Art (was Re: Skeptics Take on the Extropian Concept)

Yak Wax (
Sat, 28 Feb 1998 16:05:00 -0800 (PST)

Natasha V. More wrote:

> >I am not saying it has no significance. But
> >how significant is it in the grand scheme of things?
> Extraordinarily insightful -:) What's the significance of a kiss in
> grand scheme of things? What's the significance of an idea or a
moment of
> brilliance in the grand scheme of things?

What is the grand scheme of things?
No, don't tell me, it might ruin the suprise.

> The future of sex is integral to our future. Technology and sex are
> intertwined and becoming more so. Fashion (bio-tech bodies) and
> are intertwined and will become a major domain for engineers/artists.

IM-less-than-HO, art is probably best looked at as the exploration of
communication (more message than medium.) Transhuman and Extropian
artists are exploring ways to communicate their ideas. If, as someone
commented, Nike means "I am utterly stupid and boring" then the
artists (and wearers) have found away of communicating that to you.
Of course, I could be wrong, I've had bad experiences defining art in
the past.

> By the way, the site is co-sponsored by FM-2030.
> [...] He did author the first book about transhumans, explicitly,
> which I consider to be the foremost book about transhuman values.

Is it a bad thing that I have no clue who FM-2030 is? Should I try
re-tuning my radio?

> Art and the Singularity? I think Vernor Vinge would strongly
disagree with
> your assumed notion that the Singularity is not affiliated with the
> creative. He is an artist, you know.

I never understand the whole Creativity vs. Science thing, surely the
act of science is creative and is an art form. Taking a look at a
dictionary, art is described as "imitative or imaginative... in which
skill can be expressed." It doesn't exclude science until, "certain
branches of learning as distinct from sciences" which kinda rains on
my parade.

> Oh, and by the way, Eric Drexler himself is quite stylish and
> frequently displays the art of humor.

No no, humour is a science, it takes years of study, testing and
research to implement even the smallest joke. Have you ever seen the
victims of sarcasm gone wrong?

So here's the BIG question:

1) What is the difference between science and art anyway?



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