# Transhumanism



## Brian G Turner (Feb 27, 2003)

Found an interesting topic on a debate board about Transhumanism - wasn't sure whether to post in the Science/Nature board or the SF/F lounge as it's still very speculative. Basically, it's all about forcing the evolution of humanity through artificial means, creating stronger and more durable bodies, with engineered solutions to increased intelligence and the like - "upgrading our physical and mental systems", as one site puts it.

Anyway - here are some resources on the topic if anyone wants to check them out - could be of particular interest as an ideas resource for spec fic writers:


Transhumanist intro and resources

Introduces the basic tenents and techs involved as well the cultural and ethical challenges involved.


Ray Kurzweil's Website

Quote:

"A leading respected futurist, this site has a tremendous amount of information and debate in regards to these issues. Not only do the essays (pro and con) contain an incredible amount of technical information, they also raise brilliant philosophical issues and ask some of the toughest questions we have ever known. They also gather links to news articles every day that have to do with advancing machine intelligence, nontech, and reverse engineering the brain (and conciousness). A good place to check in daily."


Extropy Institute FAQ

One of the more vocal organizations in the Transhumanist community, this page details the philosophy and tools used/needed fairly well.


The Singularity

Definitions of "The Singularity" (not ot be confused with the cosmological use of the term) with links to discussion and debate from several sides of the fence.



Anyway - thought it may be of some interest, though I've yet to follow up the concepts closely yet. Could be interesting, though - hence this post.


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## nemesis (Mar 1, 2003)

Transhumanism is about taking insecurities to rediculous extremes. They are not talking about gene therapy improvements to minor ailments as much as engineering humans into gods.


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## Ravenna (Jul 27, 2014)

Ah, was searching for a thread about this topic here. Wow at the date though, 2003.  

I found this "Building Gods Documentary - Transhumanism Artificial intelligence and nanotechnology" from YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbWjJrX3aZ8

From a science fiction perspective, transhumanism sounds interesting.


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## Mirannan (Jul 27, 2014)

Transhumanism is already with us for real, and almost nobody has noticed. All that's really needed is better interface technology - and that's already here in basic form, since the launch of Google Glass.

Augmented reality? Check. Universal translator? Check - although still in beta at best. And anyone reading this forum has access to a significant fraction of human knowledge - although accessing it is a trial; better natural language search algorithms would be nice.

I don't know about anyone else, but I no longer even try to remember telephone numbers and appointments. That's what computers are for.


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## J Riff (Jul 27, 2014)

There's a lot of links._ Intelligence Amplification_, if real, could really hurt certain industries, like Hollywood.


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## Michael Colton (Jul 27, 2014)

Hopefully I will find the time to make a longer reply to this topic as I think it is an incredibly important and interesting one - both for science fiction and life in general. For right now, I would encourage the combined usage of the terms transhumanism and posthumanism. They are very interrelated but distinct in a couple of vital ways. I also think the trend of using the term 'god' to define the speculative beings is very unfortunate. There is nothing spiritual about it. It is quite true that the speculation results in beings that may not be able to be defined as human as we currently understand the term, but there is no reason to start using terms like 'god' to describe them.

Also, for those that are inherently suspicious of 'futurists' due to their annoying habit to facilitate lucrative careers based upon making predictions like fortunetellers, it is important to keep in mind that these topics are thought about and investigated by a wide variety of people from many different disciplines that do not try to make specific predictions and cultivate followers. If you come across an author that states something along the lines of "by 2050 X will happen, which means Y," you have every right to be suspicious of them. Speculation does not equal prediction.

For those interested in these topics as they relate to science fiction, a significant amount of postcyberpunk subgenres deal with these issues quite explicitly. Arguably, it is the entire point of many works of postcyberpunk to do just that.


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## Mirannan (Jul 28, 2014)

Sodice - Some of the versions of transhumans which are written about most definitely are gods from the point of view of we mere humans. At least if one is talking about gods (small g) rather than God. Some of the gods of mythology were powerful, but not much more so than a well-equipped human; the power level varies immensely.

I think we all sometimes forget just how far we have come, and how quickly. How many of the gods of legend couldn't do what we take for granted; the ability to pick up a small gadget and talk without significant effort (sometimes including video as well) to someone on the other side of the world? Just one example.

And it's within one lifetime - just. I am just about old enough to remember the time when long-distance phone calls were possible - but horrifically expensive, and they had to be prebooked, and the sound quality was cr@p.

And by the way, I prefer to use the term "posthuman". This is because (IMHO, and I won't live to see it) by the end of the 21st century the dominant sapients on Earth will not be human or human-derived. Or even biological.


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## Michael Colton (Jul 28, 2014)

I still do not think god is remotely an appropriate term. The OED defines it as such: _a superhuman being or spirit worshiped as having power over nature or human fortunes; a deity._ Even in the old mythologies but especially in contemporary usage, the term 'god' denotes worship and the spiritual/divine. There is nothing within transhumanism or posthumanism that suggests either. The term 'god' is not just a reference to power or ability.


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## Mirannan (Jul 28, 2014)

I can easily imagine people worshiping transapient AIs. They might even be justified.


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## Stephen Palmer (Jul 28, 2014)

Ray Kurzweil makes me laugh so much!


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## Mirannan (Jul 28, 2014)

Stephen Palmer said:


> Ray Kurzweil makes me laugh so much!



Why? He might be more than a little OTT (particularly in terms of timing) but IMHO the basic premise is sound


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## Michael Colton (Jul 28, 2014)

Stephen Palmer said:


> Ray Kurzweil makes me laugh so much!



Hence my comment about people making sure they do not conflate transhumanism/posthumanism with futurists that make a living on prediction.


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## Stephen Palmer (Jul 29, 2014)

Ray Kurzweil is the best example I know of wishful thinking being taken to a ludicrous extreme.


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## Michael Colton (Jul 29, 2014)

Stephen Palmer said:


> Ray Kurzweil is the best example I know of wishful thinking being taken to a ludicrous extreme.



I would say that is the case for his followers. For him, he has found a very effective business model utilizing the wishful thinking of said followers.


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## Stephen Palmer (Jul 30, 2014)

There's a difference between those two things?


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## Michael Colton (Jul 30, 2014)

Stephen Palmer said:


> There's a difference between those two things?



Sure. In his case, I think he actually stopped believing much of what he says quite some time ago. It is mostly an image and business for him, not actual wishful thinking. He seems to fancy himself as some sort of projectionist leader instead of any sort of theorist.

Which is a shame, because I think there is a lot of interesting and worthwhile stuff within the transhumanist sphere - but futurists that act like fortunetellers give it a bad name. There are many that do not, but they are obviously less well-known. Fans of fortunetellers need to learn to differentiate between speculation and prediction. The latter is almost always useless and is just used as a tool for gaining followers and readers to pitch to.


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