Ideology

California Ideology

a loose alliance of writers, hackers, capitalists and artists from the West Coast of the USA have succeeded in defining a heterogeneous orthodoxy for the coming information age.

promiscuously combines the free-wheeling spirit of the hippies and the entrepreneurial zeal of the yuppies… a profound faith in the emancipatory potential of the new information technologies. In the digital utopia, everybody will be both hip and rich. (BarbrookCameron 2004)

Transhumanism

“Towards a Futurist Philosophy”

a posthuman condition… [shares] many elements of humanism, including a respect for reason and science, a commitment to progress, and a valuing of human (or transhuman) existence in this life rather than in some supernatural “afterlife”…

[differs in focus on] neuroscience and neuropharmacology, life extension, nanotechnology, artificial ultraintelligence, and space habitation… (More 1990)

Extropianism

is the foremost version of transhumanism… differ[s] over the principles that will get us to a posthuman stage. (More 1990)

Perpetual Progress: Seeking more intelligence, wisdom, and effectiveness, an indefinite lifespan… Perpetually overcoming constraints on our progress and possibilities. Expanding into the universe and advancing without end.
Self-Transformation: Affirming continual moral, intellectual, and physical self-improvement…
Practical Optimism: … Adopting a rational, action-based optimism, in place of both blind faith and stagnant pessimism.
Intelligent Technology: Applying science and technology creatively to transcend “natural”…
Open Society: Supporting social orders that foster freedom of speech, freedom of action, and experimentation…
Self-Direction: Seeking independent thinking, individual freedom, personal responsibility, self-direction, self-esteem, and respect for others.
Rational Thinking: Favoring reason over blind faith and questioning over dogma… (More 1998)

What do you think?

ex. Question and provocation

Think of a question and provocation about today’s reading.

In today’s GDoc, list your question and provocation.

BrainQuicken

What do Ferris, Robbins, Rohn, Shoaff, and Jones have in common?

Seth Roberts

Apophenia and pareidolia

Biohacking

Josiah Zayner’s plan was simple: replicate a Covid-19 vaccine that had worked in monkeys, test it on himself and then livestream the experiment online over a period of months.

Now, his message is decidedly different: “Human beings — their biology is so complex,” he said in a recent interview. “The results are going to be messy. The experiments are going to be messy. So you test 30,000 people so that the messiness kind of averages out.” (Brown 2020)

Experts vs Experience

Gold standard “big N” studies

A control group can reveal that a symptom soon resolves itself anyway.
A placebo group can reveal that people improve even when given a sham treatment.
An alternative group can reveal that the efficacy, cost, and side effects of an existing treatment remain superior to the new one.

Do you agree?

Some people find this to be quack medicine, but I think of my dad, who was a neurologist, … talking about acupuncture … “It doesn’t make any sense but if it works it works.” (OReillyKellyFrauenfelder 2016, 15:00)

[it] only works when the intervention is more effective and less costly (in money and risk) relative to sham treatments and proven alternatives. (Reagle 2019)

Is quantification the answer?

Kayla: people looking for certainty
Georgia: a response to insecurity

Where in life do you seek the nominal & the optimal?

Guru Analysis

ex. Guru analysis

Culture
- What ideology/values necessitate this advice?
- How does this self-help match our moment?
- What assumptions are necessary for this to work?
Tactics
- How do they convey authority and efficacy?
- How do they connect with the audience?
- What tropes (e.g., allegories, aphorisms, metaphors) do they use?

Gary Wolf on QS

values, moment, & assumptions; authority, relatability, & tropes?

Hacking Health

Our question(s)

Six-million dollar man (1973)