Craig+Thorogood+Soapstone

CRAIG THOROGOOD

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/10/opinion/10iht-edyoung.2161405.html?_r=0 Author: Cathy Young, NY Times

Subject: The current debate of transhumanism and the different people who have spoken about it and different literary works that reference it

Occasion: The debate is modern, relevant, newsworthy, and not many people know all the details

Audience: Anyone part of the general public who wants to get a better understanding of the ongoing debate of transhumanism

Purpose: to educate and explore the details of the debate of whether we should experiment/go further with it

Speaker: Cathy Young

Tone: Informative, yet biased

Quotes:

" In popular culture, the desire to transcend biology - whether through genetic engineering or artificial cyber-intelligence - is almost invariably treated as a dangerous, Frankenstein-like pursuit driven by human arrogance and likely to have disastrous consequences."

"For one thing, gene therapy targeting various diseases could alleviate much human suffering, and even improvements in the baseline - such as slowing down the aging process - could be beneficial."

CRAIG THOROGOOD

http://www.uktranshumanistassociation.org/index.shtml Author: UK Transhumanist Association

Subject: The UK Transhumanist Association and why transhumanism is a good thing

Occasion: There are many anti-transhumanist groups out there, and this association wants to explore the details of why transhumanism is a positive thing.

Audience: Anyone who is either a supporter or non-supporter of transhumanism, and who wants to learn more about what it actually is

Purpose: To give details about this association and about transhumanism in general

Speaker: members of the UK Transhumanist Association

Tone: Formal, infprmative, extremely biased, yet not condescending

Quotes:

"It is the proper business of human beings to seek to improve themselves. To deny this is to embrace stagnation and decay"

"To achieve any such improvement in the human condition, progress must be made."

CRAIG THOROGOOD

http://douthat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/a-case-against-transhumanism/ Author: Ross Douthat

Subject: Bringing to light a piece by Roger Scruton, as well as pulling quotes to make a "Case Against Transhumanism"

Occasion: the debate of transhumanism is modern and relevant, and he is one of the many contributing information and his opinion

Audience: Anyone of the public who is interested in the debate

Purpose: To delve deeper into the ongoing debate about transhumanism and share a piece that relates to it

Speaker: Ross Douthat

Tone: Casual, biased

Quotes:

"The transhumanists believe that we will replace ourselves with immortal cyborgs, who will emerge from the discarded shell of humanity like the blessed souls from the grave in some medieval Last Judgement."

"Why should we be working for a future in which creatures like us won’t exist, and in which human happiness as we know it will no longer be obtainable?"