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The book analyses the ideas of transhumanism and posthumanism from several philosophical perspectives and how they overlap with artistic expression. It explores the possible ontological, ethical, and social implications associated with the fulfilment of this vision. It analyses their influence on literary, visual, cinematic, and digital art.
New biotechnologies have propelled the question of what it means to be human – or posthuman – to the forefront of societal and scientific consideration. This volume provides an accessible, critical overview of the main approaches in the debate on posthumanism, and argues that they do not adequately address the question of what it means to be human in an age of biotechnology. Not because they belong to rival political camps, but because they are grounded in a humanist ontology that presupposes a radical separation between human subjects and technological objects. The volume offers a comprehensive mapping of posthumanist discourse divided into four broad approaches—two humanist-based approaches: dystopic and liberal posthumanism, and two non-humanist approaches: radical and methodological posthumanism. The author compares and contrasts these models via an exploration of key issues, from human enhancement, to eugenics, to new configurations of biopower, questioning what role technology plays in defining the boundaries of the human, the subject and nature for each. Building on the contributions and limitations of radical and methodological posthumanism, the author develops a novel perspective, mediated posthumanism, that brings together insights in the philosophy of technology, the sociology of biomedicine, and Michel Foucault’s work on ethical subject constitution. In this framework, technology is neither a neutral tool nor a force that alienates humanity from itself, but something that is always already part of the experience of being human, and subjectivity is viewed as an emergent property that is constantly being shaped and transformed by its engagements with biotechnologies. Mediated posthumanism becomes a tool for identifying novel ethical modes of human experience that are richer and more multifaceted than current posthumanist perspectives allow for. The book will be essential reading for students and scholars working on ethics and technology, philosophy of technology, poststructuralism, technology and the body, and medical ethics.
Transhumanism is widely misunderstood, in part because the media have exaggerated current technologies and branded the movement as dangerous, leading many to believe that hybrid humans may soon walk among us and that immortality, achieved by means of mind-uploading, is imminent. In this essential and clarifying volume, Stefan Lorenz Sorgner debunks widespread myths about transhumanism and tackles the most pressing ethical issues in the debate over technologically assisted human enhancement. On Transhumanism is a vital primer on the subject, written by a world-renowned expert. In this book, Sorgner presents an overview of the movement’s history, capably summarizing the twelve pillars of transhumanist discourse and explaining the great diversity of transhumanist responses to each individual topic. He highlights the urgent ethical challenges related to the latest technological developments, inventions, and innovations and compares the unique cultural standing of transhumanism to other cultural movements, placing it within the broader context of the Enlightenment, modernity, postmodernity, and the philosophical writings of Nietzsche. Engagingly written and translated and featuring an introduction for North American readers, this comprehensive overview of the cultural and philosophical movement of transhumanism will be required reading for students of posthumanist philosophy and for general audiences interested in learning about the transhumanist movement.
Transhumanism and Posthumanism in Twenty-First Century Narrative brings together fifteen scholars from five different countries to explore the different ways in which the posthuman has been addressed in contemporary culture and more specifically in key narratives, written in the second decade of the 21st century, by Dave Eggers, William Gibson, John Shirley, Tom McCarthy, Jeff Vandermeer, Don DeLillo, Margaret Atwood, Cixin Liu and Helen Marshall. Some of these works engage in the premises and perils of transhumanism, while others explore the qualities of the (post)human in a variety of dystopian futures marked by the planetary influence of human action. From a critical posthumanist perspective that questions anthropocentrism, human exceptionalism and the centrality of the ‘human’ subject in the era of the Anthropocene, the scholars in this collection analyse the aesthetic choices these authors make to depict the posthuman and its aftereffects.
A social philosopher examines how the foundation of liberal democracy, which is the belief that all human beings are equal by nature, could be shattered by the biotechnology revolution.
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.
A tightly argued and expansive examination of the pitfalls of transhumanism that reacquaints us with what it means to live well. Advocates of transhumanism, or "radical" enhancement, urge us to pursue the biotechnological heightening of select capacities -- above all, cognitive ability -- so far beyond any human limit that the beings with those capacities would exist on a higher ontological plane. For proponents of such views, humanity's self-transcendence through advancements in science and technology may even be morally required. Consequently, the human stakes of how we respond to transhumanism are immeasurably high. In Posthuman Bliss? The Failed Promise of Transhumanism, Susan B. Levin challenges transhumanists' overarching commitments regarding the mind and brain, ethics, liberal democracy, knowledge, and reality, showing their notion of humanity's self-transcendence into "posthumanity" to be little more than fantasy. Uniting philosophical with scientific arguments, Levin mounts a significant challenge to transhumanists' claim that science and technology support their vision of posthumanity. In a clear and engaging style, she dismantles transhumanists' breezy assurances that posthumans will emerge if we but allocate sufficient resources to that end. Far from offering theoretical and practical "proof of concept" for the vision that they urge upon us, Levin argues, transhumanists engage inadequately with cognitive psychology, biology, and neuroscience, often relying on questionable or outdated views within those fields. Having shown in depth why transhumanism should be rejected, Levin argues forcefully for a holistic perspective on living well that is rooted in Aristotle's virtue ethics but that is adapted to liberal democracy. This holism is thoroughly human, in the best of senses: It directs us to consider worthy ends for us as human beings and to do the irreplaceable work of understanding ourselves rather than relying on technology and science to be our salvation.
This book surveys the distinctions that underlie the unbound potential and existential risks of life expansion and radical modifications posed by a transhuman world. Humanness is in flux as human bodies are being hacked and altered in their quest for super wellness, super intelligence and super longevity. Now is the time to discuss how best to think about dealing with bodies that have been hacked to exceed natural physical limits or more technically, species typical functioning. Enter the advent of transhumanism to take uncertainty by the horns. According to transhumanists, death is unnecessary and medical conventions undermine the possibility to radically evolve. To biohackers, there is no need to wait to explore the risks that conventional medicine dares not. This book is of interest to anyone interested in tapping into this growing movement of modifying the human body as it is right now.
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.