Transhumanism Debate Guide
From PhiloWiki
Transhumanism (sometimes abbreviated >H or H+) is an international intellectual and cultural movement supporting the use of new sciences and technologies to enhance human cognitive and physical abilities and ameliorate what it regards as undesirable and unnecessary aspects of the human condition, such as disease and aging. Transhumanist thinkers study the possibilities and consequences of developing and using human enhancement techniques and other emerging technologies for these purposes. Possible dangers, as well as benefits, of powerful new technologies that might radically change the conditions of human life are also of concern to the transhumanist movement.
Although the first known use of the term "transhumanism" dates from 1957, the contemporary meaning is a product of the 1980s, when a group of scientists, artists, and futurists based in California began to organize what has since grown into the transhumanist movement. Transhumanist thinkers postulate that human beings will eventually be transformed into beings with such greatly expanded abilities as to merit the label "posthuman".
The transhumanist vision of a profoundly transformed future humanity has attracted many supporters as well as critics from a wide range of perspectives. Transhumanism has been described by a proponent as the "movement that epitomizes the most daring, courageous, imaginative, and idealistic aspirations of humanity," while according to a prominent critic, it is the world's most dangerous idea. Criticisim falls into two main categories:
- likelihood of transhumanist goals being achieved (practical criticisms)
- moral principles of transhumanism (ethical criticisms)
Critics or opponents of transhumanism often see transhumanists' goals as posing threats to human values. Some also argue that strong advocacy of a transhumanist approach to improving the human condition might divert attention and resources from social solutions. As most transhumanists support non-technological changes to society, such as the spread of political liberty and procreative liberty, and most critics of transhumanism support technological advances in areas such as communications and health care, the difference is often a matter of emphasis.
Sometimes, however, there are strong disagreements about the very principles involved, with divergent views on humanity, human nature, and the morality of transhumanist aspirations. At least one self-described socially progressive organization, the Center for Genetics and Society, has come into existence with the specific goal of opposing transhumanist agendas that involve transgenerational modification of human biology, such as full-term human cloning and germline genetic engineering.
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Transhumanism from Wikipedia |
Recommended Reading
- Transhumanist FAQ from World Transhumanist Association
- Transhumanist FAQ from Extropy Institute
- Transhumanism on Wikipedia
Meeting Agenda
- Welcome, Upcoming Events, Call for Topics
- Discussion Round One
- Discussion Round Two
- A personal, non-academic critique
Discussion Round One
History
Nick Bostrom locates transhumanism's roots in Renaissance humanism and the Enlightenment. The Marquis de Condorcet, an 18th century French philosopher, is the first thinker whom he identifies as speculating about the use of medical science to extend the human life span.
Biologist Julian Huxley appears to have been the first to use the actual word "transhumanism". Writing in 1957, he defined transhumanism as:
- "Man remaining man, but transcending himself, by realizing new possibilities of and for his human nature". This definition differs substantially from the one commonly in use since the 1980s.
In 1966, FM-2030 (formerly F.M. Esfandiary), a futurist who taught "new concepts of the Human" at The New School for Social Research in New York City, began to identify people who adopt technologies, lifestyles and world views transitional to "posthumanity" as "transhuman" (short for "transitory human"). In 1972, Robert Ettinger contributed to the popularization of the concept of "transhumanity" in his book Man into Superman. FM-2030 published the Upwingers Manifesto in 1973 to stimulate transhumanly conscious activism.
In 1988, philosopher Max More founded the Extropy Institute and was the main contributor to a formal transhumanist doctrine, which took the form of the Principles of Extropy in 1990. In 1990, he laid the foundation of modern transhumanism by giving it a new definition:
- "Transhumanism is a class of philosophies that seek to guide us towards a posthuman condition. 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. Transhumanism differs from humanism in recognizing and anticipating the radical alterations in the nature and possibilities of our lives resulting from various sciences and technologies."
In 1998, philosophers Nick Bostrom and David Pearce founded the World Transhumanist Association (WTA), an organization with a liberal democratic perspective. In 1999, the WTA drafted and adopted The Transhumanist Declaration. The Transhumanist FAQ, prepared by the WTA, gave two formal definitions for transhumanism:
- "The intellectual and cultural movement that affirms the possibility and desirability of fundamentally improving the human condition through applied reason, especially by developing and making widely available technologies to eliminate aging and to greatly enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities."
- "The study of the ramifications, promises, and potential dangers of technologies that will enable us to overcome fundamental human limitations, and the related study of the ethical matters involved in developing and using such technologies."
In 2006, the board of directors of the Extropy Institute made a decision to cease operations of the organization, stating that its mission was "essentially completed". This left the World Transhumanist Association as the leading international transhumanist organization.
