Comments on: [Oo! Let's Make a Game!] Episode 2: What’s It All About?

By: Dave (aka Nev)

Dave (aka Nev) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:05:21 +0000

Gah >_< For some reason it cut off 20 minutes in. I need to reDL it and try again =(

By: kingstonc

kingstonc — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:51:38 +0000

Maybe it’s what you choose to change or not change-what you care about, look like, can do, ect., says what you choose to be. And what you choose to be is interesting.

If transhumanism is about identity, about the question “what am I?”- “I am what I choose to be and I choose to be (a homosexual, a Christian, a person with the body of a squid, a person with an un-upgraded human body with all it’s inconveniences)” is a pretty interesting answer.

One thing that I don’t think would be a good choice for an answer to “what am I” is “I am the sum total of my biological processes and mimetic inputs” because such a deterministic view of human nature is deprogagonising and undramatic EVEN IF IT IS TRUE. Drama is inherently biased in favor of free will over determinism.

By: joshua

joshua — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:11:35 +0000

It’s not our business to make characters at all. And I’m not sure precisely what “female” means in this context anyway.

Does the personality stay the same if the body changes? Listen to that RadioLab episode to get some informed opinions!

By: Scifinium

Scifinium — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:38:30 +0000

So when I gain weight,Does my visceral sence of the world change? As far as big Breasts ,small waists…please make your femal characters with realistic costumes!And does personality stay the same if the body/reality changes? Anyway good luck!Cheers!

By: joshua

joshua — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:12:24 +0000

Yeah, I did some research after the episode. The king in question was, in fact, King Christina, who’s been dead for some 300 years.

Doc, that’s precisely what Shock: is about.

Kingston, I can very easily see what you care about being put into question as who and what you are changes nature.

By: Sven Holmström

Sven Holmström — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:00:16 +0000

Of course I can’t hold myself back from correcting you regarding the Swedish royal house. The current regent is the king, his wife is the queen, but isn’t a regent. If the king dies his daughter will become queen *and* regent. Her husband, in turn, will be *prince*, not king (and not regent).

(It is known that the king would prefer his son to become regent instead of his older daughter, but parliament screwed him royally (!) on that one right after the prince’s birth.)’

Now, let’s move on… (And yeah, the existence of a KING in my native country is really hilarious to me too, that’s why I’m spewing forth all these words.)

By: Doc H

Doc H — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:30:26 +0000

That’s a great comment kingstonc. I would add that sometimes you also change to get the thing you want, and the thing you want is also interesting. Peoples desires say an awful lot about them. The really interesting thing is whether you lose the thing you wanted to keep in order to take a shot at getting the thing you wanted. (And you can end up with both or neither.)

By: kingstonc

kingstonc — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:58:32 +0000

A trans humanist game should be about what stays the same when you can change everything and anything about yourself. Because what stays the same is what you care about and what you care about is interesting.

By: Doc H

Doc H — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:34:03 +0000

Something Rob said to me several months ago started me on reading more transhumanist science fiction. I found an early precursor to the genre in The Amphibian Man by Alexander Belliaev. I gave it a quick review at http://resqueezed.blogspot.com/2009/09/reading-amphibian-man.html. The wikipedia article gives a bit more plot detail, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amphibian_Man.