Transhumanism E-Book

Catherine Dumont

• Herausgeber: BookThug
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 30

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

Starting in the mid-20th century, the idea of "improving" the race and prolonging life began to gain ground, and by the 1990s it materialized in a philosophy called "transhumanism". In the 21st century, the global elites and the World Economic Forum took the initiative to accelerate and order this paradigm shift. Right now, they are working on the acceptance of ideas such as living on Mars or merging the biological, the technological and the physical. It will no longer be about the survival of the fittest, but about the specific design of beings. The position of creation, guidance and control will belong to the race itself, or at least to a part of it.

Leseprobe

Improve the Race through Technology

Long ago, science fiction anticipated a future in which the concept of humanity would be transformed by the incorporation of technology and devices within the bodies. Starting in the mid-20th century, the idea of “improving” the human race and prolonging life began to gain ground, and by the 1990s it materialized in a philosophical movement called “transhumanism”. In the 21st century, the global elites of the World Economic Forum took the initiative to accelerate the process of entering a new stage for humanity, and they work to naturalize ideas such as living on Mars or merging the biological, the technological and the physical. Some companies are already designing brain implants or studying how to make life on other planets genetically possible.

What would implanting devices and chips within our bodies entail? In a first approach, the idea shouldn´t attract too much attention: cyborgs already walk among us, and almost all of them have received technological implants to repair some disability, cardiovascular problem, etc. Some people who have received “gene therapy” also walk among us: transfusions that alter the genetic sequence to eliminate a “flaw” that caused them a rare disease such as hemophilia or certain muscular atrophies. But transhumanism proposes not to supply deficiencies or improve health problems, but to directly improve the race through the use of technologies: to eliminate as much as possible the natural barriers that our bodies have in terms of capacity, skills, humor and personality, and of course longevity. In other words, make use of all possible technologies to take the human race to the next level.

There are many questions that arise in relation to this proposed near future. First of all, what does “improve the race” mean and what will “being human” imply in that context? The transformation of the human race through technology and genetics, in the futuristic narrative, merges with the moment of “singularity”, which marks the point where machines or computers are more intelligent and capable than humans, and thus they (we) become expendable.

Transhumanism proposes using everything that is at our reach to have more capabilities and to defeat death. Is it a science fiction movie or an unavoidable future? What scope will these transformations have? Within the movement, basic issues are discussed: access, ethics and security. As in any controversial issue, there are proponents and opponents. We will review in the pages that follow the beginnings of transhumanism, how it would be implemented, the dangers that it entails and towards what scenarios it could lead us.

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The Human Species can Transcend itself

Some claim that the origin of transhumanism goes back very far in time, and that it is present in humanity´s first written records as the search for immortality. The idea of transcending natural human limits can be found in the ancient Mesopotamian epic Gilgamesh, in the idea of the fountain of youth or elixir of life, and in transcendental philosophy.

The biologist and writer Julian Huxley (brother of Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World) is often recognized as the founder of “transhumanism”, having used the term in the title of an article he published in 1957 and which caused great impact. There, he stated that “The human species can, if it wishes, transcend itself—not just sporadically, an individual here in one way, an individual there in another way, but in its entirety, as humanity. We need a name for this new belief. Perhaps transhumanism will serve: man remaining man, but transcending himself, by realizing new possibilities of and for his human nature”.