The Extropist Examiner

Feminist Success via Wealth & Secularization?

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 18:34:24 -0600

A bulky research report titled The Global Gender Gap Index has been published annually, since 2006, by the World Economic Index. The current 325-page report analyzed the status of women relative to men in 134 nations (out of the world’s 193) in four categories: Health, Education, Economy, and Politics. Every nation was then ranked, from 1-134, in a list of best-to-worst nations for women. What nations were picked in 2010 as the best in the world for women? Here’s a list of the Top Ten:

1. Iceland 2. Finland 3. Norway 4. Sweden 5. New Zealand 6. Ireland 7. Denmark 8. Lesotho 9. The Philippines 10. Switzerland

Other rankings of leading nations are: 19. United States 46. France 61. China 76. Italy 94. Japan 104. South Korea

The United States has risen quickly in the last two years, while France has plummeted; both changes are due to cabinet appointments, or lack thereof. Barack Obama can be categorized as one of the present world’s most “feminist” leaders because he’s assigned numerous women to top positions and improved the USA’s ranking. Meanwhile, French Prime Minister Nicolai Sarkosky has done the opposite, he dismissed many women and replaced them with men, and France has subsequently dropped in the standings.

Let’s peek at the bottom now. Here are the Ten Worst out of 134 nations, staring with the most awful.

134. Yemen 133. Chad 132. Pakistan 131. Mali 130. Ivory Coast 129. Saudi Arabia 128. Benin 127 Morocco 126. Turkey 125. Egypt

The Top 10 list contains seven European nations and the Bottom 10 is all African and Western Asian. Anything else? Below, I’ve placed percentages next to several nations in both lists. These percentages represent the sement of the population that is “religious.”

1. Iceland 38% 2. Finland 25% 3. Norway 20% 4. Sweden 17% 7. Denmark 18% 10. Switzerland 48% 134. Yemen - 99% 133. Chad - 99% 132. Pakistan 96% 131. Mali - 90% 130. Ivory Coast - 90% 129. Saudi Arabia 97% 128. Benin - 90% 126. Turkey - 95% 125. Egypt - 100%

Obviously, the “non-religious” nations on the top list - we can call them “secular” or “humanist” or ‘agnostic/atheist” - are far, far better for women than the overwhelmingly religious nations in the lower list. It seems, gazing solely at the data above, that a hypothesis can be asserted that “religion is bad for women’s rights” - but this would be a premature claim because we haven’t examined all 134 nations yet. It is also erroneous, or premature, to generalize at this point and say that “Islam is bad for women” because Ivory Coast and Benin have large Christian populations.

The truth is - if we look at the entire list of 134 - there are quite a few “religious nations” that score high in women’s equality, and there are many “non-religious nations” that have weak ranks in the Gender Gap Index.

Here’s another list: 8. Lesotho (90% religious) 9. The Philippines (90% religious) 16. Sri Lanka (99% religious) 19. United States (65% religious) 43. Poland (80% religious) 46. France (25% religious) 47. Estonia (14% religious) 65. Czech Republic (21% religious) 72. Vietnam (19% religious) 94. Japan (24% religious) 104. South Korea (48% religious)

Scrutinizing these statistics, we notice that “religious” nations don’t automatically fail to advance women’s equality. Five “nations of faith” - including the United States, which is frequently defined as the most religious nation in the developed world - are currently outperforming in women’s rights the six “non-religious” nations of the second list.

However, if we examine the “Bottom 30” in women’s rights, we discover that ALL those nations are “religious.” The majority of them have Islam as the majority religion, about 66%, but other nations do not, for example, India (#112) and Nepal (#115) are both 81% Hindu, Guatemala (#109) is Catholic, and Zambia (#106), Fiji (#108), and Ethiopia (#121) are all majority Christian.

Surprisingly enough, the link between religion and poor women’s equality is stronger within the United States. This next set of data posted below indicates the states that are the most and least “women-friendly” based on two criteria - how many women they have in elected political positions, and the narrowness of the wage gap between men and women:

Best States for Women 1. Colorado (38% representation) 2. Vermont (37.5% representation) 3. New Hampshire (37% representation) 4. Minnesota (34% representation) 5. Connecticut 6. Maryland 7. Washington 8. Nevada 9. Massachusetts 10. Alaska

Worst States for Women 50. South Carolina (10% representation) 49. Oklahoma (11% representation) 48. Mississippi 47. Arkansas 46. Louisiana 45. West Virginia 44. Kentucky 43. Montana 42. Tennessee 41. New Mexico

