• PostHuman: An Introduction to Transhumanism
    53 replies, posted
[hd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTMS9y8OVuY#t=30[/hd]
You know, as entirely and completely bullshit as this might be, it's still pretty cool.
I never asked for this.
There really is an irritating assumption in this trans/post-humanist ideology that there is an infallible 'goodness' about super-longevity, super-intelligence or super-wellbeing. I admit it is hard to argue that they wouldn't be [I]nice[/I], but that does not make them an intrinsic moral good. Its always seemed to me that the teleology behind trans-humanism (especially the singularity) pre-guesses any possible cultural, emotion, genetic or technological developments humanity can make and forms its ideology around these assumptions. What is essentially argued is that we must embark on a radical program of making everyone exactly the same. Look at the super-wellbeing portion of the ideals, where genetic editing is considered a thing that [I]must[/I] be done irrespective of the ideological, cultural or personal assumptions that go into deeming the endeavour moral. Its removing the human from human in a way that would make Fahrenheit 451 or Brave New World blush.
I sorta plopped the video in here cause I thought it was interesting, I'm personally a transhumanist; but I think this video is trying too hard to step in the Duex EX: HR direction. Transhumanism will be a gradual (albeit exponential) slope. [editline]24th November 2013[/editline] Case in point [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwJgTm7kh38[/media]
That's great and all, but wouldn't it result in overpopulation and problems like faster depletion of resources?
[QUOTE=zurator;42965401]That's great and all, but wouldn't it result in overpopulation and problems like faster depletion of resources?[/QUOTE] Time to colonize Mars.
Seems like they are purposely dodging all the problems this would cause.
[QUOTE=Weirdness;42965449]Time to colonize Mars.[/QUOTE] Mars doesn't have trees though. Unless we can advance our tech so much we could colonize planets purely for growing forests there.
Although I'm not a transhumanist myself, I might even be the opposite, this is still really interesting.
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Though it sounds like a good idea it starts with the thought that humanity is single entity. That everyone would get the advances at same time and price. Most likely all of these advances would be affordable for only the people in the well off countries, or richest in poorest countries. Further developing already existing gap between rich and poor. But this time it would not only be gap of material wealth. It would be that the rich are also in every way better than poor. Faster, more intelligent and more happy. And in bad case it would either make the poor people think that they are their rivals in survival or that the rich would be so out of touch with the poor. That they would think they are so much better than poor that they are the true superhumans. Just like communism, only works in theory.
[QUOTE=ripsipiirakk;42965900] Most likely all of these advances would be affordable for only the people in the well off countries, or richest in poorest countries. Further developing already existing gap between rich and poor. But this time it would not only be gap of material wealth. It would be that the rich are also in every way better than poor. Faster, more intelligent and more happy.[/QUOTE] It's like that with every new invention. Medicine, tech, everything. Rich people get it first. Even now rich people have access to a lot more advanced medical care with zero wait time. In time it would become more and more accessible. I don't see how it couldn't work in real life unlike communism. As long as the tech is there social tiers will not prevent it from happening. [editline]24th November 2013[/editline] If anything it will become more advanced thanks to money provided by rich people.
[QUOTE=itisjuly;42965973]It's like that with every new invention. Medicine, tech, everything. Rich people get it first. Even now rich people have access to a lot more advanced medical care with zero wait time. In time it would become more and more accessible. I don't see how it couldn't work in real life unlike communism. As long as the tech is there social tiers will not prevent it from happening. [editline]24th November 2013[/editline] If anything it will become more advanced thanks to money provided by rich people.[/QUOTE] that's fine but if some transhumanists are to be believed, this isn't like a cure for polio or something. we're talking rich people having the ability to live much longer than was previously possible in a big leap, being able to physically better themselves, and being able to become more mentally powerful, all because they can afford technology i think the last thing i think anyone wants in this already class-divided society is [i]another[/i] class of people who are, not only wealthy, but have almost superhuman intelligence
I cannot wait to see what the future holds.
I don't know how they managed to make a 10 minute video that says absolutely nothing.
[QUOTE=Hobo4President;42966240]I don't know how they managed to make a 10 minute video that says absolutely nothing.[/QUOTE] It's an introduction video, they said multiple times that they will go into greater detail, and talk about the issues in future videos.
something I've realised over a fairly long period of time is that most of the valid complaints people have about transhumanism are really just complaints about capitalism in disguise RE: inequality that said, if you're for the dissemination of technology in a way that would benefit only an elite few and would directly make our ridiculous class inequalities even worse, then screw you.
