TRANSHUMANISM: HISTORICO-CULTURAL SHADOWS AND SCIENCE FICTION

Abstract

Transhumanism seeks to augment human evolution. It is particular aimed at eradicating disease, eliminating suffering, improving intellectual and physical capacities, and expanding one’s health span, allowing man, if he so desires to achieve immortality. This ambition has been given impetus to with the burgeoning development of exotic and radical technologies in such fields as nanotechnology, implantable technology, gene editing, cell regeneration, intelligence, brain imaging, mind-computer interfaces. While these methods are more contemporary, the constant themes in transhumanism, namely constant development of mankind, perfection of humans by technology, increase in well-being and happiness, longevity and immortality are found not to be exclusive to transhumanism; these cast their long roots in human history. The question of the relationship between mankind and technology, human enhancement, the relations between the natural and artificial, the perfection of nature and the desire to find the elixir of life have been a key concern in the human history. These themes found in transhumanism find their precursors in the historical past and socio-cultural presents. The three of such have been dealt with subsequently, namely the enlightenment, the mythological and science fiction. The present work using the methods of hermeneutics is geared towards evaluating these to show how their basic tenets compare with the transhumanist ideals. It finds that a materialistic and technological understanding of the human person which transhumanism leverages has already its predecessor in the enlightenment. It shows in particular that science fiction has helped immensely in steering the imaginative of transhumanists, while noting that both science fiction and transhumanism have both influenced each other.