I ran across this website (and this one) while preparing a lecture for my Intro to Psych students. I posted something about it on my old blog and asked, “How do you engage a culture that sees itself as evolving into a transhuman society?”
Andrew, who blogs sporadically at New Ordinate left this response:
Being a biologist and a Christian, I have a fairly in-depth understanding of the ability of science to solve problems, but its (blatant) inadequacy to “fix people”. Tranhumanism will go the way of social Darwinism: a meteoric rise to popularity, several governmental/social policies enacted, tragic revelation of its amorality in the form of purges/horrors, dramatic social rejection of the philosophy by most (but sadly not all), and finally the overturning of the policies it enacted.
Has anyone outside of academia heard much about transhumanism?
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Only in the context of science fiction. See Dan Simmons or Alastair Reynolds.
Does this mean I can’t comment?
(grumble, grumble)
Taran,
Comment away! I was just wondering if this philosophy (approach? model?) was reaching beyond the campus.
I guess my only real comment is that a theologian friend of mine has been fascinated with this very subject. I had never heard of it before. His area of interest was particularly how that old, worn out doctrine of the Incarnation speaks directly to this increasing focus on transhumanism. Why would we want to transcend our own humanity when God became human in order to reconcile Himself to us?
BTW, I think that this post and your next one are closely related. One of the consequences of an increased focus on technology is a distancing of personal intimacy…but that’s more your area than mine.