Using Technology to Deepen Democracy, Using Democracy to Ensure Technology Benefits Us All

Monday, August 27, 2012

New Humanists Clarify Your Thinking About the Robot Cult

Adam Smith has provided a concise synopsis of transhumanoid views and organizations and key figures for the New Humanist. His summary includes a sampling of skeptics like, "Dale Carrico [who] writes a consistently cutting critique on his Amor Mundi blog about how transhumanists’ denial of mortality is a symptom of our society’s pathological desires." He seems to think my relation to the Robot Cult is something like a lapsed Catholic's to the Vatican, which doesn't exactly thrill me, but I suppose it serves me right for the politeness of my earlier criticisms back in the day when James Hughes was publishing me as the "official opposition" to prove how tolerant and non-culty "democratic transhumanists" (so-called) were as compared to the extropians. These days I'm much less polite and the transhumanoids seem to have given up on that whole sanewashing we welcome criticism line, opting instead to peddle themselves as a curious chimerical creation half neoliberal think-tank and half techno-transcendental New Age church. Good luck with that guys. Anyway, the piece is pretty good and it's nice to have my contrarian efforts recognized. He quotes me reminding Natasha Vita More that she is going to die. That alone would be worth the click in my view. As you know, there is not a lot I enjoy more than reminding Robot Cultists that they are all going to die.

3 comments:

Eudoxia said...

I'm so happy you're back to the Robot Cultism posts after that six day 'hiatus' :>

Now I have something to read.

jimf said...

> He seems to think my relation to the Robot Cult is something
> like a lapsed Catholic's to the Vatican. . .

His words are "More direct critics of transhumanism include rejects
from the movement, such as technocritic Dale Carrico. . ."
which sounds more like an excommunicate, rather than just "lapsed".

Repent, Dale Carrico!

;->

Dale Carrico said...

Hm, I read rejects in the sense of "rejectors" if that's a word. I've interacted with Smith a few times, he's never once made me feel like a reject. Now, had he said "unpersonned..." well, then...