Bostrom’s apology letter references another apology he made immediately after his original use of the racial slur:
I completely repudiate this disgusting email from 26 years ago. It does not accurately represent my views, then or now. The invocation of a racial slur was repulsive. I immediately apologized for writing it at the time, within 24 hours; and I apologize again unreservedly today. I recoil when I read it and reject it utterly.
It’s non-trivial to find his original apology, so I’ve shared it here for anyone who is interested.
Yes, that’s what I’m concerned about. Transhumanism is weird enough anyway; perhaps we should not make it even stranger by adopting an offensive jargon.
Now, I am saddened by the reception of my message by some of the other people on this list. It’s my fault. In order to make my point I thought that I should pick an example that really was offensive. Well, it seems I succeeded only too well. Let me say again, just to make sure that there be no misunderstandings: I am NOT a racist. And I do not think we should discuss the topic further. My apologies to “Damaged Justice”, Howard Julien, Pat Hardy and anybody else whom I may have misled by my original reply to David Musick.
Personally, I found the original apology (and, FWIW, Bostrom’s most recent one too) disappointing. While I appreciate that he acknowledges culpability (“it’s my fault”), it seems like the things he’s most concerned about are potential harm to transhumanism and people thinking he’s a racist. It would have been a MUCH stronger apology in my opinion if he had straightforwardly said it’s wrong to use racial slurs and apologized for having done so.
To be clear, I don’t think bad ideas expressed decades ago warrant automatic cancellation. I’m not sure what, if any, repercussions Bostrom should face now. But since he did cite his original apology as exculpatory evidence, I thought I should share that content so people can draw their own conclusions.
Bostrom’s apology letter references another apology he made immediately after his original use of the racial slur:
It’s non-trivial to find his original apology, so I’ve shared it here for anyone who is interested.
Personally, I found the original apology (and, FWIW, Bostrom’s most recent one too) disappointing. While I appreciate that he acknowledges culpability (“it’s my fault”), it seems like the things he’s most concerned about are potential harm to transhumanism and people thinking he’s a racist. It would have been a MUCH stronger apology in my opinion if he had straightforwardly said it’s wrong to use racial slurs and apologized for having done so.
To be clear, I don’t think bad ideas expressed decades ago warrant automatic cancellation. I’m not sure what, if any, repercussions Bostrom should face now. But since he did cite his original apology as exculpatory evidence, I thought I should share that content so people can draw their own conclusions.