Transhumanism

From The Maze Where Realities Converge - the psychedelic encyclopedia of reality from The Ultimate Comment

Transhumanism is the altering of humanity into something higher by technological means. In the future, we will see genetic engineering, nanotechnology, biochemistry, and God knows what else being applied to alter the physical structure of the human brain and the human body. This will give us superpowers, make us immune to disease (maybe even immortal), expand consciousness and intelligence exponentially, and open doors to new possibilities for human acheivement. Eritis sicut dii - Ye shall be as gods!

Natural selection has taken us this far, but it's no longer cutting the mustard. Someone who is born blind, for example, might well survive and reproduce successfully in today's world, so the force of natural selection is no longer causing evolution. For man to continue to evolve, he must take matters into his own hands. Artificial evolution will be exponentially faster and more insane than natural evolution. The first generation of transhumans will be designed by humans, but the second generation will be designed by more advanced, more intelligent designers, and so on, with the rate of progreess increasing exponentially. See The singularity for more on this principle.

It is hypothesised that the first steps of re-engineering the person will include an enlarging of the dopaminergic and serotonergic systems (which will make it a bit like being on ecstasy the whole time), the abolishing of such stress triggers as bradykinin, nociceptin and substance P, electronic implants enhancing sensory input, and possibly adding new senses such as remote touch, infusing the organism with nanobots capable of monitoring the body's function and reporting or eliminating biochemical imbalances or signs of disease or decay. It is also probable that a cure for aging will be found within the next century or two, and human lifespans will be increased, possibly indefinitely.

See also

• The Future
• The singularity
• Cyborgs

External Links

• The Hedonistic Imperative
• Julian Huxley's original essay on transhumanism
• Wikipedia article on transhumanism
• The Immortality Institute. "Conquering the blight of involuntary death".