It is rather startling to see how similarly these two lists match up when we compare them to the “least religious” and “most religious” states:

Least Religious States 1. Vermont (2nd on the Women-Friendly list) 2. New Hampshire (3rd on the “Women-Friendly” list) 3. Maine 4. Massachusetts (9th on the Women-Friendly list) 5. Alaska (10th on the Women-Friendly list) 6. Washington (7th on the Women-Friendly list) 7. Oregon 8. Rhode Island 9. Nevada (8th on the Women-Friendly list) 10. Connecticut

Most Religious States 1. Mississippi (48th on the Worst States for Women) 2. Alabama 3. South Carolina (50th on the Worst States for Women) 4. Tennessee (42nd on the Worst States for Women) 5. Louisiana (46th on the Worst States for Women) 6. Arkansas (47th on the Worst States for Women) 7. Georgia 8. North Carolina 9. Oklahoma (49th on the Worst States for Women) 10. Kentucky (44th on the Worst States for Women)

Six of the Least Religious States are also listed among the top ten Best States for Women, and seven of the Most Religious States are in the list for ten Worst States for Women. Furthermore, none of the “non-religious” states are in the bottom ten, and none of the religious states are in the top ten. If the lists had been extended to include the top and bottom 20 States for Women, I believe all of the religious states would be in the bottom 20, and all of the non-religious states would have been in the top 20.

These rankings imply what the international rankings suggested — that secular places score higher on women’s rights. However, it would be crazy and irresponsible to think that religiosity was the sole determining factor in advancing women’s equality.

Let’s look at another factor now, per capita income, in the top 10 and bottom 10 nations:

1. Iceland $38,029 2. Finland 44,491 3. Norway 79,089 4. Sweden 43,654 5. New Zealand 29,000 6. Ireland 51,049 7. Denmark 55,992 8. Lesotho 851 9. The Philippines 1,745 10. Switzerland 63,000

134. Yemen 1,061 133. Chad 687 132. Pakistan 989 131. Mali 657 130. Ivory Coast 1,052 129. Saudi Arabia 14,450 128. Benin 709 127. Morocco 2,882 126. Turkey 8,248 124. Egypt 2,269

The per capita income in the Top 10 is considerably higher than it is in the Bottom 10, with eight of the Top Ten nations earning considerably more than all of the Bottom Ten nations. It is not unanimous though - The Philippines and Lesotho have high ratings in women’s equality, even though they are poor nations. Four of the Bottom Ten nations have higher per capita income than The Philippines, and seven have higher per capita than Lesotho.

Obviously, there are factors besides wealth (and religion) that have allowed The Philippines and Lesotho to advance women’s rights. There are also numerous other nations that break any stereotype anyone might have of rich nations having superior women’s rights. Here they are; the first list is of wealthy nations that are under-achievers in women’s right, the second list is of poor nations that are doing far better in advancing women’s rights, despite having less income:

Wealthy Low Achievers in Women’s Equality

74. Italy $35,084 per capita income 79. Hungary 12,868 91. Mexico 8,144 94. Japan 39,727 104. South Korea 17,078 105. Kuwait 27,835 110. Bahrain 19,817 117. Qatar 59,990 129. Saudi Arabia 14,540

Impoverished High Achievers in Women’s Equality 8. Lesotho $ 851 per capita income 9. The Philippines 1,745 16. Sri Lanka 2,068 22. Mozambique 428 25. Namibia 4,338 27. Mongolia 1,573 30. Nicaragua 1,097 33. Uganda 481 34. Moldava 1,516

Once again, similar to the “religion” factor, we see that “per capita income” often coincides with women’s equality but is certainly no guarantee. It is possible to be desperately poor - like Mozambique - and still have a much narrow gender gap than other nations where the annual per capita income is up to 100 times more.

In the United States, though, the relationship between poverty and women’s inequality is much stronger. Let’s peruse those lists of the Top and Bottom Ten States in Women’s Equality, alongside their per capita income:

Best States for Women

1. Colorado $55,430 2. Vermont 51,618 3. New Hampshire 60,567 4. Minnesota 55,616 5. Connecticut 67,034 6. Maryland 69,272 7. Washington 56,548 8. Nevada 53,341 9. Massachusetts 64,081 10. Alaska 66,953

Worst States for Women 50. South Carolina $42,442 49. Oklahoma 41,664 48. Mississippi 36,646 47. Arkansas 37,823 46. Louisiana 42,492 45. West Virginia 37,435 44. Kentucky 40,072 43. Montana 42,322 42. Tennessee 41,725 41. New Mexico 43,028

There is an enormous discrepancy here — all the Best States for Women have higher incomes than the Worst States for Women, by a wide margin — over $8,000 annually.

