[FRIAM] Trans/Post Homo Erectus/Sapiens/Faber/Hiveus
Steven A Smith
sasmyth at swcp.com
Wed Apr 17 16:52:48 EDT 2019
Marcus -
> Perhaps ... there will be more interest in protection & enhancement
> cognition as well.
>
> Of course there’s Kernel <https://kernel.co/> and Neuralink
> <https://www.neuralink.com/> too. I know Kung Fu
> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vMO3XmNXe4>!
>
>
>
> https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(17)30990-7
>
You have referenced various technologies and ideas which I relate mostly
to trans-humanism. The softer versions IMO are things like advanced
prosthetics, HCI enhancement and (mild) Gene Editing on up through
significant self-modification (embedded tech as well as genetics) to the
radical things folks such as Diamandis and Kurzweil and ultimately a
technological singularity.
There is a LOT of ground in that spectrum and we've already covered some
of it as humans. Earlier references to the co-evolution of humans and
canines were not as intentional, but nevertheless seems to have changed
"who we are". Similar relationships with reindeer and other herd
animals as well as even various plants (e.g. what became modern grains,
fruits, and squash/melons). Tribal/cultural taboos and kinship systems
regulated "breeding", etc.
I came of age after the "golden age" of Speculative Fiction (I was born
under the rising sign of Sputnik) which plopped me right into the SciFi
era of more realistic Space Exploration (still wildly speculative, but
replacing old-form Space Opera with more realistic (given the
immenseness of Interstellar Space and issues like Relativity). Proto
Cyberpunk was in the air (i.e. Phillip K. Dick, John Brunner, etc.) with
the rapidly increasing relevance of digital technology. Cyberpunk hit
hard with Sterling and Gibson and brought to a larger readership with
the likes of Stephenson, Cadigan, Banks, et al.
In the Spirit of the Generation W, X, Y, Z discussion. I believe that
these "bards" of Sci and Tech helped to form and seed our imaginations
for our future careers. It seems that X gen is much more on-board with
Cybernetic and Genetic enhancement.
My Second Cousin once removed (my mother was raised by her grandmother,
who was HER aunt) Vonda McIntyre
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vonda_N._McIntyre> died a few weeks ago
at 70. She was an influential Speculative Fiction writer whose chops
included founding the Clarion West Writer's workshop and a handful of
Hugo and Nebula awards. Particularly poignant for her was beating out
JRR Martin in 97 for his Game Of Thrones with her Moon and Sun, then
having her book made into a Movie (starring Pierce Brosnan) that *never
got released* while Martin... well, you know... She had a degree in
Biology, did grad work in Genetics and hung around the HIT (human
interface and technology) lab at UW long after graduation. Her
_Starfarer_ series included the trope of trans/post humanism, inspired
or fashioned partly with her fascination with the Pods of Orcas living
amongst the San Juan Islands nearly in her back yard.
I personally expect *practical* post/transhumanism to continue
inevitably at an accelerated rate and see no advantage in trying to
stand in it's way, but DO feel an ethical drive to try to at least
caution against the kinds of technological-outrunning-of-headlights I
believe already lead us to things like Dustbowl, Wildfire, Infestation,
and Inundation disasters, and pointedly Anthropogenic Climate Change
(which contributes to all of the above) and multigenerational Refugee
Crises.
As an (apparent) proponent of fairly aggressive trans-humanism, can you
elaborate on what you see as the biggest promises/cautions to the ideas
involved? Do you see my "caution" as wrong headed, or just irrelevant
(in practice)?
- Steve
>
>
>
>
> *From: *Friam <friam-bounces at redfish.com> on behalf of Steven A Smith
> <sasmyth at swcp.com>
> *Reply-To: *The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group
> <friam at redfish.com>
> *Date: *Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at 12:47 PM
> *To: *"friam at redfish.com" <friam at redfish.com>
> *Subject: *Re: [FRIAM] Everything she knows...