[QUOTE=Weirdness;42965449]Time to colonize Mars.[/QUOTE] The first thing you want to colonize is the closest dusty old planet to us.. which brings me to believe we (and the bullshit video in OP) are thinking far ahead of our time. Just imagine some mother who makes it so that her child cannot be depressed, angered, stressed or anything really.. How does that even fucking work? We do not even know all about these conditions and diseases yet, nor do we know all about our brains or our genes. A lot of it though, but still. I'd wager we'll have people living&working up to 500 years in the year 7000 or so. It could also happen during our 3rd millennium if we really channeled and focused our resources and manpower right, but I don't think so.
[QUOTE=Bat-shit;42966836]The first thing you want to colonize is the closest dusty old planet to us.. which brings me to believe we (and the bullshit video in OP) are thinking far ahead of our time. Just imagine some mother who makes it so that her child cannot be depressed, angered, stressed or anything really.. How does that even fucking work? We do not even know all about these conditions and diseases yet, nor do we know all about our brains or our genes. A lot of it though, but still. I'd wager we'll have people living&working up to 500 years in the year 7000 or so. It could also happen during our 3rd millennium if we really channeled and focused our resources and manpower right, but I don't think so.[/QUOTE] You know, arguing about whether or not transhumanism will happen sooner or later doesn't really count as arguing about transhumanism itself. All you're saying is that it's going to happen later. And if so, so what? It'll happen later. [editline]24th November 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=ripsipiirakk;42965900]Though it sounds like a good idea it starts with the thought that humanity is single entity. That everyone would get the advances at same time and price. Most likely all of these advances would be affordable for only the people in the well off countries, or richest in poorest countries. Further developing already existing gap between rich and poor. But this time it would not only be gap of material wealth. It would be that the rich are also in every way better than poor. Faster, more intelligent and more happy. And in bad case it would either make the poor people think that they are their rivals in survival or that the rich would be so out of touch with the poor. That they would think they are so much better than poor that they are the true superhumans. Just like communism, only works in theory.[/QUOTE] But what does this have to do with the technology itself? I mean, the technology, if it can come to exist, will come to exist. If it ends up being used for ill, then that's just how it is. Nobody wants it to be that way, but none of us can really do anything about it.
Google Glass is the first step.
[QUOTE=Mr. Scorpio;42966843]You know, arguing about whether or not transhumanism will happen sooner or later doesn't really count as arguing about transhumanism itself. All you're saying is that it's going to happen later. And if so, so what? It'll happen later.[/QUOTE] No I'm mostly talking about the video. The video, and the money spent into it, will do very little to help transhumanism progress in any way. And it is progressing as we speak, but no thanks to this video, or the team behind it. But we'll see which high-profile names they'll get to show their faces in the video series, and we'll see which popularized and fan-favored concerns they'll cover about transhumanism. "Super-longevity" and "Super-happiness." Hell, what about terminating your life after having lived like 500 years? Not some super happy stuff but still definitely something to consider, for example.
[QUOTE=Bat-shit;42966952]No I'm mostly talking about the video. The video, and the money spent into it, will do very little to help transhumanism progress in any way. And it is progressing as we speak, but no thanks to this video, or the team behind it. But we'll see which high-profile names they'll get to show their faces in the video series, and we'll see which popularized and fan-favored concerns they'll cover about transhumanism. "Super-longevity" and "Super-happiness." Hell, what about terminating your life after having lived like 500 years? Not some super happy stuff but still definitely something to consider, for example.[/QUOTE] I'm preeeetty sure this is about explaining what transhumanism is in a concise and digestible format, not about advancing the technology of transhumanism.
Does anybody have the time at which they get to the point? I don't really want to sit through 11 minutes of animation and minimalistic graphics so I'd like to skip to the important bit if possible.
[QUOTE=Mr. Scorpio;42967564]I'm preeeetty sure this is about explaining what transhumanism is in a concise and digestible format, not about advancing the technology of transhumanism.[/QUOTE] Who needs this stuff? Oh well, $64k won't probably be too hard to scrounge together on Kickstarter.
None of this will happen, btw. Or at least will happen but not do all the good this video bullshits about.
[QUOTE=ionuttzu;42969299]None of this will happen, btw. Or at least will happen but not do all the good this video bullshits about.[/QUOTE] Did you get one of those cybernetic future-seeing implants? You sound awfully sure of yourself.
Great, another excuse for one group of people to say they are intrinsically better than another. The future is just so great.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_JpPMIriAI[/media] I encourage those interested to watch this. She specifically deals with the issue of making these technologies available to everyone, and has experimented on herself.
[QUOTE=Zenreon117;42969611]Great, another excuse for one group of people to say they are intrinsically better than another. The future is just so great.[/QUOTE]That's not what its about at all, literally.
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