Transhumanism (often rendered as H+ or h+) is a philosophy which seeks to use advance technology in order to augment the human condition, as well as encourage the usage of other, often emerging technology. This often includes hypothetical or nascent technologies such as digital immortality, advance cybernetics, and cryogenics.[1]
The ultimate goals of proponents of Transhumanism are often that of preparing for things such as the technological singularity, which Transhumanists often claim to be both inevitable and beneficial to humanity, contributing to developing social scientific fields such as futurology, attempting to gain some form of immortality, or otherwise some remedy for biological aging in the near-future, and researching hypothetical threats and rewards that many new technologies could bring to humanity.[2]
Transhumanist philosophy has, however, seen a large degree of criticism from outside its movement. This criticism is often directed towards Transhumanists' Utopian view of society and economic development, particularly their apathy towards understanding class-society, and the threats of even greater economic stratification, the potential moral concerns that would come with their ideas, and their often overly optimistic view of specific technologies.[3]
History
While the general ideal which Transhumanism strives for, the use of external means in order to overcome the base limitations of organic life, has itself existed for millennia (albeit almost exclusively in a religous or otherwise superstitious context) with works that were created as early as the Bronze age, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh, expressing themes of externally-gained immortality, the modern form of Transhumanism, that is, the usage of advance technology to gain both cognitive and physiological transcendence, began to truly appear in the 20th century CE.
The first examples of early Transhumanism were initially influenced by the ideas of the geneticist John B. S. Haldane, whose works promoted the advancement of the scientific discipline of biology as a means of yielding great benefits for society. Haldane's ideas of biological advancements would later inspire people such as John D. Bernal, who advocated for space colonisation and advance cybernetic technology to be employed. One of the most notable figures in the development of Transhumanism is Julian Huxley, who greatly popularised the term "transhumanism" and wrote many notable works on the new philosophy.[4]
The transhumanist movement, as well as the futurist movement, would develop further with the popularisation of computer technology and the science-fiction genre, with organisations such as the World Transhumanist Association (later known as Humanity+), the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, and others being founded in the late 20th and early 21th centuries which promoted Transhumanism and usage of advance technology.[5]
Philosophy
Motivations and intentions
The philosophical and practical motivations and aims of Transhumanists, whilst often diverse in their respective ideological prospectives, commonly relates to the usage of advance technology in order to help better the conditions of humanity, and to solve social and environmental issues. Many other Transhumanists additionally seek to employ the further usage and dissemination of science and rationality in governments and sociey.[1]
External links
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "What is Transhumanism?". Whatistranshumanism.org. Retrieved 2022-8-17.
- ↑ Antonio Regaladoarchive (2019-8-16). "The transhumanists who want to live forever" MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 2022-8-18.
- ↑ Richard Saage (2013). New man in utopian and transhumanist perspective. Springer Science+Business Media.
- ↑ Peter Harrison; Joseph Wolyniak (2015). The History of 'Transhumanism'. [PDF] Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/notesj/gjv080 [HUB]
- ↑ Nick Bostrom (2005). A History of Transhumanist Thought. [PDF] Oxford University.