Another Try

So, I did with this project exactly what I do with most projects.  I started it in a fury of inspiration, but let the weight of my ambition burden my progress.   Also, I was moving from Vermont to New York City and it took time to get my computer set up with Internet and settle into a rhythm, &c., &c.   By the time I could start writing again, my head was in a different place.

But here I am again, back in Vermont, looking for work with more than enough time to read and reflect.  I’m working on getting through Darwin, Chardin, Gould, Fritjof Capra and I’m ready to start writing again.

I had a conversation with a friend about the purpose of blogging the other night and we reached the conclusion that it is ultimately an exercise of self-expression, self-exploration, self-history, and self-discovery.  Originally I took the misguided approach of educator and proliferator as the tone and intent of this blog, overestimating my own ability to add to the debate based on any of my own experiences.  Now, I wish to approach the project again more casually, with a more natural voice and a wider scope.  Considerations regarding transhumanism and Cosmism will inevitably filter through, because it is the focus of how I view humanity and the purpose of my own life.

I feel as certain as I feel about anything that the technological singularity will overtake humanity, but I am equally troubled as I am optimistic as to the form it will take and the sacrifices that will be required.  I took the opportunity recently to review Kurzweil’s “The Age of Spiritual Machines”, the book that acquainted me with the philosophies of transhumanism and the scientific reality that drives it.  This book was written in 1999 and carried all the heady confidence that any technology entrepeneur would feel at the height of the dot-com bubble.  The book and its author have great value in popularizing the notions behind transhumanism, but I find Kurzweil to consistently be out of touch with the great effort that will be necessary for the posthuman transition to be a successful one, without unnecessary division and conflict.

I retain great spiritual optimism in the belief that I am on the upward curve of an evolutionary burst of consciousness and hold great stake in the hope that my consciousness may sustain forth.  (Sustained consciousness is a term I generally prefer over immortality for reasons I’ll hopefully get into another time.)  Yet, I also carry great mortal concern for the struggle ahead, the seeds of which are ever present in our current political and social climate.  There are so many obstacles that need to be mitigated in order to make the transhumanist ideal reach its highest potential. The question, “Will a significant portion of humanity achieve sustained consciousness?” is a fascinating one, but the questions that gnaw at me are those directly implied by the obvious and idealistic questions.  Who will willfully deny themselves the chance to become part of the Singular Consciousness?  Who will go to great lengths to deny humanity the benefits of evolution?  Who will cling to futility and what will they take down with them?  When ever was the evolutionary process forgiving to those unable to adapt?

Entering the throes of a new evolutionary epoch, there are bound to be false leads, dead ends, and hard-fought memetic (and perhaps biological) extinctions, but inevitably Consciousness will coalesce upon its designated vanguard and blaze ahead!

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