Transhumanism

Transhumanism

Transhumanism (TH) is the movement to use technology (mainly in the areas of life sciences, alternative energies, and computer science) to challenge biological limitations and eventually find solutions to such limitations.

It is often linked with the idea that science and technology can be used to continually improve the human condition. Examples of TH include artificial intelligence, cryogenics, space colonization, cloning, medical implants, cyborgs, cognitive enhancement, life extension, defect elimination (form of eugenics) and so on. With its current momentum, TH will directly impact your grandchildren before 2030. We need to intelligently explore and critically assess a wide range of issues directly and indirectly related to TH.

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Singularity

Technological Convergence and Transhumanism

Written by Jose Cordeiro

Many futurists today have diverging views about a possible “technological singularity:” some see it as a very likely scenario, while others do not believe that there will be any very sudden and dramatic changes due to progress in artificial intelligence. However, most futurists, as well as scientists and engineers, agree that there is an increasing rate of technological change. In fact, the rapid emergence of new technologies has generated scientific developments never dreamed of before.

State of the Future

2016 State of the Future

Report authors: Jerome Glenn and Elizabeth Florescue

Another 2.3 billion people are expected to be added to the planet in just 35 years. By 2050, new systems for food, water, energy, education, health, economics, and global governance will be needed to prevent massive and complex human and environmental disasters

Vernor Vinge: Singularity

Interview with Vernor Vinge, on the Singularity and post humanity

Quotient of Empathy

Transhumanism and the post object economy

Written by Jim Prentice

Production of the people, for the people, by the people is our future. At least that’s one idea with support in high places. It means that in the not- too distant- future, we may literally design ourselves.

Pigs Might Fly

Transhumanism and the post object economy: what then is transhumanism?

Written by Jim Prentice

Imagining Society and Politics

Transhumanism and Its Incompatibilities

Who is the creator and determining god of such new creatures as cyborgs or Frankensteins – society, parliament, corporations or a whole new body of people: why not a machine?

Written by Jim Prentice

Transhumanism, Utopia and Self

The post-object economy will, in the medium term future, produce self-actuating and probably individually reproducing intelligent post-humans. In other words augmented humans: like us, only better! But how? It seems that this augmentation through genetic and other technologies must overcome the profoundly significant division between what we call objects and what we describe as persons or subjects.

Written by Jim Prentice

Transhumanism and Compatible Political systems

Transhumanism relies on contemporary scientific methods. Such empirical orientations assume we can dispense with conceptual frameworks derived from our intellectual traditions. These traditions regard words like ‘mind’, ‘reason’ and ‘freedom’ as hopeless descriptions of our mental and other capacities, but rather perhaps feelings of little substance until we find their scientific ‘objective’ meaning.

written by Jim Prentice

Risk and Transhumanism

Risk: A Point of entry of Transhumanism?

In this article I ask how does Transhumanism deal with current risks in the environment and elsewhere? We live with risk. Transhumanism itself is very risky, but perhaps it is a preferable risk to that of climate change, resource shortages and population excesses.

Written by Jim Prentice

Augmentation or Argumentation

Written by Jim Prentice

If also closely linked in our historical context both political and cultural questions arise from this discussion about Transhumanism as do those about subjectivity.

Vinge Critical Reflections on

Author Jim Prentce

Futures, action research and change

Critical futures praxis: futures, action research and change

Bob Dick and Paul Wildman

We argue that many issues facing the world are complex and
urgent, issues including transhumanism (TH) and the related singularity. An
action-oriented yet critical futures approach can be a useful counterpoint to
the narrowly-scientific and technologically-driven nature of most current
work on transhumanism.

The Dignity of Disability versus Trans-humanism

Writtem by Meriel Stanger

Try and imagine a perfect world, made up with perfect people who live forever – artificially being kept alive like living Barbie dolls. That is not living. That is not the future I wish for. What is perfection? Take me for example – I am perfectly me. Now you would look at me and ‘well, she is not perfect’ and you would be right. In your eyes perfection is something else. There is no right or wrong, just your opinion.

