An extremely useful talent in the world of of going to parties in New York, or anywhere else for that matter, is the art of the introduction. I am amazed by the real greats of this, some of whom are my friends. These friends somehow seem to know my personal bio better than I do, and be able to distill, and recite it to a new acquaintance in less than 10 seconds. These introductions at there most basic are “Matthew is an entrepreneur, a professor and a musician”, and then the equivalent for the other person. More complex introductions lead to more interesting conversations though, and also leave me thinking about how I would define myself in 10 seconds. In France it is rude to talk about career first, which I have always found silly, yet on the other hand does make you think of a person based on other deeper philosophical traits.
The other night at a Gala for the New York Academy of Science, where smart and interesting people filled the room, I was introduced in ways by different people that made me feel that I had split personalities. For instance I was introduced as a Naturalist. I liked that, as it is true. I believe that humans are a determined part of the natural world just like other creatures and even objects. This informs my views on the absence of Free-will, and therefore also my scientific ideas. So that one word in it’s modern sense does define me. At the same party I was introduced by another person as a Transhumanist. This was certainly due to the fact that I wrote a piece for the Singularity Institute about downloading the human brain. This is also true I guess. I am philosophically conflicted about being a Transhumanist, but the fact is that I am one. I work some on regenerative medicine, and some on artificial intelligence. I write blogs to extend the reach of my thoughts and ideas. These are all Transhumanist traits. So is it a contradiction to be a Naturalist and a Transhumanist? It may, or may not be, but the introduction as one of those is provocative. It may also leave people thinking I am nuts. After thinking about this, I came up with other descriptions of myself that seem contradictory but would also be true. Hunter and gatherer and Urban Farming supporter. Well not the hunting, but the gathering. I love to forage, as I was taught by my mushroom seeking wife. i think it also environmentally friendly. I also don’t like organic farms, but like factory farms even less. I do believe in genetically engineered foods, and that they are most useful when they are hyper close to a population, such as vertical farming. II can think of hundreds of others.
So why write about this, as many readers don’t care about how I am introduced or defined in 10 seconds at a party? I guess it is that it has nothing to do with me. Perhaps if we all started to see each other as complex definable creatures, then we can fill in some truths about existence through observation and friendships that we wouldn’t be able to do by simply knowing what job someone did.
The other night at a Gala for the New York Academy of Science, where smart and interesting people filled the room, I was introduced in ways by different people that made me feel that I had split personalities. For instance I was introduced as a Naturalist. I liked that, as it is true. I believe that humans are a determined part of the natural world just like other creatures and even objects. This informs my views on the absence of Free-will, and therefore also my scientific ideas. So that one word in it’s modern sense does define me. At the same party I was introduced by another person as a Transhumanist. This was certainly due to the fact that I wrote a piece for the Singularity Institute about downloading the human brain. This is also true I guess. I am philosophically conflicted about being a Transhumanist, but the fact is that I am one. I work some on regenerative medicine, and some on artificial intelligence. I write blogs to extend the reach of my thoughts and ideas. These are all Transhumanist traits. So is it a contradiction to be a Naturalist and a Transhumanist? It may, or may not be, but the introduction as one of those is provocative. It may also leave people thinking I am nuts. After thinking about this, I came up with other descriptions of myself that seem contradictory but would also be true. Hunter and gatherer and Urban Farming supporter. Well not the hunting, but the gathering. I love to forage, as I was taught by my mushroom seeking wife. i think it also environmentally friendly. I also don’t like organic farms, but like factory farms even less. I do believe in genetically engineered foods, and that they are most useful when they are hyper close to a population, such as vertical farming. II can think of hundreds of others.
So why write about this, as many readers don’t care about how I am introduced or defined in 10 seconds at a party? I guess it is that it has nothing to do with me. Perhaps if we all started to see each other as complex definable creatures, then we can fill in some truths about existence through observation and friendships that we wouldn’t be able to do by simply knowing what job someone did.
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