IEET Technoprogressive Policy Briefing Book

Projects
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The IEET is considering a new focus: A New Focus of the IEET

Here’s the conclusion of that article:

So I am proposing that the IEET re-focus in a major way, on our website, with our blog, with our community, and in our work, on the explicit project of building a global technoprogressive ideological tendency to intervene in debates within futurism, academe and public policy. While we will remain a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, and will not be endorsing specific candidates, parties or pieces of legislation, we can focus on the broad parameters of the technoprogressive regulatory and legislative agenda to be pursued globally.

Regarding a first concrete project in this new direction, I have in mind our editing a Technoprogressive Policy Briefing Book, comparable to the briefing books of think tanks like the Brookings Institution, AEI, or Heritage Foundation. This project can collect and collaborate with the excellent work done by Transpolitica and other technoprogressive groups and friends. Each policy briefing would state a general issue in a couple of paragraphs, outline the key technoprogressive policy ideas to address the issue, and then list key publications and links to organizations pursuing those policies.

As we transition to this new focus, we need to give our community a chance to decide on whether this is a direction they are still interested in going with us. Our approach to community-building has been inclusive and additive, with little expected of those whose work we enthusiastically promoted. What I have in mind is a more focused political direction that some of you may not be comfortable with, while others will cheer as past due. Please let Steven and I know either way.

In closing, I want to thank you for your support over the last dozen years. Working on the IEET has given me far more than I could have imagined. For those who are not interested in continuing to be connected with the IEET as we move in this new direction, I have faith that your work will still be contributing to our shared goals. For those of you ready to begin building an international cadre of technoprogressive public intellectuals and activists that can raise a “sexy, high-tech vision of a radically democratic future” to counter the dystopian narratives of Right and Left, I want to start hearing your thoughts on how we should proceed.

James J. Hughes Ph.D.
Executive Director, Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies
director@ieet.org

I think, such a project would be of tremendous value for the international political transhumanism, and in particular technoprogressivism. It would provide a common global philosophical basis for all technoprogressive transhumanist parties.

How could the Fractal Future Forum support such an initiative?

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Meh…I liked IEET as it was, and it was already contributing a lot to technoprogressivism.

Quite frankly, I don’t see the point of narrowing down the website’s focus, it will only alienate people from our already too small transhumanist community.

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I understood the article in the way that they wanted to find a new unique focus of the IEET, while still valuing the contributions to the overall transhumanist / technoprogressive community. Of course, the key question is how much that will work. It could reinvigorate the IEET, and make it more influential. Or it could alienate its current contributors and readers so much that it might get nearly abandoned. Maybe the article should have been worded more thoughtfully to make the first outcome more likely.

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I think it would have been prefereble if they’d put together some sort of “team” inside de IEET that would work towards this task. The risk of alienating people would be much smaller this way.

I myself am interested in Technoprogressive politics, but I go to IEET looking for all sorts of different articles, and I would like them all to continue being published.

For me, the way to go for transhumanist communities is to adopt a broad focus, not a narrow one. We are very few and don’t frequently agree on anything other than human enhancement. If we want to be significant we really have to include everyone.

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