Online Encyclopedia
Extropianism
Extropianism stems from the word extropy, a term coined by T.O. Morrow in January 1988, which is defined as the extent of a living or organizational system's intelligence, functional order, vitality, energy, life, experience, and capacity and drive for improvement and growth. Extropy expresses a metaphor, rather than serving as a technical term, and so is not simply the opposite of entropy, although it is perceived as the collection of forces which oppose entropy.
The Principles of Extropy define Extropianism. According to their author, Max More, who co-founded the Extropy Institute, these "do not specify particular beliefs, technologies, or policies." Advocates of this philosophy believe that an ever-accelerating progression to higher intelligence (due to processes like evolution and technological progress) appears highly likely. Whether this leads to a so-called technological singularity or just continues in an exponential-growth fashion remains the subject of debate amongst extropians. In general, they tend to have an optimistic view of the future, expecting considerable advances in computational power, life expectancy, nanotechnology and the like; possibly culminating in the eventual perfection of humanity, including unlimited life spans, and resurrection (for those preserved by means of cryonics) by technological means.
An extropian shares the values and attitudes expressed by the Principles of Extropy. As a sub-set of transhumanism, Extropianism places strong emphasis on rational thinking, on open societies, and on practical optimism.
A magazine entitled Extropy was published by More and T.O. Morrow between 1988 and 1996. Seventeen issues were printed during the publication's eight year run.