Human beings typically live for about 72.98 years. However, one group likes to increase that number, by infinity. Meet the Transhumanists.
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Every era in history has its set of niche “weirdos”. From the esoteric alchemists of the medieval period to the Russian cosmists of the 20th century, these figures have always pushed the boundaries of accepted thought. Today, that mantle is carried by the transhumanists. Only now, they come with billion-dollar bank accounts.
Transhumanism is a philosophical movement centered on the belief that human physical and cognitive limitations can, and should, be overcome through advanced technology. Transhumanists argue that innovations in fields like biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and genetic engineering can dramatically enhance human longevity, intelligence, and overall capabilities, ultimately allowing us to transcend our biological constraints.
Unlike other philosophical movements, transhumanism doesn’t adhere to a single dogma or principle. The interpretation of “transcending” our biological constraints depends on who’s talking about it. It could range from enabling amputees to grow new limbs to overcoming death and living forever. The term was coined by British biologist Julian Huxley in his book “New Bottles for New Wine”.What Huxley saw as transhumanism was the natural consequence of evolution. In short, just as present-day humans evolved from an older species, current humans will also evolve into other “better” species. The technology part was introduced by Max More, a British philosopher and futurist. He believed that the evolution Huxley proposed can be assisted and accelerated by technology.
Since then, transhumanism has largely been a “tech bro” philosophy, an ideal that tech billionaires want to realize. If this sounds off-putting to you, congratulations, you’re normal. But first, we have to listen and not judge.
Healing Powers?
One of the biggest limitations of human beings is their body. Although medical researchhas come a long way, things like disabilities and amputations still hinder human flourishing. One of the things that transhumanism aims to achieve is the healing powers we see superheroes use when injured. It may sound too fantastical, but real scientists and bioengineers are actively researching technologies like regenerative medicine, bionic limbs, and gene editing to push the boundaries of what's possible. If (and that’s a very big IF) they manage to achieve it, then healthcare will enter a new epoch. Unfortunately, that’s about as much good we can say will happen with transhumanism.
You ain’t part of the club, buddy…
When a transhumanist says “We can live forever”, the “we” part usually doesn’t include you or me. In a world where even basic healthcare is not accessible to people without means, there’s no reason to expect that transhumanist technology will be disseminated equitably. As a result, transhumanism might end up creating an artificial disparity in human abilities, which are bound to exacerbate all the current inequalities we seek to solve today.
Transhumanism currently has good PR. The consequence of this is that most of us aren’t aware of its origins. Most of the early transhumanists were eugenicists (people who adhere to a set of pseudoscientific and racist ideas to improve the genetic quality of human beings). To a certain extent, we can view transhumanism as the extension of eugenics. One professional who pointed this out was Dr. Timnit Gebru, who, in collaboration with Emile P. Torres, coined the term TESCREAL, which is an acronym for Transhumanism, Extropianism, Singularitarianism, (modern) Cosmism, Rationalist ideology, Effective Altruism, and Longtermism. Timnit and Emile argue that TESCREAL ideas originated from the eugenics movements of the 20th century, which have been used to justify many atrocities against minorities.
These aren’t the only criticisms of transhumanism. Many academics, scientists, and philosophers have written their fair share of criticisms against the ideology. Assuming the best-case scenario, it seems that transhumanism is just an ego-driven project. The world has a lot of problems that require solving now. As mentioned earlier, basic healthcare isn’t available to all, food security is still an issue, and the climate crisis looms. If even a fraction of the energy and resources poured into transhumanist pursuits were redirected toward addressing these immediate challenges, we might be living in a far more equitable and humane world. So, it’s safe to say that transhumanism, at its best, is a consequence of misplaced focus, and at its worst, an attempt to create a digital dystopia that most of us wouldn’t want to live in.
