(no subject)

[egypturnash]

What is it about transhuman thought that seems to freak people out? circuit_four has been grumping lately about the number of TV shows and movies that present transhumanism as Meddling With Things Man Was Not Meant To Know, and the last few paragraphs in this article on extreme caloric restriction as a life-extending mechanism take that same bent.

It's like there's some sort of defense mechanism in our bodies, our culture, that wants to react against the idea of possibly not dying, of transcending the limits of what we were born with. I don't know if I'll make it to the point where life extension is something I can afford, I don't know if I'll manage to move my mind off of the biological processes it was born on. I'll welcome the possibility if I can get it.

Do these people sound cultish and crazy to the writer because they are, or are they cultish-sounding the same way, say, a Mac user sounds to a Windows person: something that works so well they can't believe they ever did it the hard way? I dunno.

hell, I'm already modifying my body in "unnatural" ways what with the transition...

Comments

[paka.livejournal.com]

I don't know whether I'd consider it transhuman the same way, you know? Diets have a different feel to them - like something corporate America rams at me about how I'm supposed to take care of myself and live a nice long time. Because obviously I'm fit and upper middle-class with a lot to look forwards to in my old age (insert warm-lit footage with dogs, autumn leaves and grandkids here).

This is a wee bit different from, say, wanting to have oryx style markings.

[shatterstripes.livejournal.com]

It's only at the very end where the transhuman-is-weird thing comes in.