- Ahmadinejad speaks at Columbia University instead of being arrested
- Sovereignty and the problem of political relativism: Why we need a world without borders
September 23, 2010
Ahmadinejad should be arrested for crimes against humanity
Apropos of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's deranged speech today to the United Nations General Assembly, I reiterate my conviction that this man should be arrested for crimes against humanity. I made the same claim back in 2007:
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At least he doesn't even have the advantage of popular support anymore.
He ain't got shit on me!
Crimes against mortality :D
George, "crimes against humanity" are for things people do or orders they give, not to be thrown out casually when someone gives a deranged speech.
If I had the choice to take down Kim Jong Il or Ahmadinejad, I would take down Jong Il, no question. He country is practically like a giant concentration camp.
Michael, just for clarification, I wasn't suggesting that Ahmadinejad be arrested for the contents of that speech. If you follow the first link I provided there's a list of atrocities already committed that would warrant an arrest.
That said, I am in agreement with you; the term 'crimes against humanity' shouldn't be bandied about in a casual manner—so if I make the claim you can be sure that I mean it.
As transhumanists, why don't we move in the other direction?
When future science and technology allow the average transhuman to start with powers equivalent to approximately 15 United States's, each transhuman jets off into her own corner of the cosmos and live as "god" of that region of space. Since there are at least 170 billion galaxies in this universe, there are enough galaxies to give 28 galaxies to each human being currently on Earth, assuming all 6 billion human beings transcend around 2030~2045 to become transhumans.
The beautiful thing about this scenario is that each transhuman will finally have absolute independence and control over their own lives. I don't have to live under Ahmandinejad's propaganda and tyranny anymore than I have to live under Bush's propaganda and tyranny or anyone else's. No government can tell me what to do or collect taxes from my wallet. I am my own government, my own state, heck, I am my own "god" and also "god" of all the virtual reality worlds that I run using matrioshka brains powered by my galaxies. Ultimately, I aspire to develop the technologies to create my own universe and live in it.
It's just like what Lao-Tzu said in his Tao Te Ching: "There should be a neighbouring state within sight, and the voices of the fowls and dogs should be heard all the way from it to us, but I would make the people to old age, even to death, not have any intercourse with it." The development of agriculture lead to the development of organized society and civilization which is the root of all evils that we witness in the world wars and brutal totalitarian and hypocritical governments. Organized societies have been the cradle of transhumanism, but now we have to outgrow this cradle. It is time to shutdown this show of states, nations and governments, and to start our quest for personal transhumanism, which is what it's about all along.
It's just like what Leon Fuerth, former national security adviser to vice president al gore, said at the 2002 foresight conference: "These guys talking here act as though the govenrment isnot part of their lives. They may wish it weren't, but it is. As we approach the issues they debated here today, they had better believe that those issues will be debated by the whole country. The majority of Americans will not simply sit still while some elite strips off their personalities and uploads themselves into their cyberspace paradise. They will have something to say about that. There will be vehement debate about that in this country." Except that transhumanism is about eventually escaping from government and organized society one day and jet off into our own parts of the cosmos (or creating our own new individual cosmos). I find it surprising to see most of the commenters in this blog still debating about the virtues and vices of a world government. When the real focus for us transhumanists should be about finding the third way -- to become a transhuman and get the hell off of this planet and have nothing to do with humanity or human societies and states for all eternity.
I would take down Ahmadinejad. Because at least with Jong Il women were not discriminated more than men (both are made to suffer, but women don't have to wear hijab or anything). But with Ahmadinejad women have to dress in that hideous black chador stuff, and they get stoned and raped before they are executed.
As transhumanists, why don't we move in the other direction?
When future science and technology allow the average transhuman to start with powers equivalent to approximately 15 United States's, each transhuman jets off into her own corner of the cosmos and live as "god" of that region of space. Since there are at least 170 billion galaxies in this universe, there are enough galaxies to give 28 galaxies to each human being currently on Earth, assuming all 6 billion human beings transcend around 2030~2045 to become transhumans.
The beautiful thing about this scenario is that each transhuman will finally have absolute independence and control over their own lives. I don't have to live under Ahmandinejad's propaganda and tyranny anymore than I have to live under Bush's propaganda and tyranny or anyone else's. No government can tell me what to do or collect taxes from my wallet. I am my own government, my own state, heck, I am my own "god" and also "god" of all the virtual reality worlds that I run using matrioshka brains powered by my galaxies. Ultimately, I aspire to develop the technologies to create my own universe and live in it.
It's just like what Lao-Tzu said in his Tao Te Ching: "There should be a neighbouring state within sight, and the voices of the fowls and dogs should be heard all the way from it to us, but I would make the people to old age, even to death, not have any intercourse with it." The development of agriculture lead to the development of organized society and civilization which is the root of all evils that we witness in the world wars and brutal totalitarian and hypocritical governments. Organized societies have been the cradle of transhumanism, but now we have to outgrow this cradle. It is time to shutdown this show of states, nations and governments, and to start our quest for personal transhumanism, which is what it's about all along.
It's just like what Leon Fuerth, former national security adviser to vice president al gore, said at the 2002 foresight conference: "These guys talking here act as though the govenrment isnot part of their lives. They may wish it weren't, but it is. As we approach the issues they debated here today, they had better believe that those issues will be debated by the whole country. The majority of Americans will not simply sit still while some elite strips off their personalities and uploads themselves into their cyberspace paradise. They will have something to say about that. There will be vehement debate about that in this country." Except that transhumanism is about eventually escaping from government and organized society one day and jet off into our own parts of the cosmos (or creating our own new individual cosmos). I find it surprising to see most of the commenters in this blog still debating about the virtues and vices of a world government. When the real focus for us transhumanists should be about finding the third way -- to become a transhuman and get the hell off of this planet and have nothing to do with humanity or human societies and states for all eternity.
So in conclusion, I find Ahmadinejad's regime's sexism to be intolerable and repulsive (and by extension, most fundamentalist Wahhabi muslim states in the middle east), therefore when given the chance I will take down every middle east state. After that I will be taking down Jong Il's state (if it is still continuing on the currently trajectory by then) and merge it into South Korea. However, recently there are news about China pressing North Korea into economic and social reform with the ascension of Kim Jong Il's son, and that China stipulates that the passing of the throne from Jong Il to his son will be the last time it will happen, after John Il's son the throne will have to be passed onto a person that is not in the Kim family. So maybe we are witnessing signs of progress there.
The way we say these things right now as mere individual human beings sounds asinine and absurd, but when we become transhumans, each with the power of ~15 to 20 United States's, then it becomes a whole new ballgame.
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