Transhumanist Utopia

[sleeper]

Please answer the poll questions.

also, it would be appreciated very much if you would share your thoughts or reasoning.

thanks!

[CFTraveler]

Reasoning: I invoke Godwin's law.

[Beekeeper]

I don't believe Utopias are possible - at least not at the current levels of consciousness. I also think that's possibly why we're all here: to experience anti-utopian (note, I didn't say "distopian") conditions and see if we can transcend.

[Sinera]

I don't believe Utopias are possible - at least not at the current levels of consciousness. I also think that's possibly why we're all here: to experience anti-utopian (note, I didn't say "distopian") conditions and see if we can transcend.

Yes, I also think that is why these (2012-)Ascencion-guys are on the wrong track. I don't think that sth like this does take place. "Humans" do not ascend, just the "soul/higherself" ascends only gradually by learning experiences in not-so-perfect environments like this one.
Yeah .. It's a sh*tty world - and that's why we're here. We CAN make it a better place of it (for ourselves and others) by growing spiritually and acting accordingly - as individuals and - rather more slowly - as collective humanity. But while the first one takes many lifetimes of hard work the second one takes probably centuries or millenia. So if we ever create utopia it won't be by a (craved for?) cataclysm happening over night, that would only result in the opposite.

[cksantos]

Transhumanism is not really about utopia. In-fact it may result in the decimation of humans. Its about the uberman and transcending the corporal body with technology. Imagine a group of human fetus implanted with bluetooth chips from conception. They would know each others minds, literally. Now connect this group to the internet and the google cloud services and give them control of nanobots. Then imagine culturing the braincells of your own dna and storing it in a big warehouse and having a wifi connection to it. Death becomes a word of old...

[CFTraveler]

Aka the Borg. Or possibly the Cylons. But somewhere in between, The Terminator process. Which is why I voted "count me out".

[cksantos]

Could also be transcendence, depends on the ethics of those who are first. Its also inevitable given the pace of technological development see technological singularity. Got Cell Phones, hehe.

[Korpo]

There are some unquestioned assumptions here. Questions that arise for me are: Is living longer better? Is technologically altering the body truly adding any desirable quality in the long run? Is dying really the problem?

The original questions that are at the start of it: Why are we here? What are we trying to accomplish (if anything)? Will there be an existence beyond this physical vessel?

Depending on what answers you find to these age-old questions you also find different answers to the first set of questions, and then to your original question: Is such a technological existence desirable?

Personally, given my beliefs about the answers for these questions, I would say: No, count me out.

[defectron]

I voted maybe, because it really depends on how transhumanism is used. There are possible negative scenerios like the borg, but it can be used in good ways too. I think it really comes down to the indevidual, if people extend their lifespans, some will make better use of it while others will just waste their time.

Personally I think it's the destiny of spiritual evolution to perminantly have one foot in the spirit world and one in the physical instead of alternating like what is described in this article http://www.som.org/3library/interviews/orr2.htm

The potential problem with extending ones life technologically, is that it isn't really earned in the way as the masters in that article got their's and the people who get it may not have the maturity to make proper use of it and many of them will most likely just spin their wheels and waste time. But I'm also sure there would be some people who could put that extra time to good use too.

[Korpo]

I'd prefer a social utopia over a technological one every day. Even if there were machines to fulfill our every whim, as long as somebody holds the reins of power over them and collects a tax, rent or profit for them, it's ultimately a dystopia.