Extropian Commandments

An interesting discussion at the Extopy-mailinglist this week. Robert Bradbury kicked off with his idea of four extropian commandments, principles derived from a central belief in the value of information or complexity.

1) Information of greater complexity has greater value than information of lesser complexity.
2) Information in agreement with the natural laws and history of the universe has greater value than information in disagreement with the natural laws and history of the universe.
3) Thou shalt seek to maximize the amount of information and its complexity in existence.
4) Thou shalt seek to make such information available to the greatest number of computational units to derive more information from it.

So for example “Thou shalt not kill” derives from #3 while “Thou shalt not lie” derives from #2.  But a number of other “classical” commandments have no place or are contraindicated under such guidelines.

 

It is interesting to compare these commandments with a set of principles from a more European transhumanist point of view, and of course Anders Sandberg jumped in with a set of commandments derived from the Transhumanist Principles:

1) The goal is the flourishing of minds.

2) Diversity is good because it gives new content to the minds and allows
finding alternative solutions.

To achieve this we must:

2) Remove the evolved limits of our biological and intellectual
inheritance, the physical limits of our environment, and the cultural and
historical limits of society that constrain individual and collective
progress.

3) Since we want to actually achieve the goal we must use efficient and
error-correcting means, which implies rational and empirical means and
thinking.

4) Given the uncertainty in our information and the results of our
actions, as well as the diversity of opinions, we should tolerate people
of all schools of thought that do not seek to limit the extent or variety
of our achievement. Discourage any attempts to impose will or ideas
through coercion.

The left-wing transhumanists would of course expand 2 in a very different
way than the libertarian ones, but I think this would be a core most would
agree on. But there are lots of devils in the details…

Olga Bourlin posted Bertrand Russell’s Decalogue:

LIBERAL DECALOGUE
By Bertrand Russell
Perhaps the essence of the Liberal outlook could be summed up in a new
decalogue, not intended to replace the old one but only to supplement it.
The Ten Commandments that, as a teacher, I should wish to promulgate, might
be set forth as follows:
1. Do not feel absolutely certain of anything.

2. Do not think it worth while to proceed by concealing evidence, for the
evidence is sure to come to light.

3. Never try to discourage thinking for you are sure to succeed.
4. When you meet with opposition, even if it should be from your husband or
your children, endeavor to overcome it by argument and not by authority, for
a victory dependent upon authority is unreal and illusory.

5. Have no respect for the authority of others, for there are always
contrary authorities to be found.

6. Do not use power to suppress opinions you think pernicious, for if you
do the opinions will suppress you.

7. Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted
was once eccentric.

8. Find more pleasure in intelligent dissent that in passive agreement,
for, if you value intelligence as you should, the former implies a deeper
agreement than the latter.

9. Be scrupulously truthful, even if the truth is inconvenient, for it is
more inconvenient when you try to conceal it.

10. Do not feel envious of the happiness of those who live in a fool’s
paradise, for only a fool will think that it is happiness.”
——————————————————————————–
“A Liberal Decalogue” is from The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell, Vol. 3:
1944-1969, pp. 71-2.

I remember when I subscribed to the extropy mailinglist in – I believe – 1998, one of the first messages I read was about 100 extropian principles. From these I personally derived 15 principles, my personal “Credo”, more or less based on a mix of extropian and objectivist principles.  Bradbury’s four commandments however force me to reconsider my principles; I love them because there are only four, which makes it easier to learn and remember, and because of their clarity and – how paradoxical – their simplicity.