I want to share some information, below, from the Center for Inquiry (CFI), which is a national organization of secular humanists, atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, non-religious, and the like. CFI is very supportive of science and reason as methodologically superior ways to understand how the world works, as opposed to religion, dogma, and superstition.
But CFI not really taken a position on immortalism per se, nor has there been much discussion of immortalism within CFI, in my experience, other than an article or two in one or both of their magazines, "Skeptical Inquirer" and "Free Inquiry." (I did not have a subscription at the time these were published, so I did not unfortunately read those articles. I only know they are available by ordering back issues). One of CFI's former staffers, D.J. Groethe, expressed a strong affinity to immortalism and transhumanism in a talk he gave to the local CFI affiliate here in Tucson, AZ, which I belong to. But, secular humanism and immortalism are not always natural allies, in my opinion, in that some secular humanists adopt the "conventional wisdom", if one wants to call it that, that death is a natural part of life, to be accepted, not feared. Some secular humanists would argue that humanity bestowed with an indefinite lifespan would be an ecological disaster, which I don't think is a trivial argument, although it is not persuasive enough to convince me to feel any comfort in, or acceptance of my ultimate demise supposedly being a good thing, for the larger good of the planet, if nothing else. (CFI, in my experience, has been supportive of the right to die, or "death with dignity" movement, for example, as a humanistic alternative to "right to life" dogma that would force any and all medical treatment on anyone who is in a terminal state, regardless of their personal wishes or personal pain. But, I only mention "right to die" as a collateral issue to immortalism, without digressing into all the implications of CFI's support of the right to die movement, here.)
So, I was glad to see on the CFI website, the call for papers, below, for an upcoming CFI conference. I don't know if CFI as an organization would be persuadeable to adopt an immortalist position, but it is heartening to me that they are at least showing an interest and openness to immortalism and transhumanism as an issue worthy of exploration. If nothing else, I think this could help bring immortalism and transhumanism more to the fore as important issues for the secular humanist community to consider. To the extent that secular humanists support science and reason, and reject religious arguments for accepting the conventional wisdom in many areas, I think that many (although not all) secular humanists would indeed be in support of immortalist efforts to extend the human lifespan. It is an issue that immortalists would have to advocate for, within the secular humanist community, and hopefully it will be productive in bringing in like-minded people from the secular humanist community to the support of immortalism as a positive good.
I don't know if I personally have the academic skills or background to address this in a 4000 to 6000 word paper, but I may give it a try. I would certainly encourage other immortalists to do so. Here it is:
UPCOMING EVENTS
CALL FOR PAPERS
TRANSFORMING HUMANITY: FANTASY? DREAM? NIGHTMARE?
Conference at the University of Pennsylvania, December 3-4, 2010
Sponsored by The Center for Inquiry, the Penn Center for Bioethics, and the Penn Center for Neuroscience & Society
Scheduled Speakers: Allen Buchanan (Duke), Arthur Caplan (Penn), Martha Farah (Penn), Ronald Lindsay (CFI), Maxwell Mehlman (Case Western), Jonathan Moreno (Penn), Rosemarie Tong (UNC-Charlotte)
“Transforming Humanity: Fantasy? Dream? Nightmare?” suggests three of the main approaches that have been taken in addressing human enhancements, namely that it is unrealistic to expect significant changes to human nature through enhancements, that significant changes are both possible and desirable, and that significant changes are possible but are highly undesirable. We invite papers from all academic disciplines that address any aspect of the conference theme, especially where scientific and technological breakthroughs may call for novel approaches to dealing with human transformation.
GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION
• Deadline: September 1, 2010. Early submissions will be eligible for an early decision.
• Papers between 4,000 and 6,000 words. Include a 100-word abstract at the beginning.
• Send paper as an attachment to an email to Arthur Caplan at caplan@mail.med.upenn.edu
CONTACT INFORMATION
• Details about the conference will be updated at http://www.centerfor...ch/conferences/
• Questions about conference logistics may be directed to John Shook, jshook@centerforinquiry.net
