just think of all the utilons in my pants. the release of these utilons is necessary to the flourishing of humanity across the quantum wave function of the universe
This is an incredibly petty part of it, but why is there such a big "we must send humanity into space, even if it sets the Earth on fire!" push at the same time as the "only the Elect of our people are worthy to decide anything, everyone else is too dumb." Because the whole deal with being in space means more people. And especially means more people not like what LW supposedly wants because without the confines of even a global society there's no controlling what people will do or become in the sci-fantasy future they envision where robots are less-awkward slaves.
I wouldn’t even call that a petty point to make
The whole idea of going to Mars, exploring the universe, living forever etc. has always been predicated on the idea that those things are goods *in themselves*, in particular they’re predicated on the often unexamined idea that *the race must continue* (somehow)
And yet, as you point out, all of the supposed solutions within this particular sphere privilege a handful of people with the means to do it, maybe, even while the people advocating for this kind of thing disparage the people who won’t make it
It’s not really any kind of humanism at all, just putting the abstract idea of “humans” on a pedestal and ignoring all of the mess that goes along with it
Everything after that blunt statement seems to be a sort of ad hoc justification - as we’ve seen with Yudkowsky - for the advocate’s personal traumas
I'd have expected nothing less from an old Harrovian by the name of Aubrey David Nicholas Jasper de Grey.
Frankly, I'm surprised he doesn't wear his fop wig and beauty mark.
I do wonder where he could go after this. I can’t imagine a
university would want to be affiliated with him, but maybe some oddball
think-tank somewhere would take him on.
We could have all had immortality, but no, he couldn’t keep it in his pants…
His writing style is reminiscent of early 20th century newsreels.
Clearly someone wasn’t up to speed on the backup plan.
Whats up with the whole white washing part? What does that have to do with anything?
“In 2012, De Grey inherited a considerable fortune of more than US6 million, US3 million of which he donated to the SENS Research Foundation.[32]”
I just love this part.