>
>
>
> Dave/Glen -
>
> What I'm hearing about some European youth cultures seems very
> promising. I can't begin to know what to attribute it to, and I feel
> mildly superstitious about trying to describe it as a "new precedent"
> that might presage a fundamental cultural shift following that
> demographic.
>
> References to Molly and other consciousness-expanding drugs seem to
> often come up in this context. As an outsider (but nearby observer)
> to the culture of mind expanding drugs, I don't have very informed
> opinions. Since terms like "worship" and "spiritual" have come up in
> the text of our contemporary threads a few times, I thought I might
> zoom in on this contrast as found in the Psychedelic Times
> <https://psychedelictimes.com/2015/12/16/what-is-the-meaning-of-psychedelic-the-difference-between-psychedelics-hallucinogens-and-entheogens/>
> website:
>
> *What’s in a Name? Choosing Between Psychedelic, Hallucinogen, and
> Entheogen*
>
> The names that we have attached to consciousness-expanding
> substances like psychedelic, hallucinogen, and entheogen are
> important in what they say about our understanding of their value
> and proper use. When people use the term hallucinogen, there is
> little to no recognition in that word for the therapeutic and
> beneficial applications for these substances. On the other hand,
> those in line with the mystical traditions of the world may prefer
> to use the term entheogen because of its specific denotation about
> their inherent sacredness. And for those who are somewhere in the
> middle and want to describe these substances in a more clinical
> way but still honor their efficacy at bringing forth powerful
> personal transformation, the term psychedelic offers the best of
> both worlds.
>
> It seems to me that some of this is about "what unites us?" It seems
> that independent of the Entheogenic aspect of these drugs, some of
> them (MDMA and DMT based in particular?) seem to lower the
> ego-boundaries (while the others "expand"? the ego?) I'm sure there
> are more than a few here who are much more familiar and informed on
> these topics than I will likely ever be. The topic appears to be one
> of those which is much too subjective to ever be very objective
> about. "you had to be there"?
>
>
>
> I have two young (30-something)close friends/colleagues from UK/Spain
> who visit semi-regularly and introduce me to a wide variety of their
> own euro-crowd (e.g. Poland, E. Germany, Ukraine, Wales, Spain,
> etc.). What they have in common includes being very technologically
> savvy but working in highly creative/artistic domains, and being well
> traveled. Many of them do not own personal vehicles, and several do
> not even have drivers licenses. They seem to have very fluid
> boundaries between their personal, professional, and creative lives.
> To my awareness, their social fluidity is intrinsic to their culture,
> but may be lubricated by their fairly pervasive use of Nicotine, THC,
> Alcohol, and Caffeine... fairly standard fair among a broader group
> (though Nicotine seems in severe decline among baby boomers).
>
>
>
> Responding to Dave's reference to Heinlein's _Stranger_ and the
> "CAW"... I read _Stranger_ a bit too young for the material
> (perhaps age 12?) about 8 years after it was published. I had hit my
> stride as an "unbeliever" in all of the conventional religions I had
> been offered (directly or by exposure), and while my older sister (14)
> was busy seeking even harder for a religion she could sink her ego
> into, I was coming to the belief that such embedding was maybe a false
> path and was looking for ways to dance lightly on the surface of as
> many of them as I felt were relevant to me and my trajectory in
> life. The substance of _Stranger_ was very compelling to me at the
> time (as was most if not all of RAH's material) but the CAW was no
> more compelling than the varied Protestant churches, Catholics, and
> LDS I was surrounded by. Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism,
> Animism, etc. were all terms I was aware of but had very little
> understanding of. They all (except maybe the last two?) seemed to be
> arcane and archaic systems of "conveyed mystery" more than a
> self-evident system for navigating contemporary experience.
