virus: Transhumanism and Christianity

Pat Bunt (pbunt@indiana.edu)
Tue, 9 Apr 1996 22:12:22 -0500 (EST)


>
> Nor will *believing* in
>>immortality inundate you from death, or will it?
>
>You must be using a definition of the verb "to inundate" that I can't find
>anywhere, which makes your question hard to answer.
>

For those out there who didn't understand this, I think it's clear that
Merek meant "nor will believing in immortality save you from death". Now
can we dispense with the sarcasm?

>
>Transhumanism needs no evangelist. It stands on its own merits. Unlike
>weaker ideologies - it requires no faith, and everyone doesn't have to
>"believe" in it for it to work.
>
I would like to know what Transhumanism is besides the faith in Science to
save you from dying. I find that this belief is a little questionable in
two ways- First, why would science bother? A Transhumanist utopia in
which everyone lived forever would produce a quickly overpopulated planet.
And, if immortality is only available to the priviledged, why does simply
being a Transhumanist make you eligible for that position? It strikes me
that those chosen for immortality would be those of positive value to
society- those who live life to its fullest, in terms of scientific work,
artistic expression, heck, even being a sports star- in short, those who are
living to their fullest within their alloted years- and not to those who
were part of an immortality fan club back in the 90s.
Second, Transhumanism is asking that science simply provide...
Eternal Life! I cannot help but notice the parallel:

Believe in Science, that you will be given Eternal Life.
Believe in Christ the Lord, that you will be given Eternal Life.

Now, I happen to have a lot of respect for Christianity, and I would like
you to point out what Transhumanism has that Christianity doesn't- in short,
why you are calling it a "weaker ideology". Personally, I have found
atheism to be much more fulfilling than Christianity- mostly because of the
Christian promise of miracles and the like. I can't shake the feeling that
you guys are also praying to Science for a miracle- that is, something
unexplainable, in which can be found a metaphor that has a positive message
for you. The message is still freedom from oblivion, and the method is
still an escape from reason into faith. This may work for you, but I sense
that most Virions don't share this methodology.


Patrick D. Bunt
pbunt@indiana.edu
812-857-1485
http://copper.ucs.indiana.edu/~pbunt/index.html

"Nobody can make coffee as strongly as I can."
-Johannes Brahms