To conclude, it seems possible that these two national characteristics - religion and income - frequently parallel a rise in women’s equality, but we’re not sure yet what comes first. Does secular thinking and increased per capita income advance women’s equality? Or does women’s equality promote secular thinking and per capita income? How do these three characteristics interact?

If they’re all linked, it’s logical to surmise that a rising trend in secular thinking and per capita income will be accompanied by an advance in women’s equality. What do surveys reveal about that? Secularization is rising very quickly in Europe, this is apparent in the empty churches and the harsh criticism of the Pope. Secularization is also advancing in North and South America and in many parts of Asia, but it is not clearly progressing in Africa, the Middle East, and other parts of Asia, due partially to a rising tide of fundamentalism.

Per capita income growth is definitely increasing, however, it’s grown rapidly in the last few decades and one forecaster predicts that it will expand 700% by the year 2100.

Is women’s equality also advancing? The Global Gender Gap reports of the last five years indicate that in that short span of time 86% of the nations surveyed have improved their women’s status, with only 14% of the nations declining in equality. In reality, the situation is more lopsided than that, because the declines in the 14% are miniscule, while the advances in the majority of the 86% of nations are enormous.

Overall, women’s equality seems to be barreling ahead at a phenomenal rate of acceleration. Imagine, if this international arc continues moving in Iceland’s direction for another ten or twenty years, what will happen?. Will we journey beyond the current “Nordic Feminism” of the top four nations (Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden) into another zone, towards societies that have never existed before, societies with women-equal cultures that are utterly new, unprecedented in modern civilization?

"Scientists claim to be a step closer to reversing the aging process after rejuvenating worn out..."

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 08:51:44 -0600

“Scientists claim to be a step closer to reversing the aging process after rejuvenating worn out organs in elderly mice. The experimental treatment developed by researchers at Harvard Medical School turned weak and feeble old mice into healthy animals by regenerating their aged bodies.”

- Harvard scientists reverse the ageing process in mice – now for humans

Short Sharp Science: Could an 'elixir of life' really increase your lifespan?

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 02:47:39 -0500

Short Sharp Science: Could an 'elixir of life' really increase your lifespan?:

By Breki Tomasson

New Scientist is reporting about a chemical elixir that - if it works on humans the same way as it works on mice - could extend our lifespans by up to ten years, allowing us better endurance and motor coordination as we age.

Needless to say, all of these reports should be taken with a grain of salt, but they’re always interesting to follow in the years leading up to the cure for aging.

State-By-State Gay Marriage Predictions

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 14:37:00 -0500

State-By-State Gay Marriage Predictions:

Will Mississippi be last in 2035? That’s what one futurist believes. On the bright side, the majority of the states in the USA will be ratifying gay marriage in the next 8 years, according to this forecaster.

Iceland Passes Gay Marriage Law in Unanimous Vote

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 06:12:00 -0500

Iceland Passes Gay Marriage Law in Unanimous Vote:

Good news in the LGBT circle; Iceland - the only country in the world with an openly homosexual head of state, has recently passed a law that allows same-sex partners to marry. The vote was won with an astoundingly overwhelming majority, 49 to 0.

The Icelandic marriage legislation will now change its wording to include matrimony between “man and man, woman and woman”.

Global TransHumanism Report

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:02:00 -0500

By Hank Hyena

This is a slightly revised transcription of a speech Hank Hyena will give at the H+ Summit.

Let’s begin with Russia, the biggest nation in land mass, the 3rd largest empire in history, with an astounding resume of huge projects, ambitions, and imagination — all partly derived from the fact that Russia has a Messiah streak as wide as Siberia. Here’s a quote by a Russian writer describing his homeland: “The Russian soul is thirsty for the salvation of all of mankind and the creation of Heaven on Earth.” This Russian Messiah complex merges nicely with transhumanism - here’s 3 categories:

Cryonics. Russia is the first place outside the USA where you can get a deep freeze, at KrioRus Labs near Moscow. Neurosuspension is available there for less than $10,000 euros a head, a fabulous price, just a fraction of Alcor’s. Russian’s neighbor - Finland - might follow Russia into cryonics next.

Philosophy. TransHumanism owes a huge debt to the Russian cosmoist thinkers of the late 19th and early 20th century, primary among them is Nicolai Federov, 150 years ago, Federov predicted organ transplants, cloning, immortality, space and ocean colonization. His most astounding desire though was his wish for revival of the dead, resurrection! returning to life everyone that ever lived. Federov believed this was the “common task” of all humanity, he saw it as a unifying planetary struggle against death. He believed all human evil and suffering was rooted in the curse of mortality and our responsibility was to re-animate everyone.

