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2024 •
Transhumanism is an unsettling prospect for proponents of a natural law ethic. The goal of transhumanism is to fundamentally alter our human nature, while the natural law tradition relies on this nature for producing normative claims. The tension seems clear. But beyond the need to explore this underdeveloped relationship, it may be that natural law provides precisely the sort of ethical framework—a framework centered on human nature—for best evaluating transhumanism and bioenhancement technologies. Building on the work of Jason T. Eberl and Brian Patrick Green, I articulate how a Thomistic theory of natural law can guide us in a brave new world. Along the way, I note ways in which both Eberl and Green are too limiting in their interpretations of natural law, but in offering these critiques, I hope to bring out how natural law proves an invaluable guide for navigating life in creation—even a creation that has been tampered with.
2014 •
This book brings together sixteen of the world’s foremost thinkers on the prospects of a radical reshaping of human nature through biotechnologies and artificial intelligence. The often heated debate about transhumanism is an extremely fruitful field for philosophical and theological inquiry. The last hundred years of human evolution have seen remarkable scientific and technological transformations. If the pace of change continues and indeed accelerates in the twenty-first century, then in short order we will be a much-transformed species on a much-transformed planet. The idea of some fixed human nature, a human essence from which we derive notions of humane dignities and essential human rights, no longer applies in this brave new world of free market evolution. On what basis then do we make moral judgments and pursue pragmatic ends. Should we try to limit the development of certain sciences and technologies? How would we do so? Is it even possible? Are either traditional religious or Enlightenment values adequate at a speciation horizon between humans and posthumans? Is the ideology of transhumanism dangerous independent of the technology? Is the ideology of the bioconservatives, those who oppose transhumanism, also dangerous and how? Are the new sciences and technologies celebrated by transhumanists realistic or just another form of wishful thinking?
A paper on ethical concerns for an AI future.
publikationen.stub.uni-frankfurt.de
Transhuman and posthuman–on relevance of" cyborgisation" on legal and ethical issuesThe foundation of predictions in the human area is the past. Transhumanism is not an exception to this rule. But, on the one hand, the past does not provide sufficient arguments for transhumanist proposals (a) and on the other these predictions are dominated by epistemic arrogance (b). a) Transhumanism is dependent on how we define the humane. A continuous redefinition of humanity depending on the place o the order of evolution cancels the specific differences underlying the transhumanist movement, being always situated in the area of "all-humane". Transhumanism is based on a desire of a generation to see themselves in a central point of history, in a revolutionary time. This desire, however, has a historical character acquiring different faces over time (end of history, the new human, super human, the reborn human, end of the world, etc.) without becoming real. The transhumanist Wager proposed by Zoltan Istvan can be considered lost: Istvan's Three Laws of Transhumanism contradict the prevailing attitude of the existence of the society, given that we consider human consciousness as the focus of the humane and the existence of consciousness is dependent on the society. The society is a result of evolution, relying on a certain balance between individual and social interests. The Teleological Egocentric Functionalism is inconsistent with the natural evolution of society. The evolution of technology does not provide a sufficient argument to talk about a possible brain emulation on other media. We can see the orientation of innovations towards the facilitation of human's work, without having evidence of the desire for its replacement. The anticipated technological singularity does not aim at the construction of a consciousness, but at the emergence of a self-generating loop in the producing of information technologies. At issue is the creation of artifacts that correspond only to a certain dimension of the humane, rationality. The hypothesis of building an "artificial man" is not consistent with the interests of humanity. b) Because of epistemic arrogance, transhumanism overestimates what we know and underestimates uncertainty. All models of transhumanists expect an increase in complexity accompanied by an increase in predictability; but the artificial increase of complexity is accompanied by a decrease of predictability. The evolution of humanity is nonlinear. The predictions of the future are based on our technological certainties given that innovations have to face every time the Ontological Uncertainty. The Law of Unintended Consequences is just one example of nonlinearity affecting the transhumanism scenarios.
The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy
Bioethics and Transhumanism2017 •
Transhumanism is a " technoprogressive " socio-political and intellectual movement that advocates for the use of technology in order to transform the human organism radically, with the ultimate goal of becoming " posthuman. " To this end, transhumanists focus on and encourage the use of new and emerging technologies , such as genetic engineering and brain-machine interfaces. In support of their vision for humanity , and as a way of reassuring those " bioconservatives " who may balk at the radical nature of that vision, transhumanists claim common ground with a number of esteemed thinkers and traditions, from the ancient philosophy of Plato and Aristotle to the postmodern philosophy of Nietzsche. It is crucially important to give proper scholarly attention to transhumanism now, not only because of its recent and ongoing rise as a cultural and political force (and the concomitant potential ramifications for bioethical discourse and public policy), but because of the imminence of major breakthroughs in the kinds of technologies that transhumanism focuses on. Thus, the articles in this issue of The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy are either explicitly about transhumanism or are on topics, such as the ethics of germline engineering and criteria for personhood, that are directly relevant to the debate between transhumanists (and technopro-gressives more broadly) and bioconservatives. *N.B.: This article is an introduction to a thematic issue of The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy on transhumanism.
DELIBERATIO. STUDIES IN CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHICAL CHALLENGES
An Incursion into 'Weak Transhumanism'2021 •
The acceleration of scientific and technological developments in recent decades has brought both hope and concern for mankind regarding its wellbeing and future existence. In this context, the cultural-philosophical movements of transhumanism, posthumanism and metahumanism have had an important imprint on what currently represents the finding of alternative methods to improve human and non-human living conditions. Thus, the general objective of this paper is to analyze the three aforementioned movements, using Stefan Lorenz Sorgner's book On Transhumanism (2016/2020) as a starting point. In the first part of my study, I will emphasize some of the philosophical theories and approaches that brings transhumanism and posthumanism together in their common path towards the 'posthuman', as well as those that separate them. The second part of the paper seeks to highlight the possibility that metahumanism-and especially what Sorgner calls "weak transhumanism"-is a more appropriate approach when considering the various advanced technologies designed to improve human health and lifespan. This perspective also serves to illustrate that any advanced technologies such as bio-and nano-technology, genetic engineering etc. should first of all preserve negative freedom-in terms of achieving a good life, by adopting a pluralistic, naturalistic, non-dualistic and relational understanding of our worldly existence-merged with dynamic adaptation and critical thinking regarding the challenges revealed by these future technologies.
In this article the author describes practical Transhuman experimentation including biohacking implants and neural implants. In all cases actual, practical results are presented for discussion. The overall impact and potential effect of such realisations is also considered. Based on these techniques, some realistic future scenarios involving the capabilities of Transhumans, over and above those of normal humans (as we know them today), is described. These include extended/extra sensory input, nervous system extended over networks and communication by thought.
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Handbook of Research on Learning in the Age of Transhumanism
Ethical Issues in Transhumanism2019 •
2019 •
Ranisch, Robert (2014): Morality. In: Robert Ranisch & Stefan Lorenz Sorgner (eds.): Post- and Transhumanism: An Introduction. Frankfurt am Main et al.: Peter Lang, pp. 149-172.
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