Transhumanists: Definition, Philosophy and Brief History

By Rania Sleiman Aba Hmydan

With the use of modern and developing technologies like genetic engineering, cryonics, artificial intelligence (AI), and nanotechnology, the transhumanist movement seeks to enhance human potential and advance the state of humanity.

Transhumanists envision a future where the aging process can be either eliminated, reversed, or slowed down. They believe that the application of these technologies will even enhance their cognitive and sensory capabilities. this movement suggests that humans, with an increase in their capabilities, will develop into an advanced species that transcends humanity - the posthuman

As well as space colonization, the potential for superintelligent robots, and other future advancements that can significantly alter human nature, these are some other transhumanist topics. The scope includes economic, social, and institutional designs, cultural development, psychological skills and procedures, as well as gadgets and medicine.

In the past, people used to use devices such as wooden legs, hearing aids, spectacles, and false teeth. but the extent to which transhumanists take the concept is very far-fetched. In the future, they envision the use of implants to augment human senses, or ultraviolet radiation directly or boost our cognitive processes by connecting ourselves to memory chips.

The English biologist and philosopher Julian Huxley first used the word transhumanism in his article of the same name from 1957. Huxley believed that social institutions may now take the place of human evolution in the development of the human species. Huxley was primarily interested in improving the human condition through social and cultural change, but the transhumanist movement, which grew out of significant scientific advancements like the development of computer technology, the introduction of space travel, and the successful use of cryopreservation, took up the general idea of humanity transcending itself.

Now Silicon Valley businessmen like Google co-founder Larry Page, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, and Tesla's Elon Musk have added their support for transhumanism. Calico Life Sciences LLC (Calico Labs), a research and development organization devoted to prolonging human life through cutting-edge technology, was established by Page in 2013. Early in 2022, Bezos and other backers contributed $3 billion to Altos Labs, a biotechnology business that aims to cure sickness and slow down the aging process.

The emphasis of this movement or philosophy is on the philosophy's humanistic roots in the Enlightenment. From here, the emphasis shifts to progress (its possibility and desirability, not its inevitability), on taking personal responsibility for securing better futures rather than relying on divine intervention or pleading for them, and on reason, technology, scientific method, and human creativity rather than faith.

Ethical considerations progressively gained a major position in transhumanist philosophy as transhumanist concepts moved from theory to reality in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Scientific developments, including stem cell treatments, in vitro fertilization, brain chips, animal cloning, exoskeletons (like robotic arms), artificial intelligence, genomics, and in vitro fertilization, have shifted the debate between proponents and opponents of transhumanism from the future to the present.

In conclusion, transhumanism proponents contend that cutting-edge technology may be utilized to cure sickness, enhance human existence in various ways, and offer answers to pressing global issues. For instance, brain chips and "mind uploading" may be used to treat or defeat neurological conditions including dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and paralysis. These technologies were once the fantastical fantasies of people seeking a sort of unlimited intelligence or immortality through the computerized extension of consciousness. Similar to how climate change may have disastrous implications, some transhumanists now advocate for space colonization