Nanotechnology. Russia was a leader in the space race and now they’re determined to compete in nanotech. Russia has invested $11 billion in nanotech, Dubn - their research city on the Volga - has one of the world’s densest concentrations of scientists, Russia has cash flow due to energy exports, and Silicon Valley venture capitalists have recently visited. Russia has been in a science decline since the collapse of the Soviet Union, but it wants to bounce back — who are its nano competitors? The USA is #1, followed by China, Japan, Germany.

Next Italy, interesting for two reasons,

First: Italy has one of the lowest birthrates in the world - a miniscule 1.2 for this allegedly Catholic country. The Italian population is dwindling AND aging — So the question is- who’s going to assist all these elderly Italian? The answer is: Italian-made service robots, Italy’s demographic resembles Japan - tiny birthrate, aging populations. Japan is the world leader in service robots, and Italy will seek to be a European leader, an obvious decision because it has a large domestic market available.

Second: Italy is having an H+ political debate - The “Italian TransHumanist Association” is accused of neo-fascistic elements - totalitarian ideas. There’s a link now in the Italian mind between transhumanism and neo-fascism. This brings up the question, is “Humanism” a core value of TransHumanism? Is H+ by definition related to liberalism, tolerance, democracy, egalitarianism? or is that just wishful thinking? The Italian debate is a precursor of what will happen globally as Transhumanism gets a thorough political critique. There are anarcho-transhumanists, libertarian transhumanists, democratic transhumanists, socialist transhumanists, Techno-authoritarians, techno-utopians. If you read comments on hplus magazine you’ll find readers who hate transhumanism, they think H+ will provide immortality for only the wealthy, they think eugenics will be enforced, democracy abolished, masses turned into automatons obeying robot leaders. The Italian discussion will ripple over to the USA, we’ll be asked to clarify our political views. Do we need to be in agreement? Is there room for all political persuasions in Transhumanism, Or is there emphatically not?

Next, South Korea. SK has the fastest internet in the world, its a leader in e-democracy, innovation, memory chips, display screens, cell phones, and plastic surgery - that’s all great, but today, I want to commend South Korea on their construction skills - SK builds the biggest boats and tallest skyscrapers. And now,there’s two new structures that SK is working on that have world-changing potential — FarmScrapers and Domes. FarmScrapers, like SK is planning in Incheon, will grow organic plants pest-free and quickly with light 24-7-365 days a year, resulting in Sonoma County quality with downtown convenience, liberating vast rural areas from eco-desctruction. Domes are even more ambitious - SK is building an EcoDome Environmental Center that’ll cover 33,000 square meters. Imagine domed villages at 70 degrees with 15 hours of daylight popping up in previously undesirable real estate, frozen wastelands, scorching deserts, wherever there’s a natural resource that can be harvested.

The Netherlands. The Dutch are leaders in developing InVitro Meat (along with New Harvest in Baltimore), In Vitro Meat will allow a city to generate its own protein instead of ravaging forests for livestock ranches. I’d like to remove the 1.5 billion farting defecating burping cattle from the 30% of the land surface of the planet that they currently pollute. Let’s replace them with tasty invitro meat, that Dutch labs at Eindhoven University are working on. The Netherlands is also spending $1 billion to improve their dike system, upping the walls by 3 feet. If global warming tries to swamp our coastlines, Dutch engineers will help us repel the ocean.

Moving into FRANCE we find the world’s largest, most successful nuclear energy program, 59 power plants providing almost 80% of the nation’s needs. Is France’s nuclear program a role model for the rest of the world?. The USA hasn’t built any new nuclear plants for decades, nuclear energy is banned in Austria, Denmark, and Ireland, Belgium is phasing out, Germany has halted. But China is building 30 new plants, Russia is building 26. Asia is very interested in nuclear energy, I assumed that France would prosper with nuclear commissions, but a recent $40 billion contract to build and operate 4 nuclear reactors in the United Arab Emirates, was not awarded to France, nor to the USA — the winner was… South Korea.

I can’t leave France without praising the poster girl of longevity - Jeanne Calment, 122 years 164 days and she did it in a very French way - No Caloric Restriction No supplement ingestion. Madame Jeanne ate 2 pounds of chocolate a week she smoked two cigaretes daily until she was 117, and she never worked a day in her life — we hear that people should not retire, because they’ll get bored and die, but Jeanne had a life of leisure day after day after day after day after day.