- How did the definition of transhumanism evolve over time?
- What are your impressions of the World Transhumanist Association?
- What is Extropianism?
- Is transhumanism a valid field of philosophy? Why or why not?
Theory
Transhumanism is distinctive in its particular focus on the applications of technologies to the improvement of human bodies at the individual level. Many transhumanists actively assess the potential for future technologies and innovative social systems to improve the quality of all life, while seeking to make the material reality of the human condition fulfill the promise of legal and political equality by eliminating congenital mental and physical barriers.
Transhumanist philosophers argue that it is possible and desirable for humanity to enter a post-Darwinian phase of existence, in which humans are in control of their own evolution. In such a phase, natural evolution would be replaced with deliberate change. To this end, transhumanists engage in interdisciplinary approaches to understanding and evaluating possibilities for overcoming biological limitations. They draw on futures studies and various fields or subfields of science, philosophy, economics, history, and sociology. Unlike philosophers, social critics and activists who place a moral value on preservation of natural systems, transhumanists see the very concept of the "natural" as an obstacle to progress. In keeping with this, many prominent transhumanist advocates refer to transhumanism's critics on the political right and left jointly as "bioconservatives" or "bioluddites."
The brain is considered the common denominator of personhood and is thus a primary focus of transhumanist ambitions. More generally, transhumanists support the convergence of emerging technologies such as nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive science (NBIC), and hypothetical future technologies such as simulated reality, artificial intelligence, mind uploading, and cryonics. Transhumanists believe that humans can and should use these technologies to become more than human. Transhumanists therefore support the recognition of morphological freedom as a civil liberty, so as to guarantee individuals the choice of enhancing themselves to progressively become posthuman, which they see as the next significant evolutionary steps for the human species. Some speculate that human enhancement techniques and other emerging technologies may facilitate such a transformation by the midpoint of the 21st century.
Some theorists believe that the pace of technological evolution is accelerating and that the next fifty years may yield not only radical technological advances but possibly a technological singularity, which may fundamentally change the nature of human beings.
Nanotechnology
- Will nanotechnology allow us to repair any part of our bodies and eradicate any disease? When?
- Is the development of nanotechnology dangerous?
Biotechnology
- What is the future of man through biotechnology? Are cyborgs in our future?
- Transhumanists are into 'smart drugs.' Do you think these work? Would you try them?
Simulated reality
- Will man ever create its own pocket universe? Are we living in one now?
Artificial intelligence
- Can machines become as smart as man? When?
- If machines became self-aware, would we then have to give them civil rights?
Mind uploading
- Will it ever be feasible to upload your mind?
- What happens when the mind is disconnected from sensory input? What do sensory-deprivation chambers teach us? What about zen/yoga teachings? Mind-altering drugs?
Cryonics
- If you believe that when you die, that is the end of you - then, would you desire to have your recently deceased body frozen until a time in the future when advanced medicine may be able to resuscitate you?
- Is the choice of enhancing oneself to progressively become posthuman a civil liberty?
- Is a technological singularity (of rapid advances) possible within the next 50 years? Likely?
Schools
- Democratic transhumanism, a political philosophy synthesizing liberal democracy, social democracy, direct democracy and transhumanism.
- Extropianism, an early school of transhumanism characterized by a set of principles advocating a proactive approach to human evolution.
- Hedonistic Imperative, a moral philosophy based upon the obligation to use technology to eliminate suffering in all sentient life.
- Libertarian transhumanism, a political philosophy synthesizing libertarianism and transhumanism.
- Postgenderism, a social philosophy which seeks the elimination of gender in the human species through the application of advanced biotechnology and assisted reproductive technologies.
- Singularitarianism, a moral philosophy based upon the belief that a technological singularity is possible and advocating deliberate action to effect it and ensure its safety.
- What are your opinions of these forms of transhumanist thought? Which seem reasonable? Which do you disagree with?
Discussion Round Two
Religion
Although some transhumanists report a strong sense of spirituality, they are for the most part secular. Despite the prevailing secular attitude, some transhumanists pursue hopes traditionally espoused by religions, such as immortality. Several belief systems, termed new religious movements, originating in the late 20th century, share with transhumanism the goals of transcending the human condition by applying technology to the alteration of the body (Raëlism) and mind (Scientology).
The majority of transhumanists are materialists who do not believe in a transcendent human soul. Many believe in the compatibility of human minds with computer hardware, with the theoretical implication that human consciousness may someday be transferred to alternative media. One extreme formulation is that the collapse of the Universe billions of years hence could create the conditions for the perpetuation of humanity as a simulation within a megacomputer.
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Spirituality from Wikipedia |
- Is transhumanism and religion compatible?
