Damn Your Anti Robot Bias, Lewis!

[krinndnz]

But in general, take my advice, when you meet anything that's going to be Human and isn't yet, or used to be Human once and isn't now, or ought to be Human and isn't, you keep your eyes on it and feel for your hatchet.

- - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
My emphasis. Gee thanks, Clive. I was just having a quick reread of the Narnia cycle (

Comments

[circuit_four]

*checks context*

Those are some big words for an anthropomorphic beaver. :)

I dunno. The good Dr. Lewis was the sort of guy who would've been telling people, "Please. There's not reason to raise your hatchets." Still, this counterpoint from one of his peers might make you feel better:

"[Lewis] is entitled to his beliefs, but they weaken his story, not only because they offend the average reader’s sense of probability but because in effect they decide the issue in advance. When one is told that God and the Devil are in conflict, one always knows which side is going to win. The whole drama of the struggle against evil lies in the fact that one does not have supernatural aid." -- George Orwell, in a review of That Hideous Strength.

This is a devastating point and particularly relevant to a defense of the transhuman -- because we don't believe anything is going to save us except ourselves. Not only aren't sophonts like you and me totally disinterested in whether something is "unnatural" or "sacrilegous" or "playing God"... we have sound reason to believe that our creation will be undone completely if we don't become whatever the hell we have to.

From Lewis's perspective and historical vantage, I can see why he'd be leery about any endeavor to dramatically alter the human prospect. He was living through any such projects that were absolutely brutal and inhumane, and had every reason to believe they were tinkering with something fundamental and innate in us. It's just I think dear old "Uncle Jack" was good-heartedly wrong in this and many other cases. :)

[relee]

I think the ultimate question in that regard is "Is it you, or is it your child." Of course its collary is, "Does it matter?"

It's still a wonder.

[krinndnz]

I'm not sure what you mean by that, sqrl?

[relee]

Well, when you dramatically alter yourself, sometimes you change too much and become a new thing you created, and you disappear, and thus, you are your child, and you died, but does that matter?

[krinndnz]

Have I mentioned lately how your insight improves my life?

Nothing will save us but ourselves - and it's pretty wonderful that we have the capability to save ourselves so near at hand, within ourselves.