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Technoprogressives Should Favor Progressive Gains
Many in the United States see evidence of a tectonic shift in public opinion over major issues that have gone nowhere for years.
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Posted by Hector on 05/04 at 12:55 PM
How can we make Technoprogressives more appealing to the conservatives out there? Right now, it seems that the only thing about Technoprogressives that is appealing to them is the cool name (on which they might say to themselves, "Hey, I love Technology and I love Progress"!)
Posted by Mike Treder on 05/04 at 01:11 PM
Hector, it sounds to me like you are proposing an impossibility. Conservatives by definition are wary about social progress and generally not receptive to new technologies either.
Posted by hector on 05/04 at 02:18 PM
Oh, well if you define "social progress" as "becoming more liberal," I guess you're right. But that definition is not obvious from the word "progressive." That's all I was saying.
Concerning new technology that extend the life of a person, even if it means a life of low quality - conservatives are all for that, aren't they?
Posted by Mike Treder on 05/04 at 02:24 PM
Um, you mean like embryonic stem cell research? Nope, most cultural conservatives (at least in the U.S.) oppose it.
Posted by hector on 05/04 at 04:08 PM
You're right about that one, but they're fine with /adult/ stem cell research.
The very fact that we can both come up with technologies that conservatives like and ones they don't like demonstrates the point I was making.
The point is that "Technoprogressive" is a confusing term if it's intended to refer only to those technologies promoting liberal causes. And if it refers to areas in which science and technology plays almost no role whatsoever, such as gay marriage, then we might as well toss out the "techno" prefix, and ensure that everyone knows that "progressive" equals "liberal."
Posted by Mike Treder on 05/04 at 05:18 PM
It's not intended to be confusing, but the "progressive" part of technoprogressive does imply more than simply promoting the progress of technology. Technoprogressives are politically progressive (leaning left), and we support the safe development and responsible use of emerging technologies to expand human potential and to improve our societies.
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