Re: Why do we seek to transcend ourselves?

From: Damien Broderick (d.broderick@english.unimelb.edu.au)
Date: Thu Jul 25 2002 - 01:19:35 MDT


At 12:34 AM 7/25/02 -0400, Gordon Worley <redbird@rbisland.cx> wrote:

>> I am not sure what the genetic reasons are to transcend (want to give a
>> brief list?)

>Anything related to reproduction. Eternal life is a good example of a
>genetic reason to develop the Singularity.

Presumably you mean `eternal fecundity technologically enabled'. But that's
not a *genetic* `reason' (or dynamic or favored outcome in the relevant
search space); it's a memetic one, if one wishes to be reductive. Why
privilege genes, anyway? How about seeking good quarkish reasons, or good
chemical reasons, or good national or galactic reasons? --Because those are
also wrong levels of abstraction, that's why.

Damien Broderick



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