4 ms·

Yikes. The creep factor is very high in this article. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the fawning over what is arguably a potentially dangerous new cult.

enraged_camel 12y ago
What exactly do you find creepy and what makes her religion a "cult?"
- 01Michael10 12y ago
  I guess you didn't read the article... The Terasem Movement most certainly is creepy (aren't all religions?) but we don't have enough information to determine if it is a cult (would need actually followers). I want to guess this "religion" is really meant to be satirical.
  - easytiger 12y ago
    Even creepier robot of his wife: http://www.nytimes.com/video/science/1247468035233/interview-with-a-robot.html http://www.nytimes.com/video/science/1247468035233/interview...
    - eropple 12y ago
      Misgendering a transgendered person is being a jerk. Don't be a jerk.
      - deleted 12y ago
        [deleted]
ebbv 12y ago
The thing that really annoys me about profiles like these is that they are about someone who was born into privilege and then lucked into wealth at a young age. Yeah, Martine was right about the future of satellite radio. But lots of people were right about a lot of things but didn't hit big paydays. When someone hits one like that, it's mostly down to luck. Leveraging that early wealth into other successful things is better than squandering it, but it's not a tale of heroism. Instead of giving me actual reasons to admire Martine, this profile is just a list of things that came from that fortunate early privilege and wealth. And yeah, the cult is an indication of some kind of mental problems to me.
- chwahoo 12y ago
  Wow, where did that come from?!? Was starting her workday at 2am everyday part of her "luck"? From this profile, it sounds like she's worked very hard, she's smart, she's sacrificed living on very little as a grad student, she's taken risks, and she's been driven to do work that's important too her (developing technology to save her daughter). Sure, tons of people live fortunate lives by skating forward on the momentum of a privileged upbringing. But I get exactly the opposite vibe from this article.
  - ebbv 12y ago
    Lots of people work very hard and never make it rich. Working long hours is not a trait unique to very successful people. Therefore, what is unique? Luck. As far as "living on very little as a grad student", grad students may live on a tight budget but they don't know what poverty means. I didn't say there was no hard work involved, but the article is not really about the work. It's about these big things that Martine was only able to do because she got very wealthy and very lucky early on. If you're not already super rich, no amount of hard work is going to let you start a drug company to save your child. Please don't confuse my dislike for this fawning profile with dislike of Martine. My whole point is that this article nothing but sycophantic fluff, and as a result I don't know Martine at all really. The most insightful thing in this whole article is that she started a weird cult.
    - chwahoo 12y ago
      The vast, vast, vast majority of people who are born with every advantage don't accomplish anything worthy of a profile like this. And I don't dispute that, if she'd been born in a starving village in a third-world country (or probably even to poor parents in the US), its very unlikely that that she would have done these particular things. It seems that the only criteria for interestingness or laudability that you'll accept is to have overcome underprivileged circumstances. I think that's a perfectly fine factor, but I'm personally interested in reading profiles of people for LOTS of other reasons: impressive accomplishments, impressive problem solving, overcoming/motivated by bad things happening to you or your close family, personal struggle, unusual ideas / perspective, hard work, humor, ... and many more (some that I'm not even aware of). If a person's story has the right weighting of factors like that, I'm interested. And Martine Rothblatt's story was WELL OVER the bar for being someone who I'd want to learn about.
jqm 12y ago
I wouldn't be too concerned about this religion catching on or turning into a cult of any significance... The founder appears a bit too eccentric to appeal to very many of those with a religious bent. It seems more like a personal assembly of elements from the founders past coupled with things they found value in. So great for them and a very small number of others. After all, it's not the first time a successful business person dabbled in starting a religion. Dr. Kellogg of "They'rrrr Grrreat!" cornflakes fame for instance (as a side effect Corn Flakes can apparently help cure masturbation also.... http://mentalfloss.com/article/32042/corn-flakes-were-invented-part-anti-masturbation-crusade http://mentalfloss.com/article/32042/corn-flakes-were-invent...). Not to denigrate the subjects current work with human organs. What they are doing is pretty cool. That probably will be mainstream soon enough.
chwahoo 12y ago
Interesting, I've heard people talk about transhumanism and singularitarianism as similar to religions/cults, but those philosophies aren't usually presented with an explicitly spiritual/religious component. It sounds from the article like the Terasim Movement does try to add a religious component (the profile suggests elements of Judaism). A light skim over the Terasim Movement website (http://www.terasemmovementfoundation.com http://www.terasemmovementfoundation.com) doesn't seem to reveal much about that religious component, although this video (http://vimeo.com/100518959 http://vimeo.com/100518959) has a nebulously "spiritual" feel to it. Do you think this cult is dangerous because you believe all cults/religions are, or do you see something particularly worrisome here?
- fit2rule 12y ago
  I think the desire to form an organization which has the purpose of interfering with life at a fundamental level is quite dangerous, particularly since it seems focused around the desires - and thoughts - of a single individual. The creation of alternate-to-nature/-robot life is, arguably, another way to build yourself a slave colony.

enraged_camel 12y ago

What exactly do you find creepy and what makes her religion a "cult?"