>
>
>
> I had already become mildly aware of what was mostly derisively called
> "Secular Humanism" at the time and it seemed like a "darn good
> foundation" for living a thoughtful, ethical life. It seemed to me
> that to whatever extent the "reserved wisdom" of any particular
> religion was useful, it could be overlayed onto such a "secular"
> approach living a thoughtful, ethical life. The vehemence which I
> saw many of the churches *against* secular humanism respond, suggested
> to me that it held something a lot more powerful than I realized.
>
>
>
> The recent (20 years?) fascination among my near-peers with
> entheogens, and in particular DMT variants, and more generally with
> the likes of Michael Pollan in his recent _How to Change your Mind_
> and not-so-recent Oliver Sack's _Hallucinations_ , have lead me to
> have a more curious (if not open?) mind on the topic.
>
>
>
> While it seems conceivable that there is a significant modern
> progressive youth culture that might imply a powerful paradigm shift
> which *depends* on MDMA (or similar) cognitive/social
> lubricants/solvents to achieve this level of social fluidity, it seems
> a shame if that is *necessary*. I'm willing to acknowledge that
> sometimes one must take various "shortcuts" while exploring new
> territory, but once the new territory is known to exist, other more
> "conventional" routes might be found.
>
>
>
> In my never-ending quest for handholds for my scrambling optimism for
> a future for life, our species, our culture, I am grasping...
>
>
>
> - Steve
>
> Glen,
>
>
>
> Your comments about your Swedish friend's kids reminded me of a ethnographic expedition I once led. Four undergraduate cultural anthropology students followed me to San Francisco to do a study of "cyber culture." We started in Silicon Valley with Jared Lanier and multiple VR pioneers, which led to the electronic music culture, which led to the Castro district leather gay community, which led to Raves, and eventually to the Church of All Worlds convention north of The City.
>
>
>
> Quite an eye opener for affluent Catholic suburbanites that attended the University of St. Thomas. Molly was on the horizon then, but Acid and Mushrooms and Cacti were in abundance.
>
>
>
> For those not SciFi fans, CAW is the second American religion deriving from a science fiction novel; after Dianetics which orginated in Hubbard's "Battleship Earth." CAW was founded by Michael Valentine Smith in Robert Heinlein's novel "Stranger in a Strange Land." CAW remains a small but vibrant religion.
>
>
>
> davew
>
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, Apr 17, 2019, at 3:54 PM, glen∈ℂ wrote:
>
> On 4/16/19 11:52 PM, David West wrote:
>
> I am currently in Amsterdam - probably moving here for several years as two colleagues and I are starting a software development business.
>
> I'm jealous! A friend of mine in Utrecht suggested we start an
>
> organization together. But until Renee' finished school we were rooted
>
> here.
>
>
>
> While abandoning the institution of religion, the Dutch (who I am coming to know) remain religious in the sense that they still have a belief system. It is a syncretic 'religion' that seamlessly blends humanism, (mostly) Protestantism, and "sciencism." This religion has no dogma, no dictats, no fatwas. An anthropomorphized/personified God is far closer to metaphor than literal assertion. What remains is a shared 'sense' of how to interpret all that is about you and how to interact with each other.
>
> This sounds similar to the way my Swedish client's 20-something kids
>
> and their crowd believe(d). It felt much more like an ethical system
>
> than a religion. As usual, I spent more time with the kids than with
>
> the adults ... maybe because I'm so immature ... or maybe I'm a social
>
> vampire. But by the nature of my skeptical questioning, some of the
>
> kids reacted (defensively) as if some of the ideas were religious
>
> belief. But not very different from some of the near-religious beliefs
>
> in some technical circles (e.g. the Singularity and strong AI). I also
>
> can't help but associate their blended philosophy with the free flow of
>
> Molly in their crowd. That group flowed smoothly between art and tech,
>
> equally enthusiastic about microcontrollers and VR as they were about
>
> music and art installations. The drug seemed to facilitate the blending.
>
>
>
> As I've watched them age and settle into life paths, the frenetic
>
> activity has waned, but the philosophy remains.
>
>
>
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> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
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> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
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> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
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