Sunday, May 2, 2010

Re: [Yasmin_discussions] Narcissism and Anthropocentrism (was ...)

Dear Natasha,

In your view, no religions or gods or combination of religions or gods can
logically help humanity survive a Technological Singularity. But maybe
polytheism could be psychologically helpful for those resisting evolutionary
change, but probably only as a mythic ghost if superintelligent life forms
arise.

*Keyword: polytheism*

I completely quote your sentence: "I value my own individualized experiences
because I enjoy being with me, and I consider this a viable sign of
well-being.
Equally, I find a desire for open communication and shared realities of
multiples as viable signs of well-being. In light of this, I think it
cannot be one or the other, but diversity of existences. Equally, I find a
desire for open communication and shared realities of multiples as viable
signs of well-being. In light of this, I think it cannot be one or the
other, but diversity of existences."

*Keyword: individualized diversity of existences*

I'm really interested on the idea of "Morphological Freedom"...and his idea
that It is actually absurd and undignified to assign intelligence as a
precursor of a life form's value or worth.

*Keyword: morphological freedom*

at the end you support my idea to extend the human rights to nature and to
technology, "but overpassing human righs as we know in a new set of rights
which are not based on a human-centric judgment. This is nearly an
impossible task, but many humans have an ability to deeply understand
non-human animals and plants. Unfortunately, other humans think they do, but
they are simply anthropomorphizing."

*Keyword: a new set of rights *

I completely agree.
francesco

Yes, but not human rights. A different set of rights that humans can
author, but which are not based on a human-centric judgment of what
rights are or are not appropriate. This is nearly an impossible task,
but many humans have an ability to deeply understand non-human animals
and plants. Unfortunately, other humans think they do, but they are
simply anthropomorphizing.

2010/4/30 <natasha@natasha.cc>

> Francesco wrote:
>
> "I agree with you that we need an urgent meditation on human becoming
> multiple-selves. ... You said what is 'centrism', and you're right is
> very anthropo-centric, I would say colonialist on regard of otherness,
> but what is "centrism"? It is a culturally driven outlook, a
> vanishing point through which we retrieved a position in a realm
> without 'telos', the question is if today after the post-psychology,
> post-sociology, the idea of the ecology of the mind, centrism is still
> a valid position, or if we have to retrieve from the past the
> polytheistic position in order to set our self in this new realm."
>
> In my view, no religions or gods or combination of religions or gods
> can logically help humanity survive a Technological Singularity.
> (Even if a singularity comes in surges and spirts rather than in one
> fell swoop (which, to contrasting to Kurzweil, I doubt it will.)
> Here, polytheism could be psychologically helpful for those resisting
> evolutionary change, but probably only as a mythic ghost if
> superintelligent life forms arise.
>
>
> "For that reason there is a political issue on this discussion: 'In a
> world where religious dogma and political hegemony erupt a sense of
> unity, connectives, and peace - a focus on Eco-centrism could be a
> meaningful antidote.' Well we could say a necessary antidote, and it
> seems to me that we have to start from the animal kingdom reaching the
> P. Singer proposal to extend the debate on Human Rights not only at
> all humankind but to all living beings."
>
> Yes, you are correct, it ought to be "necessary". Singer has many
> valid arguments, especially concerning animal rights, but I am not
> convinced that we have the knowledge to understand how animals might
> want to be cognitively enhanced, which is an issue on the table and
> one which Singer is addressing. For example, as humans enhance (with
> AGI, for example); will we want our beloved animal companions to also
> enhance? How much intelligence will actually be beneficial to a dog,
> horse or pig? Will these species actually want more cognitive
> abilities? What about sensory abilities? How many molecules can a
> dog sniff that will actually bring about happiness (in that happiness
> is a fundamental goal of well-being).
>
>
> "Your human enhancement engages immersivity, simulations, experience
> design within the field of media arts and the areas of brain-share,
> and consciousness expansion, and brain emulation within the fields of
> cognitive and neuroscience and the field of artificial intelligence.
> This will reset the narcissism but also the basic 'libido' (psychic
> energy) and also the concept of Love. That you define "love" a strong
> positive emotion and pleasure, love as 'well-being'. Going directly
> into the idea of love you got the point of the installations."
>
> "Facing the monotheistic, ego driven vision of the realm, is everyday
> more urgent to became capable to open us to a plurality of worlds in
> which humankind is hosted, I would quote Roy Ascott:"
>
> "*Every fibre, every node, every server on the Net is a part of me.
> **It's a phase space I'm in, a sort of tele-potentiality. As I
> interact with the Net, I reconfigure myself. My net-extent defines me,
> just as my body defined me in the old biological culture.I am
> weightless and dimensionless in any exact sense. I am the reach of my
> connectivity.*"
>
> Ascott's vision is poetic and viable. But we also need to realize
> that privacy as well as individually is not such a bad thing. Our
> current philosophy about connectivity, transparency, collective
> commons, fluidity, etc. is beautiful and I have subscribed to this set
> of behaviors for quite some time. Nevertheless, I have always been
> able to shut my door, or sit quietly alone in my rose garden without
> interruption. I value my own individualized experiences because I
> enjoy being with me, and I consider this a viable sign of well-being.
> Equally, I find a desire for open communication and shared realities
> of multiples as viable signs of well-being. In light of this, I think
> it cannot be one or the other, but diversity of existences.
>
>
> "As you wrote Natasha: Toward Plurality and Plasticity! That we can
> change in toward polytheistic and dynamic vision of the world."
>
> "Facing the enhanced realm of the Net, we need to reconfigure
> ourselves, from one side negotiating a new position in the Nature,
> extending the XV century debate on native indios to animal and plants,
> from another side extending in a radical way the P. Singer proposal,
> developing the technoetic starting building a cyber-ethic (is a fact
> that today's only living philosophy is the ethic one)"
>
> The idea of "Morphological Freedom" (More 1997; Sandberg 2009)
> includes all sentient life forms. Nevertheless, it might be
> advantageous to amend this project to include all life forms. It is
> actually absurd and undignified to assign intelligence as a precursor
> of a life form's value or worth. Plants are powerful agents of life
> (and death).
>
>
> "The question is if is correct the idea of the radicalisation of the
> Singer proposal, we have to extend the human rights to nature and to
> technology?"
>
> Yes, but not human rights. A different set of rights that humans can
> author, but which are not based on a human-centric judgment of what
> rights are or are not appropriate. This is nearly an impossible task,
> but many humans have an ability to deeply understand non-human animals
> and plants. Unfortunately, other humans think they do, but they are
> simply anthropomorphizing.
>
> Natasha
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- End forwarded message -----
>
>
>
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--
nec metuas nec optas
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