What Is Transhumanism

Science fiction movies were in charge of showing a reality that only existed in the mind of man: spaceships, artificial intelligence, robots performing tasks typical of human beings, intelligent houses, robotic body limbs and organs, flying cars, etc.

All this was only considered the product of a very fertile imagination, something impossible to achieve and, if it ever happened, it would be in very future generations, when human beings could surpass their capacities.

Nowadays, it is easy to see that science fiction has transcended the limits of the imagination. Today, it is a reality that can be perceived almost anywhere in the world. New advances in technology appear daily, bringing man closer to a world where the machine plays a very important role.

The purpose is for technology to be at the service of humanity and to help enhance man’s capabilities, turning him into a superior and perfected being. Although, for some this idea may seem laughable or a little crazy, it is the foundation on which a new philosophy known as transhumanism is based.

Gone are the years where man was expected to perform all kinds of manual labor and physical exertion. There is no longer room to believe that the situation will continue to be the same, as the machines will take their place.

People with a more developed brain want to use their intelligence with the purpose of making the human species a superior race, that can overcome its limitations and give way to a new human being. But is this possible? Would you like to know what the theory of transhumanism is based on? Where are you from? In this article we will be answering these questions. Let’s see it.

Instructions

• It is a current of thought, which is based on the belief that the human species must move to a next level of evolution, using all possible technological means, both those that are already at their disposal and those that are yet to be devised..
• It is a cultural and intellectual movement that has been gaining strength throughout the world and that seeks to transform the human condition by improving its physical, psychological and intellectual capacities.
• It would also deal with improving human health, in order to increase their life expectancy, through modifications resulting from the addition of various biological or physical technologies that would be permanently integrated into the human body.
• The term transhumanism was coined by an English-born biologist and philosopher whose name was Julian Huxley in an essay of the same name published in 1957. In this essay he referred to the purpose of improving the human condition by producing change social and culture.
• His goal was to assume responsibility for transhumanism through evolution, using technology instead of society, since, for supporters of this movement, the human condition is the cause and effect of today’s great evils, such as disease, poverty and death.
• However, it was not until the 80s when the first meetings of transhumanist intellectuals were established, whose objective was to share their ideas and find the necessary means to achieve their objectives in the near future.
• For the year 1999, the transhumanist manifesto was launched, which compiles the ideas of this movement, establishes the definition of the concept and lays the foundations on the attitude that must be taken towards new technologies, in order to get the human race to improve. and not just a few privileged people.
• Among transhumanists there are two groups of supporters of a different vision of post-humanity. There are those who think that technological and genetic improvements will be responsible for creating a different species of improved human beings, and those who believe that an artificial intelligence superior to that of the human being will emerge.

Its main characteristics

1. It does not have established limits. It is a pitched fight against death in which biophysical modifications of human beings are used to turn them into cyborgs, whose body parts are different technological tools.
2. Denounces the human species. It is considered that the value of the human being is relative, it is not immutable and it does not have the necessary respect and dignity.
3. It does not distinguish between categories, such as gender, ethnicity, or race. It goes against the philosophy of modern humanism, which gives preference to the Western white masculine man. In fact, transhumanism is responsible for denouncing this type of discrimination.
4. It allows to make a selection of the morphology of the body. In other words, it is considered that the human being is free to modify his body, as well as to select different procreation options. This, because it communicates with his body.
5. His gaze is set on the future. She only sees an imminent evolution of the human race. For transhumanism, the future of man will not depend on his past.
6. It is based on materialism. Evolution is seen as a technical improvement, remembering that human beings must assume the responsibilities of their actions, since there is a risk that their abilities become robotic and they stop being able to make decisions for themselves, becoming inhuman.

Since this idea might seem surreal, the question arises: how would this be possible? What is needed to achieve a transhuman era?

