Please see my introduction into this series on the Extropian Principles for context. As before, unless otherwise noted, I’m sharing my own feelings and interpretations of the Extropian Principles which may differ substantially from the original author’s. I also want to reiterate that I do not consider myself to be a model Extropian at all. Extropianism is a key to my own personal philosophies, but like most worthy philosophies it’s very difficult to fully follow.

Transformation is what Transhumanism is all about. Transhumanism is a journey from the base animal that modern humans started out as into the Posthumans that we seem to be self-evolving towards. Extropians celebrate this transformation, but place great emphasis on the individual’s role in it.

Dr. More describes Self-Transformation by saying: “Extropy means affirming continual ethical, intellectual, and physical self-improvement, through critical and creative thinking, perpetual learning, personal responsibility, proactivity, and experimentation. Using technology — in the widest sense to seek physiological and neurological augmentation along with emotional and psychological refinement.” These 40 words convey enough information to write many essays on, so consider this to be but an introduction.

At the heart of Extropianism is the individual. Their belief in the value of the individual over the collective (society, civilization, government, etc) and her own personal role in the progress of humanity is what separates Extropianism from most other subsets of Transhumanism. Whereas many Transhumans would prefer for governments to focus on technology research that could benefit humanity, Extropians feel that even well-intentioned government policies often have unintended negative net effects that hamper human progress. Extropians would rather each individual be educated and passionate about their future and helping each other. They feel that the best environment to foster the uplifting and transformation of humanity is in a free and open society which celebrates individual liberty.

Ultimately, though, regardless of societal or governmental openness, an Extropian constantly seeks to better herself. That journey encompasses both technological augmentation as well as more inward focused improvements in personal character and wisdom. Each increment of improvement is intended to guide the Extropian towards the goals of Transhumanism.

One important aspect of Extropian self-transformation is learning to be proactive — i.e. seeing opportunities in areas which may become useful thanks to improvements in technology. For example, an Extropian may decide that an infant technology will become increasingly important in the near future and then set about to learn enough about it so that she can reap the rewards of the opportunity as early as possible. Rather than passively sitting by and allowing things to happen, by being proactive the Extropian may be able to better steer these opportunities in a direction more beneficial to herself and others.

An Extropian shoulders the responsibility for this learning and improvement herself. She doesn’t look to the government or other institutions for what to do, but instead strikes out on her own into often little explored frontiers of knowledge, science or technology. She experiments with what she has learned to decide whether or not it’s beneficial to her progress and whether or not it’s worth sharing with others.

An Extropian never pauses for long in her studies since she realizes that once one skill is mastered it may become obsolete without constant refining. There are also infinite numbers of other skills to be learned, and choices that must be made about which ones can provide the best ways forward. Learning and self-transformation never stops.

Critical thinking is also an important Extropian skill, and it’s one which must be constantly practiced to keep sharp. Rigid thinking and a black and white view of the world is anathema to the Extropian. An Extropian exercises her mind until she is able to view problems and issues from multiple angles. Even distasteful reality tunnels may have lessons to teach. The Extropian strives to have the wisdom to understand which lessons are most productive.

The Extropian greedily consumes technology since it is one of the most powerful ways to push past the boundaries of nature. An Extropian will use technology to better perfect the things that nature leaves imperfect: physical imperfections, memory, intelligence, etc. Experimentation here will be key for many Extropians as they will often be the ones on the vanguard of technology consumption to enhance themselves. In this way they may find themselves in conflict with society or government.

This goal to perfect the self is not uniquely Extropian, but it does shed light on why Extropians are considered to have a strong Libertarian bent. Society and government often frown upon individuals pushing boundaries in the name of safety or security. When the desire for Self-Transformation runs up against boundaries — legal or otherwise — the Extropian will attempt to find ways to work around the restrictions. The journey from human to transhuman to posthuman can’t be delayed because it discomforts some.