H]/-: Transhumanism and Its Critics

Suppose in the near future humans are able to reverse the aging process. Imagine a world in which we are free from the ravages of mental disease, physical decrepitude, and natural death. Consider what life would be like if--through applied sciences like genomics, robotics, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence--we were able to dramatically increase our intellectual capacity and control our emotional and mental states. Envision parents choosing the “nature” of their children before they are born.This is the future celebrated by the transhumanists. They claim that the scientific know-how is not far off. As a philosophical proposition, transhumanism is as an outgrowth of the Enlightenment and secular humanism. It is an increasingly influential worldview that is gaining momentum and garnering criticism. Transhumanism has been called “the world's most dangerous idea”. Previously imaginable only in the realm of science fiction, the reality of transhumanism may soon be upon us.Transhumanism and Its Critics brings together sixteen of the foremost advocates and critics of transhumanism to debate the promises and the perils of bioengineering an improved humanity. As it turns out, transhumanism is a catalyst for profound philosophical and theological inquiry. If the idea of a fixed human nature no longer applied, can we still speak of humane dignities and essential human rights? Should we try to limit the development of certain technologies? Is it even possible? Are the new sciences and technologies hailed by transhumanists just wishful thinking? And which utopic and dystopic visions have the power to motivate us to build a more wholesome, just, and sustainable tomorrow? This volume does much to advance critical dialogue on the future course of our species and our planet.