What do you need

As we have already mentioned, transhumanism aims to achieve its goals of human evolution by making use of technological advances in different areas. They pay special attention to the following:

•  Nanotechnology: this is one of the technical developments that has been worked on the most in recent decades. It is based on the manipulation of matter on a microscopic scale. Specifically, on the order of nanometers. In the case of transhumanism, this would be the way to achieve significant medical improvements, since it seeks to create molecular machines or nanomachines that have the ability to move through the body in order to repair tissues, attack different pathogens, destroy cells tumors, among other things. Although it is true that this technique is in its initial phase, its researchers have very ambitious expectations for the future, which could mark a before and after in fields as important as medicine.
•  Genetic engineering: this technique is based on the manipulation of the DNA of the zygote, managing to establish modifications in certain genes that are related to the risk of congenital diseases, at the same time that they are replaced by others that significantly increase the possibilities to enjoy good health. However, this is a science with many controversies, since it carries ethical implications of great importance. For example, establishing what is the limit of what can be modified, the fact that some have access to these improvements, while others do not, the creation of new social classes, etc.
•  Cybernetics : although it is true that its original concept refers to a branch of mathematical studies, today the concept that cybernetics is related to the fusion of the organic and the synthetic, of the machine and the human has become popular, through prostheses, chips that connect to the brain and other types of devices. Although it may seem very futuristic to many, the truth is that the first steps are already being taken in this discipline, through the creation of artificial limbs or prostheses for people who have suffered amputation and other similar inventions. However, the future look of cybernetics is in the creation of cyborgs, that is to say, human beings who have technological implants within their organism, such as synthetic organs or computers that can interact with their own brain.
•  Artificial intelligence: this is considered the jewel of technological advances and contemplates the possibility of creating a machine that has such advanced capabilities that it is self-aware. The creation of a type of intelligence that exceeds the capacities of the human being itself is considered a way of helping man to take a leap towards evolution and, thus, approach the objectives posed by this philosophy of thought.
•  The fusion of the mind and the machine : this idea would become a reality thanks to the combination of artificial intelligence and cybernetics to transcend humanity itself by abandoning the organic support of our body and replacing it with a mechanical and digital one, similar to the from a computer. This is one of the most futuristic ideas that are handled and the one that is furthest from reality, since there are no indications that make us think that it will be carried out in the future. On the other hand, it must be remembered that, so far, it is impossible to make a separation of the mind and the body. So the idea of ​​transferring our consciousness to a machine, separated from all organic components of the body, is considered an unlikely idea.

While it is true that many of these technological advances are a reality and can help achieve some of the objectives set by transhumanism and will change the life of the human being, it must not be forgotten that others are only part of the fiction and must be be seen as such.

In view of this, what other aspects of transhumanism should be taken into consideration? What would be its future consequences?

Tips

This philosophical current causes a lot of controversy and commotion, since, if there is the possibility of improving and facilitating people’s lives, this would mean suffering different irreparable repercussions, such as the invasion of the individual’s privacy, the affectation of health, the impossibility of compensating potential victims, etc.

Some of the criticisms of humanism are the following:

1. The fact that technologies are hazardous to health while they are in the development phase. Like any human invention, it must be tested to be proven. This could imply the practice of transplants, implants or the use of products that are not beneficial for health. As is the case of stem cell transplantation, which came to cause cancer metastasis in the patient who underwent treatment.
2. The risk of using cosmetic technology that does not generate a benefit in human evolution. This could happen if the vision of transhumanism is distorted and begins to be considered as a fashion.
3. The use of prostheses and products for aesthetic purposes have become negative agents for health. Such is the case of biopolymers and other products created with nanoparticles, which are easily absorbed by the skin and are used to improve physical appearance.

Long-term

• Increase social inequality.
• Contribute to the overpopulation of the earth, thanks to the acquisition of a life status very close to immortality.
• Generate genetic or technological racism, by establishing a genetic difference between the defective and the technologically gifted.
• Favor the displacement of the human race by post-human beings. That is to say, by achieving the integration of man with the machine, reinforcing intelligence and modifying the human genome through genetic engineering.