Transhumanism becomes a significant force

by Ian Miles and Thordis Sveinsdottir from iKnow Policy Magazine

Human technological enhancement (HTE) is a growing field and one that can potentially have enormous effects on contemporary society. It is vital that policy response which would aim to shape and regulate this industry is informed by research that could guide governing bodies in forming their legislation and listening to emerging voices and opinions. Current examples of HTE are bionic limbs used by amputees, and implantable microchips used for ID and tracking purposes and in experimental procedures to restore eyesight and hearing.

Life Futures:

Transhumanism and beyond: a suggested categorisation of emerging Forms Of Life

Written by Paul Wildman

Today many boundaries are blurring. Boundaries between life and death, birth and life, virtual and real, truth and falsity, surface and authentic, even between natural and ‘non’ natural are blurring.

21st Century Renaissance and Education

Written By Paul Wildman

To be or not to be fully human?

To be or not to be fully human? Where Ancient Wisdom confronts our Modern Age: The sauvage, the Transhuman and our hoped for Archaic Renaissance

Written by Paul Wildman and Iona Miller

Four Transhuman Scenarios

Salvaging the Sauvage ~ an artificer trilogy

Salvaging the Sauvage ~ an artificer trilogy: The collected works of Paul Wildman on a journey of practical hope towards the recovery of experience of the sauvage/chiro/artificer/bushy/pracademic/H path that Nature can live with towards becoming more fully human in the emergent virtual age of Transhumanity

Consciousness, Cosmic Evolution, and the Technological Singularity

© Tom Lombardo, Ph.D.

Center for Future Consciousness
The Wisdom Page
(First published in Journal of Futures Studies, December, 2012 – used with permission)

Ethics of Transhumanism and re-discovery of Platonic Science

Blueprint for the Ethics of Transhumanism and the re-discovery of neg-entropic Platonic Science

Written by Robert Pope

In this article, Robert calls for a for a more ethical approach to (social) science especially what he calls the "Social Cradle", that will lead to a creative and neg-entropic approach to understanding our role on earth through what they call a "new ethical physics" developed in Ancient Greece and earlier.

Science-Art Duty of Care for Transhumanism

Science-Art Duty of Care for Future Generations in relation to the emergent Transhuman

Transhumans not Transhumanism

Dudley argues the urgent need to become Transhuman i.e. fully human in community caring for one another and the earth as a counterpoint to Techno-Utopian Transhumanism.

Written by Dudley Leggett

Faith Prespective

Steinhart’s article is a reasoned and thought provoking argument for the need to build links between Transhumanists and Christians of a liberal or progressive persuasion

Cultural Paradigm Shift – a counterpoint to Transhumanism

Cultural Paradigm Shift – a counterpoint to Transhumanism - towards a world view which sees everything connected so that we can change our world view paradigm in order to have a future on the Earth

Written by Ned Iceton

A Complex Adaptive Systems perspective

A friend recently asked me to write an article on transhumanism. His exact words were I am after your take on TH from a systems perspective, that’s all – however you see it, de novo. I guess it is because he knows a broader systems’ perspective would be interesting to apply to such a complicated topic.

Written by Neil Davison

Human beings, Transhumans & the Indigenous

Yesterday (26-04-2013) on the way to my cousins home in Port Colborne I made a wrong turn in Fort Erie on the highway and found myself on a road that led inescapably to the US border. I did not want to cross this border as I knew I was red flagged as I had not fully resolved my issues with the US Homeland Security / Federal Government.

© Vision Changer Project

Written by Mitchell Gold

World Brain HG Wells

Reprising HG Wells’s ‘World Brain’ through Homeplanet Learning Enrichment Hubs as a metaphor for holistic-education to harness a sentient internet, and as an alternative to techno-utopian Transhumanity

Written by Paul Wildman

Transhumanism and Its Discontents

Audio interview with Daryl Taylor

In this series of three audio interviews, Daryl Taylor is interviewed by Paul Wildman and outlines his views on ‘Transhumanism and its discontents’.

Article Index

Transhumanism