INTEGRAL WORLD MAILING LIST http://www.integralworld.net Newsletter Nr. 666 Amsterdam, June 22nd, 2017 THE CHALLENGE OF TRANSHUMANISM - JOSEPH DILLARD Transhumanism deals with connecting with something larger than ourselves, whether working on collectives, nature or higher order contexts. It offers a powerful collective redefinition of the self in all quadrants, which is why it is being addressed here. Disciples of transhumanism, a growing and influential minority, typically believe that the future of humanity lies in a cyborg symbiosis with artificial intelligence via a “neural interface.” Translated into common speak, imagine your iPhone reduced to the size of a chip that resides inside your brain. Is this Brave New World, 1984, or The Matrix? Take your pick. There are a lot of thought leaders, from technologists like Elon Musk and Ray Kurzweil, to integralists like Robb Smith, who have reached the conclusion, “Transhumanism is a likely future, so we need to figure out how to make the best of it.”[1] These people view those who consider a transhumanist future as inherently dystopian as luddites, unable to embrace the glories of a Borg collective.[2] A cynic might conclude that, like Matt Tabbi’s vampire squid, these people smell money to be made. Read more: http://www.integralworld.net/dillard4.html THE INTEGRAL CURE OF PATHOLOGY - JOSEPH DILLARD For Wilber, the solution is not getting rid of holarchy per se, which after all, is impossible, but arresting (and integrating) the arrogant holons. But the issue integral faces is not the rooting out of some arrogant holon, like Donald Trump or the triumph of ethnocentrism; integral itself is a subset of an arrogant holon. You cannot arrest and integrate an arrogant holon when it is the context, the culture or the decisive power. A sub-holon cannot and will not “root out” a holon of which it is a subset. This would be like your heart eliminating your diseased body without destroying itself. What are the implications for integral when it is a subset of, and therefore in league with, the arrogant holons? This has arguably been the case to the extent that integralists have aligned themselves with the neoliberal agendas of Clinton, Obama and Clinton. Read more: http://www.integralworld.net/dillard3.html