On Transhumanism

Transhumanism is widely misunderstood, in part because the media have exaggerated current technologies and branded the movement as dangerous, leading many to believe that hybrid humans may soon walk among us and that immortality, achieved by means of mind-uploading, is imminent. In this essential and clarifying volume, Stefan Lorenz Sorgner debunks widespread myths about transhumanism and tackles the most pressing ethical issues in the debate over technologically assisted human enhancement.

On Transhumanism is a vital primer on the subject, written by a world-renowned expert. In this book, Sorgner presents an overview of the movement’s history, capably summarizing the twelve pillars of transhumanist discourse and explaining the great diversity of transhumanist responses to each individual topic. He highlights the urgent ethical challenges related to the latest technological developments, inventions, and innovations and compares the unique cultural standing of transhumanism to other cultural movements, placing it within the broader context of the Enlightenment, modernity, postmodernity, and the philosophical writings of Nietzsche.

Engagingly written and translated and featuring an introduction for North American readers, this comprehensive overview of the cultural and philosophical movement of transhumanism will be required reading for students of posthumanist philosophy and for general audiences interested in learning about the transhumanist movement.

“Stefan Lorenz Sorgner is one of the world's leading experts in the fields of trans- and post-humanism. His new book is both thoughtful and forward-looking and will be a welcome addition to the literature on the subject.”—Wolfgang Welsch, Friedrich-Schiller University of Jena

“Sorgner provides a detailed and distinct overview of what defines transhumanism and what is understood as transhumanism. His knowledge of the international state of scientific research and of the continental and utilitarian traditions of moral philosophy underline the fact that [this] book is a very informative and fascinating read.”—Thomas Damberger and Estella Hebert, Journal of Evolution and Technology

“Prof. Sorgner crafted a well-rounded, provocative philosophy piece that tends to challenge the established opinions on human boundaries and perspectives, by teaching and simultaneously allowing to be taught (that is, enhanced), which makes it a rare find and a noteworthy event within . . . posthuman scholarship.”—Aleksandar Talovic, Journal of Posthumanism

“If you care about the philosophical roots of technological progress, or ways in which these may manifest themselves in future policy, you should have this one on your shelf.”—Woody Evans, Prometheus: Critical Studies in Innovation

Stefan Lorenz Sorgner is Associate Professor of Philosophy at John Cabot University in Rome, Director and Cofounder of the Beyond Humanism Network, Fellow at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, Research Fellow at the Ewha Institute for the Humanities, and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Posthuman Studies. He is the author of five books and the editor of more than ten essay collections. Spencer Hawkins is Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Translation Studies, Linguistics, and Cultural Studies at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.

Acknowledgements

Translator’s Introduction: Transhumanism in Translation

Introductory Remarks

1. Is Transhumanism the Most Dangerous Idea in the World?

2. A Roadmap of Enhancement Debates

3. Pedigrees of Metahumanism, Posthumanism, and Transhumanism

4. Nietzsche and Transhumanism

5. Twelve Pillars of Transhumanist Discourse

Concluding Thoughts

Notes

Works Cited

Index

Download a PDF sample chapter here: Chapter 1

Math & Science

Philosophy