Transhumanism Engineering The Human Condition

This book is designed to offer a comprehensive high-level introduction to transhumanism, an international political and cultural movement that aims to produce a “paradigm shift” in our ethical and political understanding of human evolution. Transhumanist thinkers want the human species to take the course of evolution into its own hands, using advanced technologies currently under development – such as robotics, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cognitive neurosciences, and nanotechnology – to overcome our present physical and mental limitations, improve our intelligence beyond the current maximum achievable level, acquire skills that are currently the preserve of other species, abolish involuntary aging and death, and ultimately achieve a post-human level of existence. The book covers transhumanism from a historical, philosophical, and scientific viewpoint, tracing its cultural roots, discussing the main philosophical, epistemological, and ethical issues, and reviewing the state of the art in scientific research on the topics of most interest to transhumanists. The writing style is clear and accessible for the general reader, but the book will also appeal to graduate and undergraduate students.

A provocative analysis of what it means to be human in an era of incomprehensible technological complexity and change. In The Techno-Human Condition, Braden Allenby and Daniel Sarewitz explore what it means to be human in an era of incomprehensible technological complexity and change. They argue that if we are to have any prospect of managing that complexity, we will need to escape the shackles of current assumptions about rationality, progress, and certainty, even as we maintain a commitment to fundamental human values. Humans have been co-evolving with their technologies since the dawn of prehistory. What is different now is that we have moved beyond external technological interventions to transform ourselves from the inside out—even as we also remake the Earth system itself. Coping with this new reality, say Allenby and Sarewitz, means liberating ourselves from such categories as “human,” “technological,” and “natural” to embrace a new techno-human relationship. Contributors Boris Barbour, Mario Biagioli, Paul S. Brookes, Finn Brunton, Alex Csiszar, Alessandro Delfanti, Emmanuel Didier, Sarah de Rijcke, Daniele Fanelli, Yves Gingras, James R. Griesemer, Catherine Guaspare, Marie-Andrée Jacob, Barbara M. Kehm, Cyril Labbé, Jennifer Lin, Alexandra Lippman, Burkhard Morganstern, Ivan Oransky, Michael Power, Sergio Sismondo, Brandon Stell, Tereza Stöckelová, Elizabeth Wager, Paul Wouters

The first authoritative and comprehensive survey of the origins and current state of transhumanist thinking The rapid pace of emerging technologies is playing an increasingly important role in overcoming fundamental human limitations. Featuring core writings by seminal thinkers in the speculative possibilities of the posthuman condition, essays address key philosophical arguments for and against human enhancement, explore the inevitability of life extension, and consider possible solutions to the growing issues of social and ethical implications and concerns. Edited by the internationally acclaimed founders of the philosophy and social movement of transhumanism, The Transhumanist Reader is an indispensable guide to our current state of knowledge of the quest to expand the frontiers of human nature.

Through a detailed exploration of the study of transhumanism, this book introduces students to the discipline of cultural anthropology.

The book is published as part of the "PRIN 2017 The Dark side of the Law". This volume analyzes the theoretical underpinnings of the academic transhumanism movement, beginning with the relationship between anthropology and technique. The author focuses on the question of immortality, which can be considered the core of transhumanism. The true depth of immortality will be discussed, through which and how many transformations could be produced in order to change our society, which is basically shaped by and for human mortal beings, in a society composed by immortal persons. Some writers have written about what a future populated with immortals might look like, which is far removed from both the bright future painted by transhumanists and from the disappearance of humanity feared by bioconservatives.

This book offers a social, political, and aesthetic critique of transhumanism and of the accelerating growth of scientific knowledge generally. Rather than improving our lives, science and technology today increasingly leave us debilitated and infantilized. It is time to restrain the runaway ambitions of technoscientific knowledge. The transhumanist goal of human enhancement encapsulates a range of dangerous social pathologies. Like transhumanism itself, these pathologies are rooted in, or in reaction to, the ethos of ‘more’. It’s a cultural love affair with excess, which is prompted by the libertarian standards of our cultural productions. But the attempt to live at the speed of an electron is destined for failure. In response, the author offers a naturalistic account of human flourishing where we attend to the natural rhythms of life. The interdisciplinary orientation of Transhumanism, Nature, and the Ends of Science makes it relevant to scholars and students across a wide range of disciplines, including social and political philosophy, philosophy of technology, science and technology studies, environmental studies, and public policy.

