X-Message-Number: 17144
Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2001 18:56:05 -0700
From: Mike Perry <>
Subject: Nanotech and Diversity

Gary Tripp, #17134, writes:
>However, I speculate that the unique characteristics and beliefs that
>differentiate pre-nanotech individuals would disappear or merge
>in post-nanotech individuals.

This would not necessarily follow, because post-human individuals should 
value history (I certainly intend to), and that includes personal history, 
thus those features that distinguish one's past from another's. Though we 
might expect convergence of opinions and other characteristics in many 
areas, this sort of difference will remain, and actually, I think, far from 
just this. Thus I expect different individuals will choose different 
lifestyles, things to investigate, and so on, and over time diverge in such 
areas as special interests and expertise. One person, however enhanced 
technologically, simply could not keep up with, hence subsume, all the 
separate, ongoing activities of all the others who will also be operating 
from a position of post-human enhancement. This I see in a constructive 
light. It would be a duller universe, don't you think, if all individuals 
were almost exactly alike or there was just one person because all had merged?

Mike

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