Israel. Yes, it leads the world in start-ups per capita, it’ll be the first nation to set up a national electric car system, it’s a leader in solar energy, it’s preparing to build farmscrapers, and its a leader in desalination - a potentially lucrative skill. Israel is also world leader in stem cell research, along with the United Kingdom. The USA is way behind in stem cell research due to Christian political interference, this has maimed the USA in biotech, a “brain drain” of 70 American bioscientists has emigrated to the UK.

Germany. “Perry Rhodon” - a German publication - is the best-selling science fiction in the world with 2,500 pulp novellas since 1961. Germany is a leader in pharmaceuticals, biotech, and robotics - they’ve got Europe’s only Sexbot, called “First Android” - Germany is a leader in green energy, it’s fourth in nanotechnology, and its the world leader in recycling solid waste.

Iran is having a Nanotech Festival in October, and last February Iran’s spacecraft, the Explorer 3, took 1 rat, 2 turtles and several worms into space and returned them to earth, alive.

India is planning a nanotechnology center in the Punjab, India is a leader in software innovation, but two weeks ago, after Britney Spears supposedly announced that she wanted Alcor to freeze her, after that I read the comments on Indian chat sites and I discovered that many India were puzzled and incredulous regarding Britney and Alcor because they still believe in reincarnation.

Japan is the world leader in robotics, also automotive engineering, electronics, railroads, and renewable energy. Japan’s expertise in factory robots and elder care robots are a very bright spot in its financial future, with the USA seeking to be a strong competitor.

A nation that is economically healthy can invest more in technological progress. China’s economy exceeds 10% annually, Japan is a sturdy 4.9%, the USA is 3.0-3.5%, the EU is an anemic 1.0 - 1.75% and Brazil and India have strong 6-9% annual growth. China’s economy allows it to invest in Greece, regarded as a basket case by the rest of the world. China is investing in Greek shipbuilding - and transportation infrastructure in Africa and Latin America, to guarantee shipment of raw materials to its factories, China’s long term intention though is to transform itself into an innovation economy in the next decade.

What’s more important than economics? Maybe education. Here’s where the USA really needs a kick in the butt. Although the USA has the best universities, 60% of our Engineering PhDs are given to foreign students, and 30% of our science degrees. Only 6% of American undergrads study engineering, that figure doubles to 12% in Europe, and in China, 40% of undergrads are in Engineering. A Purdue University study says 90% of all scientists and engineers in the world live in Asia.

Let’s return to the “Brain Drain” topic now — here’s three examples

In the 1970’s a Russian Jew in Moscow wanted to study astronomy and physics in graduate school but his ambitions were stymied by anti-Semitism in the Communist Part. Frustrated, he left Russia with his wife and six-year old son, named Sergei. Sergei was educated at the University of Maryland and Stanford, he studied whatever he wanted. Sergei Brin is now co-founder of Google. Russian’s loss, America’s gain. Many highly-educated Jews left Russia for Israel, the USA, and Germany — over 1 million went to Israel — an explosive brain drain for Russia. A recent survey asked scientists what nation out of 35 choices they’d like to emigrate to. The USA was #1, Canada #2, the United Kingdom was #3, and Russia was #32.

Second example, WOMEN. The nation with the highest percentage of women scientists is Serbia, 45%. That should be close to the norm, but its not, women are only 10-20% of the scientists in many nations of the world. Is prejudice in those societies wasting the brains of women and delaying human progress?

Third example. Gays and Lesbians. Leonardi da Vinci and Margaret Mead had complete lives, but what about Alan Turing? The English computer scientist was arrested for his homosexuality when he was 40 years old, to escape imprisonment he had himself chemically castrated, two years later he committed suicide with cyanide. Prejudice once again - a waste of human potential.

China is abysmal in human rights - it ignores freedom of religion by persecuting Tibetans, the Falun Gong, Christians, and Moslem minorities. China also suppresses freedom of speech, freedom of political expression, and labor organizing — this last category is critical -.we’ve read about the recent factory suicides, 13 workers leaping off buildings at Foxconn. protesting the harsh discipline, 10 hour workdays, low wages and stress. Chinese workers are now going on strike and literally killing themselves. China’s economy is boosted by low-cost exports, but these prices will rise, as labor demands a wage increase.

I need to conclude now, and I want to end with a bow of gratitude to the United Kingdom again, to the SENS institute, where Aubrey de Grey is striving to make sure that we can all sit here at these wonderfully interesting summits for an absolute eternity.

