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Presented at the May 8, 1994 meeting of Alcor Life Extension Foundation Northern California
Copyright 1994 Romana Machado. All rights reserved.
My talk was previously entitled "Self Transformation and Immortality", but in deference to my host, Ralph Merkle, in light of the comments he made recently at Extro 1, I have changed its name to "Self Transformation and Extreme Longevity."
Why is there such an overlap between the Extropian and cryonics communities? Because Extropians are interested in extreme longevity. What can cryonics do for Extropians? If you're an Extropian who hasn't considered cryonics as a way of saving your life, you really should.
What does Extropian philosophy have to offer cryonicists? I hope the non-Extropian cryonicists who are here today can find a partial answer in this little talk. I became interested in the Extropians because I share their enthusiasm for the future of technology and society, and their distate for irrationality and mysticism. I was particularly interested in their acceptance of self- designed, alternate social orders. Extropian thought has become a "seed" for several successful intentional communities, both real and virtual.
What is Extropian philosophy? The Extropian Principles, as designed by Max More, which are version-numbered so that they don't get stale, currently define Extropianism as a tranhumanist philosophy. "Like humanism, transhumanism values reason and humanity, and sees no grounds for belief in unknowable, supernatural forces controlling our destiny, but goes further in urging us to push beyond the merely human stage of evolution." There are currently five Extropian principles: Boundless Expansion, Self- Transformation, Dynamic Optimism, Intelligent Technology, and Spontaneous Order, which conveniently form the acronym "BEST DO IT SO." I will be discussing only one of these today: Self-Transformation.
The extropian principle of self-transformation does not merely refer to change for change's sake; though with a proper respect for autonomy, diversity and creativity such change should be well-tolerated. The extropian view of self- transformation is characterized by positive change; perhaps a better word for it is self-transcendence
The extropian principle of self-transformation has its roots in Nietzsche's idea of the overman. Many Extropians have adopted Nietszche's drive to criticize, rebel against, and evolve beyond current human limitations. As Nietzsche put it: "Man is something that should be overcome. What have you done to overcome him? ". The extropian plan for overcoming begins with the visualisation of an ideal self, as a paradigm to guide creative work. As Max More states in Technological Self-Transformation : "Setting a goal for self-transformation is best implemented by creating for ourselves a paradigm, an idealized model of the person we want to become. Comparing our present condition to our paradigm will allow us to steer a course through distractions and temptations more effectively than trying to reason our way along solely by using abstract rules, principles, and guidelines." The ideal self is a dynamic, evolving goal, rather than a fixed destination. This is Nietzche's ubermensch, the highest potiential within us growing into active life.
A short review of history shows that the rate of change in human culture is accelerating. These truly are the days of miracles and wonder. We expect to live long enough, even without significant advances in life-saving technology, to see wave after wave of technological, economic, social, and political revolution. Strange days are upon us; we live in interesting times.
Particularly if we expect extreme longevity, or we expect the "cryonics experiment" to be a success, we should seek to develop the inner qualities that promote quick adaptation and counteract future shock. We must learn to be shockwave riders.
Contemporary author Marsha Sinetar discusses many of these qualities in her recent work, Developing A 21st Century Mind . You may be able to profit from applying her techniques, if shaking off a light dusting of new age mysticism doesn't disturb you. She presents autonomy as a primary value:
"In each society, part of the enculturation process involves teaching children to percieve, and believe in, the worldview of a particular culture...These lessons, unless transcended later, provide a clear blueprint for behavior into adulthood. On the other hand, as we become autonomous, we are becoming "that self which we truly are"...This self is true unto itself, accepts no external rule book as its sole guide, is self-governing. As our autonomy increases, we feel free to question authority, seek out our own answers or values, experiment and initiate action on our own behalf. Even under the best of circumstances, such liberated behavior is rarely easy. Without this drive toward independence and the social transcendence it entails, we never learn to think for ourselves."
Why do some people thrive in novel environments, while others sicken and die? I believe it has to do with the basis of identity. If you are accustomed to being driven entirely by external institutions, there is a sense in which you do not really exist at all. If you derive your sense of self from religious or political institutions, society's affirmations, or physical possessions, if these change too much, or disappear, you risk falling apart.
Autonomy doesn't mean becoming entirely asocial, though a review of relationships with individuals may be in order. "Society", of course, doesn't exist. It is merely a convenient abstraction. It is a collection of individuals, each and all one of a kind, with different minds, intents, and motivations. Autonomous people view others as trading partners or resources, not as rescuing supergurus or intimidating demigods. Neither do autonomous people behave in ways that coerce or encourage dependency in others. Personal autonomy and the autonomy of others are equally important to them.