01Michael10 12y ago
I guess you didn't read the article... The Terasem Movement most certainly is creepy (aren't all religions?) but we don't have enough information to determine if it is a cult (would need actually followers). I want to guess this "religion" is really meant to be satirical.
- easytiger 12y ago
  Even creepier robot of his wife: http://www.nytimes.com/video/science/1247468035233/interview-with-a-robot.html http://www.nytimes.com/video/science/1247468035233/interview...
  - eropple 12y ago
    Misgendering a transgendered person is being a jerk. Don't be a jerk.
    - deleted 12y ago
      [deleted]

ebbv 12y ago

The thing that really annoys me about profiles like these is that they are about someone who was born into privilege and then lucked into wealth at a young age. Yeah, Martine was right about the future of satellite radio. But lots of people were right about a lot of things but didn't hit big paydays. When someone hits one like that, it's mostly down to luck. Leveraging that early wealth into other successful things is better than squandering it, but it's not a tale of heroism. Instead of giving me actual reasons to admire Martine, this profile is just a list of things that came from that fortunate early privilege and wealth. And yeah, the cult is an indication of some kind of mental problems to me.

chwahoo 12y ago
Wow, where did that come from?!? Was starting her workday at 2am everyday part of her "luck"? From this profile, it sounds like she's worked very hard, she's smart, she's sacrificed living on very little as a grad student, she's taken risks, and she's been driven to do work that's important too her (developing technology to save her daughter). Sure, tons of people live fortunate lives by skating forward on the momentum of a privileged upbringing. But I get exactly the opposite vibe from this article.
- ebbv 12y ago
  Lots of people work very hard and never make it rich. Working long hours is not a trait unique to very successful people. Therefore, what is unique? Luck. As far as "living on very little as a grad student", grad students may live on a tight budget but they don't know what poverty means. I didn't say there was no hard work involved, but the article is not really about the work. It's about these big things that Martine was only able to do because she got very wealthy and very lucky early on. If you're not already super rich, no amount of hard work is going to let you start a drug company to save your child. Please don't confuse my dislike for this fawning profile with dislike of Martine. My whole point is that this article nothing but sycophantic fluff, and as a result I don't know Martine at all really. The most insightful thing in this whole article is that she started a weird cult.
  - chwahoo 12y ago
    The vast, vast, vast majority of people who are born with every advantage don't accomplish anything worthy of a profile like this. And I don't dispute that, if she'd been born in a starving village in a third-world country (or probably even to poor parents in the US), its very unlikely that that she would have done these particular things. It seems that the only criteria for interestingness or laudability that you'll accept is to have overcome underprivileged circumstances. I think that's a perfectly fine factor, but I'm personally interested in reading profiles of people for LOTS of other reasons: impressive accomplishments, impressive problem solving, overcoming/motivated by bad things happening to you or your close family, personal struggle, unusual ideas / perspective, hard work, humor, ... and many more (some that I'm not even aware of). If a person's story has the right weighting of factors like that, I'm interested. And Martine Rothblatt's story was WELL OVER the bar for being someone who I'd want to learn about.

jqm 12y ago

I wouldn't be too concerned about this religion catching on or turning into a cult of any significance... The founder appears a bit too eccentric to appeal to very many of those with a religious bent. It seems more like a personal assembly of elements from the founders past coupled with things they found value in. So great for them and a very small number of others. After all, it's not the first time a successful business person dabbled in starting a religion. Dr. Kellogg of "They'rrrr Grrreat!" cornflakes fame for instance (as a side effect Corn Flakes can apparently help cure masturbation also.... http://mentalfloss.com/article/32042/corn-flakes-were-invented-part-anti-masturbation-crusade http://mentalfloss.com/article/32042/corn-flakes-were-invent...). Not to denigrate the subjects current work with human organs. What they are doing is pretty cool. That probably will be mainstream soon enough.

chwahoo 12y ago

Interesting, I've heard people talk about transhumanism and singularitarianism as similar to religions/cults, but those philosophies aren't usually presented with an explicitly spiritual/religious component. It sounds from the article like the Terasim Movement does try to add a religious component (the profile suggests elements of Judaism). A light skim over the Terasim Movement website (http://www.terasemmovementfoundation.com http://www.terasemmovementfoundation.com) doesn't seem to reveal much about that religious component, although this video (http://vimeo.com/100518959 http://vimeo.com/100518959) has a nebulously "spiritual" feel to it. Do you think this cult is dangerous because you believe all cults/religions are, or do you see something particularly worrisome here?

fit2rule 12y ago
I think the desire to form an organization which has the purpose of interfering with life at a fundamental level is quite dangerous, particularly since it seems focused around the desires - and thoughts - of a single individual. The creation of alternate-to-nature/-robot life is, arguably, another way to build yourself a slave colony.