If you ask me, I would say that we are becoming transhumanists at a faster rate rather than the other way ! Humanism, ethics and other associated emotionally charged wellness packages have taken a back seat. The front row seats to the brave new world is filled with recombinant genes, neural interfaces and supremely destructive weaponry. Thanks to virtual worlds and virtual conferences, we no longer have to travel long distances and feel the physical comfort of a handshake or a comprade's embrace. We can just as well sit in our recliners and keep getting obese on high energy GMO foods while we blog, chat and even tweet our way into the future. Soon, you need not be bothered with the racing of the heart when confronting a live human being in a vile argument. You might as well throw a few disgusting emoticons from the comfort of your home, office or even your car !
It is more of the same regret being addressed again. Technology is replacing raw physical presence in the matter of human relationships. I cite all these usual complaints since I feel transhumanism in it's original definition is slowly fading away. Let's see how Wikipaedia defines transhumanism and humanism :
TRANSHUMANISM :
"Transhumanism is an international intellectual and cultural movement supporting the use of science and technology to improve human mental and physical characteristics and capacities. The movement regards aspects of the human condition, such as disability, suffering, disease, aging, and involuntary death as unnecessary and undesirable. Transhumanists look to biotechnologies and other emerging technologies for these purposes. Dangers, as well as benefits, are also of concern to the transhumanist movement".
HUMANISM :
"Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, or practice that focuses on human values and concerns".
Before transhumanism, there was only Bioethics. It still exists in the form of committees and legislations. However, the acceleration is so rapid that there is now absolutely no time to say we should proceed with caution. The one thing I can find comfort in is the fact that someone somewhere would have coined a word, a movement and even a well balanced definition for this condition.
We are losing the battle to a safe utopia for all of us. We are losing track of what it means to be "us" anymore. Our fascination with social networking websites and self proclamations with "status messages" has replaced live conversations. We project our personas with the aid of cellular phones, portable music players onto a vast multitude of like minded personas which really have no bearing beyond their pixelated existence. All of these are only stimulants of the senses without permanent purpose.
At best, we can say that we have effectively become "slaves" to the technology we create. The technology that is created is still inaccesible to the large majority of humanity. Even more disturbing is the fact that the technology being created is rapidly being owned not by governments but by corporations which reaffirm the fears initially expressed by dystopian movies. We may not place much importance to the impacts of technology on our environment, but with every cough and toxic exposure, we do pay the price and will continue to do so.
This far, I have addressed very briefly the incredible promises of transhumanism and how distant it really is from humanism. Technological acceleration need not be regulated or curbed. However, it would be better if it headed in a direction where everybody benefited instead of a minority of developed nations. All humans have the right to become transhumans. If not, then the transhumanist movement is no longer humanist. It is something else for which I am sure a new word will be framed.
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