Autonomy does not mean the development of a rigid and unalterable character. Autonomous people are even more flexible than those who cling to an externally imposed fixed identity, or imagine themselves to uphold social order by following certain rules that they have taken for granted. Autonomous people accept themselves as representatives of a unique and wonderful culture; a "culture of one". There is apparently a positive correlation between rigidity, low self-esteem and dependency, and flexibility, healthy self- esteem, and autonomy. Flexible persons can more easily break old ties, living styles, thinking patterns, and take new action to reorder their lives. This is not to say that they are unfeeling, but that they possess greater emotional freedom to respond appropriately to here-and-now realities.
Autonomy is a skill. It is a learned behavior that requires practice. Harry Browne, in How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World, which is the best practical manual of autonomous behavior that I've seen, comments that : "Being yourself actually is a skill. It takes time to become thoroughly acquainted with yourself, to throw off a lifetime of pressures, to relax and accept what you see in yourself (no matter how it may conflict with social standards), and to learn to act in ways consistent with your nature."
We can also "Learn to behave from those who cannot," as the Sufis say. Avid cigarette smokers, malnourished couch potatoes, and sun-worshippers everywhere demonstrate that many people would rather court death and disease than change their habits. Change and innovation inspire fear in the popular imagination; even in the tarot deck the Death card is taken to signify not only death, but a great and sudden change in life.
Why is this? We exist in animal bodies that have had to survive as animals for millions of years, animals that had to fight or flee for their lives on a regular basis. Human culture, on the other hand, has only been around for a few thousand years. What we smugly suppose to be "the higher functions", those qualities that separate us from the animals, spring from the parts of the brain that joined the party rather more than fashionably late.
Because it has been useful for preserving us in the past, the fight or flight response thrives in us today, an automatic, inborn feature. When we sense danger, our bodies prepare; our senses sharpen, searching for what might go wrong; our brains choose to focus on potiental harm; adrenaline pumps into our blood; blood rushes to our muscles; we become tense, alert, and ready for action.
We feel the fight response as anger, and the flight response as fear. In former days, these emotions were necessary for survival . Today, they are the most limiting emotions we have.
Feeling fear springs from childhood programming, too. Kids don't know the difference between drinking milk and drinking gasoline, between playing in the playground and playing on the street, between playing with the family dog or with the survivalist neighbor's pit bull. Parents have to teach their children the difference. This is often a difficult task, and often clouded by various prejudices. We are trained to fear what our parents fear, for whatever reason. Or possibly we are trained to feel our excitement at trying something new as fear; we are trained not to do the new thing.
This inborn fear of any kind of change becomes less useful to us as we evolve. Though we have become smart enough to distinguish physically harmful situations from merely new and exciting ones, we sometimes fail to wake up and question the inborn authority, our own programming. So, we go through our lives not doing things that we really want to do; and though we are adults, we follow programming appropriate for animals. Because of fear, we may not pursue the careers we want, the relationships we desire, the social changes we'd like to see, the technologies we'd like to use, the personal goals we'd like to seek.
The universe that birthed us is amoral; for morality is a human concept. It does not care whether we live or die--does not care if it itself grinds to a halt. It is fixed and blind, a robot programmed to kill. We are free and seeing; we must try to outwit it at every poor turn to save our skins. We need the capacity to rework ourselves to thrive in any environment. We must overcome the barriers to growth and change that are within us.
When we are experienced in taking it upon ourselves to create new orders, adopt new behaviors, adapting as necessary, the sudden shockwaves of the future are less threatening to our equanimity. Wisdom, and a sense of confidence or balance eventually appears from continuing attempts at new practices; it is the psychic equivalent of surfing, or riding a bicycle. So, make an effort, keep your balance, keep looking ahead - in time you'll learn how to grab a wicked cool ride.
Recommended Reading
Max More, "Extropian Principles v 2.5", Extropy #11 (vol.5 no.1), Summer/Fall 1993.
Max More, "Technological Self-Transformation", Extropy #10 (vol.4 no. 2), Winter 1993. Available from Extropy Institute, 13428 Maxella #273, Marina Del Rey, CA 90232 (310)398-0375.
Harry Browne, How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World (Avon Books,1974)
Peter McWilliams,Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do,(Prelude Press, 1993) Available from Prelude Press, 8150 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90046. 1-800-LIFE-101
Ward Dean, M.D., John Morgenthaler, Steven Wm. Fowkes,Smart Drugs II: The Next Generation (Health Freedom Publications, 1993). Available from Health Freedom Publications, P.O. Box 2515, Menlo Park, CA, 94026. This book also contains good references to books on vitamin supplementation.)
Alcor Life Extension Foundation, Cryonics: Reaching For Tomorrow(Alcor Life Extension Foundation, 1993). Available from Alcor Life Extension Foundation, 7895 East Acoma Dr. #110, Scottsdale AZ, 85260-6916