Immortal Avatars: Back up your Brain, Never Die

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 08:56:33 -0500

Immortal Avatars: Back up your Brain, Never Die:

By Breki Tomasson

It’s time to start backing up our brains! According to a recent article in New Scientist, the creating of computer avatars based on your own brain patterns and appearance isn’t as far off as TV Series Caprica would have it. A Santa Monica company named Image Metrics has been able to create staggeringly photo realistic versions of faces that can move with stunning detail.

Once we have the physical appearance ready, we need the interaction to be something other than an upgraded version of a Chatbot (Plenty of NSFW content in this chatbot’s brain). The technology isn’t quite there yet, but even here we’re making big steps.

The technology involved may still be years off, but we’re convinced that it won’t be long before you have to ask yourself if it’s your friend or his simulated avatar you’re talking to.

Eat your Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Nutrients!

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 07:12:41 -0500

Eat your Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Nutrients!:

By Breki Tomasson

Nanotechnology is an exciting subject that threatens to change things around almost everywhere. We’ve seen all sorts of exciting news for how nanotechnology will be used in fields ranging from medicine to engineering to fighting pollution.

Now we’re seeing people talk about nanofoods, as well.

According to Vic Morris at the Institute of Food Research, nanotechnology can make a number of promising claims in the realms of food as well. How about food that makes you feel full faster, reducing the risk of obesity and overeating? How about food with only a fraction of the amount of salt and sugar, but with the same great taste? Better yet, why not hide important proteins, nutrients, vitamins and minerals within nano packages, allowing them to enter your body without affecting the taste of the food?

Let's Make Our Votes Equal Our IQs?

Sun, 30 May 2010 16:26:00 -0500

By Hank Hyena

Do your favorite politicians always lose because their supporters are outvoted by “all the stupid people voting for their stupid candidates”?

Have you realized that your lone vote - carefully researched and considered - is invariably cancelled out by a genetic moron who is terminally plagued with primitive memes? Who can’t grasp anything more complex than a simple alliterative jingoism? Are you resentful because you know you’re twice as smart as the imbeciles who elected the opposition?

I propose a reform that can repair this injustice. Let’s make our votes equal our IQ!

My plan is mathematically easy: if your IQ is 100 (the national average) you get 1.00 votes. If it is 149, your vote counts as 1.49 votes. If it is 72 you get 0.72 votes.

Employing my method, all intelligent voters who possess superior reading comprehension and cognitive deduction skills can enjoy ballot power that surpasses illiterates who flunked high school, sniffed glue, and have been diligently damaging their brains for decades.

I’m sorry if it sounds elitist, but please, regard my proposal rationally. We want our collective brain power to make the best political decisions, but “brain power” is not equally dispersed in all skulls. Therefore, let’s utilize the brain power efficiently wherever we can find it; i.e., IQ = Votes.

Every person would still get representation, its just that the vote of a genius will contain a little more impact than the vote of a mental defective.

My plan would promote education because IQs can be elevated 10-25 points through a wide variety of methods (deep breathing, keeping a journal, reading, studying, using acronyms, eat lots of antioxidants and large healthy breakfast, meditating, avoiding sugar, exercising, activating all your senses, using intuition, and memorizing with various memory systems). Nobody born with an IQ of 85 would be condemned for life to a mere .85 of a vote. Everyone would be encouraged to retake an IQ test if they wanted to improve their impact on society.

My proposal is shrewd, dynamic, and firmly meritocratic.

Note that this is not a serious suggestion by The Extropist Examiner, but rather a starting point for a discussion. If not this system, then why not? Is there anything else that may work better? Discuss below!

By Breki Tomasson Every now and again, a video pops up that is...

Sun, 30 May 2010 16:06:44 -0500

By Breki Tomasson

Every now and again, a video pops up that is simply so moving that it has to be shared. A few months ago, I shared with you a movie that discussed the scale of our world and the Universe we inhabit. Today, I’d like to share with you a short reading from Carl Sagan’s “Pale Blue Dot”, as adapted by Michael Marantz.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

EARTH: The Pale Blue Dot (by Michael Marantz)

But Cetaceans are People Too!

