Sunday, November 30, 2003
THOSE WEIRD TRANSHUMANISTS
The Wilson Quarterly has an article entitled Humanity 2.0 that's the latest example of a piece in a mainstream journal about transhumanism. The article is unfortunately not online, but it's nearly identical to ones I've seen before. To save time for those writing such articles in the future, I offer the following:
How to write an article about transhumanism for the mainstream press:
1. Attend a WTA or ExI meeting
2. Make note of how geeky the attendees are, especially that most of them are young, male, lack tans and seem to be socially maladroit.
3. Mention Eric Drexler and Hans Moravec.
4. Describe the most advanced ideas you hear at the meeting, with special emphasis on the fact that the speakers don't spend a lot of time explaining how weird the concepts are. Mention idea futures and Ted Williams as examples of how transhumanists are out of touch with the way most people react to their ideas.
5. Be sure to note the religious overtones of the Singularity, uploading and cryonics.
6. Sneer at the Silicon Valley libertarian politics of many in attendance.
7. Get a quote from a credentialled academic that dismisses the ideas as foolishness.
8. But end by saying that the transhumanists might be on to something after all and maybe someone ought to pay attention.
GB, THHotA
posted by Greg 10:37 AM