- Will humanity be prolonged as a computer simulation?
Culture
- The cyberpunk genre, exemplified by William Gibson's Neuromancer (1984) and Bruce Sterling's Schismatrix (1985), has particularly been concerned with the modification of human bodies.
- TV - Star Trek's Borg
- Anime - Ghost in the Shell
- Role-playing games and computer games
- What are other cultural references to transhumanism?
- Is transhumanism generally portrayed positively or negatively in the media?
- Does the media make transhumanism more acceptable?
Criticism
Evaluate each of the following criticisms of transhumanism. Are they valid critiques? How does/should a transhumanist respond to each argument?
Infeasibility
In his 1992 book Futurehype: The Tyranny of Prophecy, sociologist Max Dublin points out many past failed predictions of technological progress and argues that modern futurist predictions will prove similarly inaccurate. He also objects to what he sees as scientism, fanaticism, and nihilism by some in advancing transhumanist causes, and writes that historical parallels exist to millenarian religions and Marxist doctrines.
Those thinkers who defend the likelihood of massive technological change within a relatively short timeframe emphasize what they describe as a past pattern of exponential increases in humanity's technological capacities.
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Futurehype from Wikipedia |
Theological hubris
The first category is based on the alleged inappropriateness of humans substituting themselves for an actual God. The Vatican states that, "Changing the genetic identity of man as a human person through the production of an infrahuman being is radically immoral," implying, as it would, that "man has full right of disposal over his own biological nature." At the same time, this statement argues that creation of a superhuman or spiritually superior being is "unthinkable", since true improvement can come only through religious experience and "realizing more fully the image of God".
Secular hubris
This criticism is aimed mainly at attempts to pursue transhumanist goals by way of genetically modifying human embryos in order to create "designer babies". There is claimed to be no ethical route to genetic manipulation of humans at early developmental stages.
Transhumanists say that a greater risk lies in not using genetic engineering and other emerging technologies, because present technologies threaten the environment and large numbers of humans die from potentially solvable problems. In addition, "tampering with nature" is something that humans have done for millennia with every technology, with tangible benefits. Some argue that parents have a moral responsibility called procreative beneficence to make use of genetic engineering methods, assuming they are safe and effective, to have healthy children with maximum potential.
Flight from corporeality
Transhumanism is "the logical (if extreme) manifestation of anxieties and fantasies fostered by our culture”.
Trivialization of human identity
Human lives would no longer seem meaningful in a world where such limitations could be overcome technologically.
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Enough argument from Wikipedia |
Genetic divide
Some critics of libertarian transhumanism have focused on its likely socioeconomic consequences in societies in which divisions between rich and poor are on the rise. Bill McKibben, for example, suggests that emerging human enhancement technologies would be disproportionately available to those with greater financial resources, thereby exacerbating the gap between rich and poor and creating a "genetic divide".The 1997 film Gattaca's depiction of a dystopian society composed of genetically modified humans and "naturals" is often cited by critics in support of a combination of these views.
Most of these criticisms are taken seriously by many transhumanist advocates, especially self-described democratic transhumanists, who believe that the majority of current and future social problems (such as unemployment or resource depletion) need to be addressed by a combination of political and technological solutions (such as a guaranteed minimum income or alternative technology).
Erosion of morality
Francis Fukuyama designates transhumanism as one of the world's most dangerous ideas because it may undermine the egalitarian ideals of liberal democracy, through a fundamental alteration of "human nature". Attempts to significantly alter the natural human state (specifically through human cloning and human genetic engineering) are not only inherently immoral but also threats to the social order.
Dehumanization
In the extreme, Transhumanism could lead to the manufacturing and enslavement of "monsters" such as human clones, human-animal chimeras, or even replicants, but even lesser dislocations of humans and nonhumans from social and ecological systems are seen as problematic. The novel The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896) and the film Blade Runner (1982) depict elements of such scenarios, but Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein is most often alluded to by critics who suggest that biotechnologies (which currently include cloning, chimerism and genetic engineering) could create objectified and socially-unmoored people and subhumans.
Transhumanists argue that if they are self-aware, human clones, human chimeras and uplifted animals would still be unique persons deserving of respect, dignity, rights and citizenship.
Specter of old eugenics
Critics see the coercive eugenics, social Darwinist and master race ideologies and programs of the past as warnings of what eugenic enhancement technologies might unintentionally encourage. These technologies could lead to human-posthuman conflict and new forms of genocide.
Existential risks
Bill Joy argues that human beings would likely guarantee their own extinction by developing the technologies favored by transhumanists. He invokes, for example, the "grey goo scenario" where out-of-control self-replicating nanorobots could consume entire ecosystems, resulting in global ecophagy.
