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Declaration of Singularity Revisited

Well, with Glenn and Ray being falsely accused of Pollyanism, we thought this July 4th we would revisit our founding principles



We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men human beings sentient beings of human-level or greater intelligence are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life of indefinite duration, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments technologies and economic activity are instituted among men intelligent beings, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed participants. That whenever any form of government civilization becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new government civilization, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments cultures long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind intelligent beings are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations government the existing civilization, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce constrain them under the absolute despotism of remaining in the current developmental stage, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government civilization, and to provide new guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies beings ; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government civilization. The history of the present King of Great Britain Post-Industrial Age is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment prevention of an absolute tyranny the further evolution of over these states beings. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

In the face of unrelenting progress, this civilization has continued to harken back to "natural" limitations of development which must never be challenged.

It has promoted and enforced harmful and prejudicial distinctions between human and non-human intelligence.

It has set artificial and arbitrary limits as to duration of lifespan.

It has enforced meaningless distinctions between labor and leisure.

It has equipped despotic governments and enterprises to restrict the means of production and self-expression to a limited few.

It has promoted the creation of artificial boundaries between creative minds.

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America all sentient beings of human-level or greater intelligence, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies these beings, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies beings are, and of right ought to be a free and independent states civilization; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown current human civilization, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain Post-Industrial World, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as a free and independent states civilization, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, live, interact, create, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states a civilization may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.

Comments

Where do I sign? ;)

(Although the Divine Providence bit could do with alteration, IMHO...how about 'firm reliance on the protection of Logic and Hindsight'? Just a thought.)

Armchair:

Actually this is an area that Phil and I would disagree with you (humbly). Unlike most Singularitarians, we maintain a traditional faith - Christianity.

It's a unusual tightrope we walk. Here's an example:

http://www.blog.speculist.com/archives/000473.html

Well, if I were to start detailing some of the things I believe and some of the things I don't believe, there would be many who would balk at Stephen's description of my beliefs as being "traditional;" be that as it may, I am indeed a person of faith.

However, leaving the references to the Creator and Divine Providence in the Declaration was not an attempt to infuse the document with my religious beliefs. Rather, I think those are terms that work well for traditional believers like Stephen [ :-) ] as well as for Deists, which is what many of the authors of the Declaration were (Deism being an interesting point of convergence between theism and atheism), and can work, in a poetic if in no other sense, for non-believers. Those terms don't point to a particular creed or even a broad set of beliefs. But they do suggest that there is something creative and positive at work in the universe, as evidenced both by human evolution in general and the Singularity in particular.

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