“This gonzo-journalistic exploration of the Silicon Valley techno-utopians’ pursuit of escaping mortality is a breezy romp full of colorful characters.” —New York Times Book Review (Editor's Choice) Transhumanism is a movement pushing the limits of our bodies—our capabilities, intelligence, and lifespans—in the hopes that, through technology, we can become something better than ourselves. It has found support among Silicon Valley billionaires and some of the world’s biggest businesses. In To Be a Machine, journalist Mark O'Connell explores the staggering possibilities and moral quandaries that present themselves when you of think of your body as a device. He visits the world's foremost cryonics facility to witness how some have chosen to forestall death. He discovers an underground collective of biohackers, implanting electronics under their skin to enhance their senses. He meets a team of scientists urgently investigating how to protect mankind from artificial superintelligence. Where is our obsession with technology leading us? What does the rise of AI mean not just for our offices and homes, but for our humanity? Could the technologies we create to help us eventually bring us to harm? Addressing these questions, O'Connell presents a profound, provocative, often laugh-out-loud-funny look at an influential movement. In investigating what it means to be a machine, he offers a surprising meditation on what it means to be human.

What Is Posthumanism The concept of posthumanism, also spelled post-humanism, is a response to the anthropocentrism that is prevalent in 21st-century thought. It can be found in continental philosophy and critical theory. It incorporates a wide range of subfields, including the following:Antihumanism is a school of thought that takes a scathing stance against traditional humanism and the established canon of thought concerning the human condition, life, and agency.Cultural posthumanism is a subfield of cultural theory that is critical of the foundational assumptions of humanism and the legacy that it has left behind. It investigates and questions the historical notions of "human" and "human nature," frequently challenging typical notions of human subjectivity and embodiment, and it seeks to move beyond archaic concepts of "human nature" in order to develop ones that are constantly adapting to contemporary technological and scientific knowledge.Philosophical posthumanism is a philosophical path that draws on cultural posthumanism. The philosophical strand investigates the ethical consequences of broadening the circle of moral concern and extending subjectivities beyond the human species. Philosophical posthumanism is a philosophical direction that draws on cultural posthumanism.The deconstruction of the human condition as carried out by critical thinkers is referred to as the posthuman condition.Posthuman transhumanism is an ideology and movement that aspires to develop and make available technology that permit immortality and vastly enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities in order to attain a "posthuman future." This ideology and movement draws from posthumanist philosophy.AI takeover refers to a sub-genre of transhumanism in which the goal is not to augment humans but rather to eventually replace them with artificial intelligences. As a result of a technological singularity, some philosophers and theorists, including Nick Land, advocate for the position that human beings ought to welcome and be at peace with their own impending extinction as a natural consequence of the phenomenon. This is connected to the philosophy known as "cosmism," which advocates for the development of powerful artificial intelligence even if it would result in the extinction of humanity. This is because, in their opinion, "it would be a cosmic tragedy if humanity freezes evolution at the puny human level," which describes the current state of human evolution.Voluntary Human Extinction is an ideology that advocates for a "posthuman future," which in this context refers to a future devoid of human beings. How You Will Benefit (I) Insights, and validations about the following topics: Chapter 1: Posthumanism Chapter 2: Transhumanism Chapter 3: A Cyborg Manifesto Chapter 4: Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies Chapter 5: Posthuman Chapter 6: Cyborg anthropology Chapter 7: Directed evolution (transhumanism) Chapter 8: Transhumanist politics Chapter 9: Posthumanization Chapter 10: Antihumanism (II) Answering the public top questions about posthumanism. (III) Real world examples for the usage of posthumanism in many fields. (IV) 17 appendices to explain, briefly, 266 emerging technologies in each industry to have 360-degree full understanding of posthumanism' technologies. Who This Book Is For Professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, enthusiasts, hobbyists, and those who want to go beyond basic knowledge or information for any kind of posthumanism.

This book provides an introductory overview to the social debate over enhancement technologies with an overview of the transhumanists' call to bypass human nature and conservationists' argument in defense of it. The author present this controversy as it unfolds in the contest between transhumanists proponents and conservationists, who push back with an argument to conserve human nature and to ban enhancement technologies. This book provides an overview of the key contested points and present the debate in an orderly, constructive fashion. Readers are informed about the discussion over humanism, the tension between science and religion, and the interpretation of socio-technological revolutions; and are invited to make up their own mind about one of the most challenging topics concerning the social and ethical implications of technological advancements.