange...

[Techno-Druid]

I agree with a lot of things with transhumanism, I just don't label myself a a transhumanist. It's a rather useless movement. Who wants better medicine? Everyone obviously does right? Who wants to not grow old and die? Pretty sure everyone does as well. Who wants a bigger penis, bigger breasts, big muscles without exercise, and different color hair? Who wants to solve hunger and energy needs with technology? Who wants humanity to go to Mars, and other planets eventually?

Everyone wants this, but no transhumanist with capital is using the money wisely. Instead, money was used to campaign for president to spread the word. Some ask for donations cause they need it for something. instead of donating the money to a research facility like SENS, who is actually working on this technology.

Right now people don't believe this stuff will ever happen. It's right next to Aliens, Santa Clause, and Time machines. People want to see proof. They want progress. They want capital pumped into this. Not a freakin bus.

Zoltan's Immortality Bus! Woot!

No but I understand completely you're point. Would you label yourself a futurist, out of curiosity?

[Vash The Stampede]

Zoltan's Immortality Bus! Woot!

No but I understand completely you're point. Would you label yourself a futurist, out of curiosity?

I would label myself as a futurist, like I label myself a gamer and a tech geek. So long as the label doesn't work against my beliefs, I'm fine with it. This is why I recognize myself as a agnostic instead of atheist.

I like to look into the future, to try and see how events will play out. Cause most of the time, I'm right. Not trying to sound smug. My predictions of when they happen are horrible. Usually much later than I foresee, but they do eventually happen. Transhumanism just coincides with a lot of my predictions. Except for the whole bionic parts, and brain implants, which is a big part of transhumanist's future. I don't see this being a big thing. Humans would rather have flesh and bones. I think we'll get so good at genetics that we'll never need bio implants of any sort, except for extreme situations.

One things for sure is that we humans are not ready for any of this. Not our economy, not our government, and certainly not our future. The 2020's will be about accepting change. We will reconcile with our life choices, and change them. Accept a different path into the future than the ones we have laid for ourselves. We will in a sense, all be transhumanists by definition.

[Techno-Druid]

I would label myself as a futurist, like I label myself a gamer and a tech geek. So long as the label doesn't work against my beliefs, I'm fine with it. This is why I recognize myself as a agnostic instead of atheist.

I like to look into the future, to try and see how events will play out. Cause most of the time, I'm right. Not trying to sound smug. My predictions of when they happen are horrible. Usually much later than I foresee, but they do eventually happen. Transhumanism just coincides with a lot of my predictions. Except for the whole bionic parts, and brain implants, which is a big part of transhumanist's future. I don't see this being a big thing. Humans would rather have flesh and bones. I think we'll get so good at genetics that we'll never need bio implants of any sort, except for extreme situations.

One things for sure is that we humans are not ready for any of this. Not our economy, not our government, and certainly not our future. The 2020's will be about accepting change. We will reconcile with our life choices, and change them. Accept a different path into the future than the ones we have laid for ourselves. We will in a sense, all be transhumanists by definition.

Yeah I lean towards genetic engineering.

I would write about some of my ideas online, but I'm an exceptionally terrible writer.