Wed, 26 May 2010 08:24:52 -0500

By Breki Tomasson

Roughly a year ago, I wrote an entry on another blog of mine entitled “The Fight for (Non-)Human Rights”. It was a simple enough thing, discussing a simple concept. I argued that alien civilizations and human-equivalent artificial intelligences would be appearing within many people’s lifetimes and that we needed to begin asking ourselves what sort of protection they would have under law. It was filled with questions that might seem inane but which will be commonplace in a hundred years. For example, assuming the concept of mind uploading and downloading and the situation where one has died but is “backed up” on a computer somewhere:

Assume my real-life granddaughter decided she wanted to give me a body again and had the express permission of her husband to do so? Imagine if my memories and knowledge could be copied into her fetus before birth, allowing me to be born into a young body already with a full life of memories? How old would I be? What would my legal birthdate be? What if the new body was a different gender than my original gender? Would I still be able to draw my pension? Could I vote?

When I wrote the article, I wasn’t expecting similar questions to appear so soon.

Circling the Internet today is a fascinating related story.

Apparently, whales and dolphins both possess a complex enough intelligence and culture to warrant personhood, and it should never be considered ‘right’ to hunt them and eat them. The homepage Cetacean Rights has been launched - and suffered massive bandwidth problems all day - and has emphatically declared ten beliefs regarding cetaceans of all sorts. Amongst them are “No cetacean is the property of any State, corporation, human group or individual” and “All cetaceans have the right to freedom of movement and residence within their natural environment”.

Now, it’s important to notice what is meant by identifying various non-human animals as “persons”. Quoting Margi Prideaux:

No-one in this emerging field is suggesting that dolphins be granted a right to vote, to hold a drivers license, or to receive a free and fair education. Such knee jerk arguments simply reveal a poor understanding of the core meaning of a ‘right’. The moral rights thesis simply speaks to the concept of equality – a right to equal treatment despite difference. We are simply discussing a basic right to life, the protection of individual liberty and the prohibition of torture (and possibly a right to redress for harm caused).

Giving non-human animals protection under law is not a new concept. Much thanks to the Great Apes Project, Spain has already extended human rights towards most primates (Sources: Guardian, Time)- including gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans. Extending the same - or similar - rights towards cetaceans is, however, something new.

For many, the problem is philosophical. It is easy to look at a chimpanzee or an orangutan and see something similar to a human. We see them pick things up, examine them, scratch their heads and think of them as something almost human. A thirty ton whale is quite a different matter.

Despite all this, it’s good to know that there are people everywhere fighting for tolerance, respect and the expansion of what we consider to be basic rights to include non-human animals. The Extropist Examiner fully supports this endeavor and urges its readers to do the same.

Sources: openDemocracy and BBC News.

Endorphin Lifestyle: Maximizing Healthy Pleasure

Wed, 12 May 2010 22:25:00 -0500

by Hank Hyena

Endorphins refer to the 20 types of brain hormones that are produced in the pituitary glands and hypathalmus. When they’re released they give you a sense of pleasure and euphoria - they relieve stress, depression and chronic pain, they enhance the immune system and delay the aging process. Discovered in 1975, endorphins resemble opium, morphine, and cocaine because these drugs are endorphin-releasers - ”endorphin” actually means “internal morphine”.

Unlike drugs, the endorphins your body produces are free with no side effects. Here’s a list of twenty ways you can access this “natural high”.

Long, intense cardiovascular exercise is recognized as the #1 way to release endorphins; it’s often called “runner’s high” because that activity is regarded as the best way to access the happy hormones. Bicyling, swimming, rowing, football, aerobics, basketball, soccer, tennis, hockey and skiing are also excellent producers - any vigorous activity that accelerates your heart rate.
Laughter, smiling, acting goofy & silly.
Having a positive attitude, enthusiasm, optimism. cheerfulness.
Spicy hot food, like chile peppers, horseradish, wasabi.
Dark Chocolate — Eat one piece per day!
Acupuncture.
Listening to beautiful, calming music (often used in hospitals to help people recover faster from surgery).
Watching scary movies (the stress activates endorphin release).
Getting yourself terrified on a roller coaster or other carnival ride (see above).
Meditation.
Massage.
Yoga.
Sex (orgasms release endorphins).
Viewing beautiful art.
Sunshine.
Crying, expressing one’s emotion.
Going barefoot, being naked.
Smelling flowers, cooking food, any activity that uses sense of smell.
Gossiping - the Social Issues Research Council (SIRC) based in Oxford, UK, conducted research that discovered that gossip fulfills a primitive social need - plus it provides us with endorphin release.
Walking in Nature - using all your senses to appreciate the complexity and beauty around you.

Israel's Value to the Future

Wed, 12 May 2010 13:17:00 -0500

Israel's Value to the Future:

By Hank Hyena

Israel is tiny - smaller in size and population than New Jersey - but it is gigantic in its value to the world, due to its expertise in tech, robotics, medicine, brain stem research, and other futuristic enterprises. This hplusmagazine.com article lists numerous reasons why Israel is, and will continue to be, an important participant in an extropist future.

