Transhumanism

The Way Forward?

Transhumansim

H+ h+“Transhumanism is a class of philosophies of life that seek the continuation and acceleration of

the evolution of intelligent life beyond its currently human form and human limitations by means of science and technology, guided by life-

promoting principles and values.” (Max More 1990)

Max More

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xIQgBXw9-o

Transhumanism and the Singularity

Posthumanism

“Possible future beings whose basic capacities so radically exceed those of present humans as to be no longer unambiguously human by our

current standards”

Aims of Transhumanism

• to be resistant to disease and impervious to ageing; • to have unlimited youth and vigour; to exercise

control over their own desires, moods, and mental states;

• to be able to avoid feeling tired, hateful, or irritated about petty things;

• to have an increased capacity for pleasure, love, artistic appreciation, and serenity;

• to experience novel states of consciousness that current human brains cannot access.

Methodology of Transhumanism

• GRIN (genetics, robotics, artificial intelligence and nanotechnology)

• Transhumanism philosophy – to use GRIN technologies as tools to reshape our minds, memories, offspring and perhaps even our own souls. Humans can and should develop

beyond the boundaries of limitation.

Hollywood DreamersI am legend

Manchurian CandidateI, RobotX Men LimitlessInception

Captain AmericaSpiderman

AvatarThe Matrix

The TerminatorTron

The Bourne films

In the News

• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2017818/Embryos-involving-genes-animals-mixed-humans-produced-secretively-past-years.html

Where are we now?

http://www.eweek.com/mobile/microsoft-google-apple-strive-to-define-market-for-wearable-computers

/Will Google glasses make us cyborgs?

At what point does your everyday computing device turn you into a cybernetic organism? We are on the cusp of a

new revolution, ushering in an age of head-mounted computing and augmented reality. The most successful

wearable computers won’t just be smartphones strapped to your head or arm. They will need to balance usefulness with an ability to run unnoticed throughout most of the day. Think of it as subconscious computing. Nov 20 2012

Are there any risks?

• International journal of Biological Sciences revealed data that showed genetically modified food had ill effects on the

health of test rats • However the results were supressed by the biotech industry

and led to an eight year battle before they could be released.• 20/07/2010 New York Times introduced a new non-profit

organisation called the Lifeboat Foundation. • Aim: to protect people from threats posed by potentially

catastrophic technology from artificial intelligence running amok to self-replicating nanobots – donors include Google,

Hewlett-Packard, Sun microsystems.

The Future

What are the Issues?Ethics of Human enhancement: US Government funded project

Does human enhancement raise issues of fairness, access and equity?What kind of societal disruptions might rise from human enhancement?

Should there be any limits on enhancement for military purposes?

The question is not whether attaching artificial limbs or enhancing particular traits or capacities would dehumanize or undignify persons but whether non-biological entities introduced into or attached to the

human body contribute to the “augmentation” of human dignity.