Ines AissaniExtropian? The word may not mean anything to you. However, you certainly know people who claim this. One of the most well-known extropians is certainly Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks.
In a lighter definition of the term, we can also cite Elon Musk, a proponent of what is called "transhumanism", this school of thought that seeks to improve and overcome human limitations through the progress of science. Elon Musk's SpaceX company represents the transhumanist dream of being able to leave the terrestrial environment to find a new earth, for a new human, beyond the constraints of the human condition.
Extropians believe that human nature must reinvent itself (and even find salvation) through science and technology.
The term does not refer to a simple extravagant terminology that one would find only in science fiction books. In many ways, we already know that reality can "surpass fiction" and many inventions straight out of fantasy writers are now fully part of our contemporary world.
1. Origins and history of extropianism
Extropianism was born in the 1980s, prefigured by the transhumanist author " FM-2030"Behind this name is the Iranian philosopher Fereidoun M. Esfandiary, who has become a major figure of the movement through his books such as "Idendity Card" or " Are You a Transhuman? ". He was the first human being to benefit from cryopreservation by vitrification. His body is then until today, placed in a cryonic chamber, within a transhumanist association (Alcor) based in Arizona. He has largely inspired the thinkers of the digital revolution and more specifically the extropians.
In 1988, two authors, Max More and Tom W. Bell launched the first openly extropian publication with the journal "Extropy". They later founded theExtropy Institute in 1991, a California-based nonprofit that is still in operation today.
In 1991, a first email mailing list was launched where the basic principles of extropianism were updated.
1. Understand the basics with transhumanism
What is transhumanism? A philosophy? A school of thought or an ideology? Everything will depend on the intensity and density of the idea promoted by its supporters. Beyond semantics, the essential thing to understand about transhumanism is the idea that it is possible to improve the human condition through technology. Cryogenics, DNA cloning or even cell rejuvenation would allow us to consider the death of man not as an inevitability but as a simple "problem" that can be solved in the future.
The Latin prefix "trans" evokes the idea of crossing, of transition. In other words, the thought of transhumanism wants to go "beyond" man as he is and to biologically transform Homo Sapiens Sapiens. It is not insignificant that the modern definition of transhumanism was first conceptualized in the 1930s, by two biologists including Julian Huxley et J.BS Haldane, specializing in genetics.
Subsequently, the transhumanism trend has evolved over time, integrating ever more fields such as cybernetics, computer science, biotechnology and more recently, artificial intelligence.
In a transversal and more pragmatic way, we can think here of the expression of " Techno-solutionism » which shares some similarities with transhumanist thinking. The idea here refers to the fact that technological inventions can provide solutions to the problems that humanity faces. The biggest criticism of this belief is to point out that very often techno-solutionism seeks to solve problems that previous technologies have previously generated…
2. The philosophical principles of Extropianism
Situated between ideology and philosophy, extropianism is defined as the conviction that human life must adapt to - and adopt - scientific technologies. The term was designed on the opposite word of entropy which defines the natural tendency of a system which after maturity is doomed to degeneration and death. More specifically, extropianism rejects and refutes the idea of biological human death. Man should seek immortality and use science to fulfill this ideal which dates back to the dazzling Epic of Gilgamesh.
In Principles of Extropians 3.0 published in 1999, the philosopher Max More wrote, unequivocally:
"We do not accept the undesirable aspects of the human condition. We question the natural and traditional limitations on our possibilities. We advocate the use of science and technology to eradicate constraints on life span, intelligence, personal vitality and freedom."
Max More
3. What link can we find between extropianism and Bitcoin?
At first glance, there is no proven and direct link between the ideology of extropianism and that defended by the supporters of Bitcoin (if there is one). However, among the first letters of circulation of cypherpunk, the ideology considered to be at the origin of the creation of Bitcoin, we find notorious extropians. Moreover, the first recipient of the first bitcoin transfer was the computer scientist Hal Finney, which was also contributor to the newspaper “Extropy”.
The fact that Hal Finney is openly Extropian and at the same time one of the first people to work on Bitcoin certainly contributed to bringing cryptographers closer to Extropians - in theory.
Many extropians come from the world of computing such as Hal Finney, Julian Assange or, Philip Zimmermann, the creator of the first encryption software for emails. This high proportion of computer scientists would explain why many concepts specific to this field are then transposed into the metaphysical and transhumanist considerations of the authors.
In fact, a connecting point that seems to link Bitcoin to extropianism is that Bitcoin is essentially computer code. A computer code that works by itself, without the need for human intervention (other than by activating machines, of course). An immutable computer code that can operate continuously... Without ever stopping until the dawn of time. We touch, perhaps, here, the sensitive detail which echoes the immortality sought by the Extropians.
Technology as a common base
However, if one digs deeper, there is no more connection to extropianism and cryptocurrencies than there is to other technologies. Correlation is not causation. It is not because cryptocurrencies represent a technological innovation that they would necessarily be the prerogative of extropians. What they value, once again, is the supremacy of computer code.
More trivially, we can also say that an extropian can refute the idea of Bitcoin as a solution to financial problems just as a bitcoiner can feel distant from extropianist thought.
Final word
Extropianism is a branch of transhumanist philosophy that believes in the ability of science and technology to improve and extend human life. This conviction extends to the belief in immortality. Some extropians including Hal Finney played a crucial role in the development of cryptocurrencies, notably Bitcoin.
From a certain perspective, it is not wrong to think that Bitcoin is adapted to transhumanist thinking. There is in the very design of Bitcoin, something that tears it away from the human condition. Bitcoin can function, autonomously, and survive generations of men. In a sense, Bitcoin is a kind of "immortal" currency and thus joins the ultimate dream of the extropians.
However, and this is valid for all ideologies, it is essential not to conflate and to understand that there can be several points of view within the same community, even if the members share common values.
