EDITORIAL

DATE: October 24 1995

Advancing

by Max More

“The Extropian view continues to spread rapidly and unstoppably.”

Extropians are those who consistently espouse ideas and values directed at overcoming limits to human possibility, both individually and socially. The Extropian view (or views) of life make sense of the world and our place in it. This view coherently connects together ideas, technologies, and practices into a powerful way of understanding and acting.

The Extropian view continues to spread rapidly and unstoppably. Even many people not directly involved in explicitly Extropian activities are appreciating the scope and utility of this way of thinking. Often this understanding is only partial. We can see an example of this in the current guest editorial of the SPIN magazine special issue on the future by VR pioneer Jaron Lanier. Part of what Lanier says is this:

“The new divide is between what I’ll call the Extropians and Stewards. A Steward is somebody who wants to manage the world as a precious resource, and an Extropian is someone who wants to let some big, impartial evolution-like process run wild with it… Extropians don’t believe in any one “natural” order and don’t care if it is turned upside down. Extropianism is in my dreams because it is creative and unbounded, and yet it gives me the creeps.”

The editorial does give some idea of what Extropians are about, but also makes us appear more cavalier than is warranted. I would point out that Extropians do not see the issue as maximum growth at the cost of

environmental damage vs. heavy regulation. Rather we favor the use of market mechanisms (such as the recently implemented pollution shares) to rationally balance people’s preferences for environmental quality and other goods. By setting up incentives intelligently, and encouraging rapid technological progress, we expect to achieve fast growth and maintain a high degree of environmental quality.

In this issue, economist Julian Simon addresses exactly this kind of misunderstanding in “Complacency and Conservation.”

This issue also sees the introduction of a new Advances features. Advances provides summaries of technological and economic progress. We encourage readers to contribute relevant items and to let us know what you’d like to see covered in this section.

This record size issue contains the usual range of writing, covering everything from the next step beyond VR and smart contracts for business on the Net to chemicals to improve sexual function. Enjoy!

Upward and Outward!

Max More, Ph.D.

EXTROPY — a measure of intelligence, information, energy, life, experience, diversity, opportunity and growth. Extropians are those who consciously seek to increase extropy. The Extropian Principles are: (1) Boundless Expansion; (2) Self-Transformation; (3) Dynamic Optimism; (4) Intelligent Technology; (5) Spontaneous Order.

[See Extropy #11 for Extropian Principles v.2.5]

EXTROPY #16 Q1 ‘96

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