transhumanism definition oxford

 

In this article, transhumanism is considered to be a quasi-medical ideology that seeks to promote a variety of therapeutic and human-enhancing aims. (Hughes, 2015). As many, such as French poststructuralist Gilles Deleuze (1983, 68–69), have argued, Nietzsche’s conception of the eternal return serves a critical function for practical reason similar to that of Kant’s categorical imperative. In its past-directed form, it involves the projection of current values and orientations into the past, as when transhumanists assert a continuity of normative vision with ancient philosophers, without probing whether perceived similarities go deeper than a merely surface-level resemblance (which dissolves upon proper historical contextualization). For example, the transhumanist Abolitionist Project12 seeks the abolition of pain and suffering, and the Transhumanist FAQ even ponders the technological elimination of boredom (see Transhumanist FAQ, “Won’t it be boring to live forever in a perfect world?”). The third humanism and so-called New Humanism. As we have seen, these reassurances frequently depend upon claims and arguments that dissolve upon scholarly examination. An obvious motivation for such claims of continuity with various esteemed traditions is to reassure those, especially those so-called “bioconservatives,” who worry about the radical nature of the transhumanist project and the implications of potential discontinuity between the human and the posthuman. . You could say that I feel surpassing bliss. . . The very notion that beauty is something we need to be protected from is insulting. ———. This is precisely the function of the humanist values-framework that transhumanism continues to champion, according to Aydin: it is the hypostatization of current (trans)humanist values and their projection (as univocal and ahistorical) into the future. After that, she spent several years living in the Bay Area while working in the genetics industry. Transhumanism can mean uploading one’s mind into cyberspace. Levin proceeds in systematic fashion. See Benedikter and Siepmann (2016) for a current survey of the state of transhumanist politics around the world. In its future-directed form, as we have seen with Vukov et al., it involves the assumption that current values are predictive of future values (e.g., that “good health” will still be valued by future posthumans—indeed, that “good health” in such future mouths will still mean something recognizably close to what we mean by that phrase now). Available: https://ieet.org/index.php/IEET2/biopolitics (accessed: March 15, 2017). Though this loose way of speaking is regrettable, the most that can be done here is to alert the reader to the existence of the distinctions that are being glossed over. Aydin provides three compelling examples of how transhumanist discourse on enhancement is self-undermining thanks to its neglect of the dependence of values on context (historical, technological, material, etc.). She objects to uncontrolledly heritable germline manipulations by employing phylogenic arguments concerned with the “unknown distant implications” (for future humans) of such procedures (Petre, 2017, 329). . In support of their vision for humanity, and as a way of reassuring those “bioconservatives” who may balk at the radical nature of that vision, transhumanists claim common ground with a number of esteemed thinkers and traditions, from the ancient philosophy of Plato and Aristotle to the postmodern philosophy of Nietzsche. R. B. This in effect encourages people to define transhumanism beyond it’s pure definition. For example, Max More writes that transhumanism “shares many elements of humanism, including a respect for reason and science, a commitment to progress, and a valuing of human (or transhuman) existence in this life rather than in some supernatural ‘afterlife’” (More, 1990, 1), while Bostrom identifies “rational thinking, freedom, tolerance, democracy, and concern for our fellow human beings” (Bostrom, 2003, 4) as humanist values taken up by transhumanism. . More specifically, transhumanism encourages the use of artificial enhancements to push mankind towards something “more than” human. The websites for Humanity+ (which includes the official Transhumanist FAQ and Transhumanist Declaration) and IEET both offer significant resources, including free articles, for those interested in learning about or becoming involved in transhumanism. We add complexity with the simple Oxford definition of transhuman/transhumanist – “The belief or theory that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical and mental limitations, especially by means of science and technology”. What I feel is as far beyond human feeling as my thoughts are beyond human thought. See Cochran, Hardy, and Harpending (2006). We have little choice in this, for we have begun to play god in so many of life’s intimate realms that we probably could not turn back if we tried”), it has been cited in multiple published works (books as well as articles) as coming from Stock’s (1993)Metaman: The Merging of Humans and Machines into a Global Superorganism. All this is, of course, in contrast to transhumanist conceptions of the posthuman as an ideal achievable by means of technology. And yet, what you had in your best moment is not close to what I have now—a beckoning scintilla at most. Word of the day. First, she examines and evaluates prominent transhumanists’ claims with regard to Prometheus, Plato, and Aristotle, exposing the flawed readings and misconceptions involved therein. The same pattern plays out with regard to transhumanist discourse on antiquity and ideals (whether they are regulative, as on antiquity’s view, or achievable, as on transhumanism’s account) and contrast-dependent aspiration (is contrast-dependency necessary for aspiration, as on antiquity’s view, or can contrast-dependency itself or as such be overcome, as on transhumanism’s account?). Information and translations of posthumanism in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Each day is a joy. Edwards . I wish I could show you what I have in mind” (Bostrom, 2010, 3–4). Transhumanism is an intellectual and socio-political movement that is concerned with a cluster of issues in bioethics, in particular, issues involving the use of technology to transform the human organism radically. They are not only trying to eliminate physical weaknesses, such as disease and sickness, but they are also attempting to eliminate emotional weaknesses, such as sadness and anger. Think of calliagnosia as a kind of assisted maturity. Given that the debate over germline engineering is well-established, the most significant contribution of Petre’s article is probably less the position just adumbrated than the discussion of potential objections to it, of which Petre considers six. What exactly does determine moral status is a matter of debate. Vukov evaluates traditionally influential criteria for personhood, including the standard Lockean account (for any individual x, x is a person iff x has some specified advanced cognitive capacity F),9 species-membership accounts, and more, finding them all crucially lacking in one way or another.