Future Shock Levels

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 03:50:00 -0500

Future Shock Levels:

By Breki Tomasson

Future Shock Levels is a short article by Eliezer S. Yudkowsky about the “shock levels” of the future. Extropism lands somewhere between SL3 and SL4, in this scheme of things. All in all, it’s a pretty decent summary of things and describes the various types of futurists quite well.

Boredom Is A Killer

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 17:05:00 -0500

Boredom Is A Killer:

By Hank Hyena

Recent studies show that chronic boredom leads to cardiovascular disease and premature death. This article in hplusmagazine.com reports on the connection between ennui and depression, with an interesting examination of the question: “if immortal life is ever attained, will we be so bored, we’d rather be dead?”

The Extropist Examiner says NO!

LILY PAD - a Floating Ecopolis for Climate Refugees

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:11:00 -0500

LILY PAD - a Floating Ecopolis for Climate Refugees:

By Hank Hyena

Here’s the ideal way to live if the continents are ever flooded, or if humans simply want to live a nomadic seafaring existence in large colonies. Designed by Vincent Callebaut, a Belgian, who has won many awards for his futurist designs - click on the title to view an amazing possibility

Will Argentina be the next "Gay Marriage nation?

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 21:29:00 -0500

Will Argentina be the next "Gay Marriage nation?:

By Hank Hyena

Spring brings fresh vigor to the global marriage equality movement - the hottest current action is LATIN-THEMED on three separate continents. Bravo!

Portugal is poised to legalize same-sex marriage. The Lisbon Parliament passed its permission February 11, and the bill is presently sitting on President An’bal Cavaco Silva’s desk - he needs to either sign it or veto it by April 28. Pope Benedict XVI wants to thwart the progressive measure, but pedophile scandals have rendered him morally impotent. Look for Portugal to become the 6th European nation with full marriage rights (others are The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Norway, Sweden).

Argentina is also tip-toeing closer. On December 28, 2009, Alex Freyre and Jose Maria Di Bello were married in Ushuaia by the Governor of Tierra del Fuego (Fabiano Rios). Three other gay marriages quickly followed. Unfortunately, Alex and Jose’s vows were annulled on April 14 by an Ushusia judge who claimed the union was unconstitutional. This is just a tiny stumble in the tango towards equality though; both President Christina Fernandez and former president - Nestor Kirchner, her husband - condone gay marriage. The Argentinian Supreme Court is also strongly supportive. Argentina would be the first Latin American nation with marriage equality, unless you count the fact that…

Humanoid Robot expresses Love for his Creators

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:25:00 -0500

Humanoid Robot expresses Love for his Creators:

By Hank Hyena

Very human-like robot says goodbye to his lab partners before he is shipped off to another research facility. Oddly touching and funny.

The Future of Psychopharmacological Enhancements

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 03:01:00 -0500

The Future of Psychopharmacological Enhancements:

By Breki Tomasson

Maartje Schermer, Ineke Bolt, Reunoud de Jongh and Berend Olivier from Erasmus and Utrecht Universities in The Netherlands have recently published a very interesting paper on the future of psychopharmacological enhancements. In it, they argue against what they consider unrealistic future scenarios, claiming that many of these scenarios will not happen (or will happen differently) due to the ethical and policy issues that are relevant today.

Furthermore, they argue that a large portion of both the positive and negative opinions surrounding psychopharmacological enhancements are based on inflated expectations and technology hype. They claim:

[…] enhancements that go beyond what we currently understand as the normal or naturally human. Giving people infrared vision, engineering them with perfect pitch, doubling or tripling their IQ, overcoming our need for sleep, or achieving immortality are all unlikely prospects for the near future.

Their argument is very persuasive, and they also offer some very interesting perspectives on how they believe this will develop in the future. All in all, it is a fascinating read and gives a pretty ‘down to Earth’ perspective on something that is very easy to get overly enthusiastic about..

123 Tips on How to Live for 123 Years

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 08:32:00 -0500

123 Tips on How to Live for 123 Years:

By Hank Hyena

Jean Calment of Arles, France, lived to be 122 years old, and so can you - claims the author of this thorough essay that lists all the advice provided by all recent longevity studies. Divided into separate categories for exercise, nutrition, lifestyle, and mental fitness, with numerous suggestions the public is generally unaware of: lymphatic massage? bedroom with a view? Read it and Live Long