Transhumanism is an international movement that supports the use of technology for enhancing human physical and mental capabilities. Members of the movement believe that disability, disease, suffering, aging and involuntary death are neither inevitable nor desirable, and look to technologies like biotechnology to eliminate these.
Transcendentalist ideas of going beyond human limitations have a long history. The quest for immortality, Elixir of Life, Fountain of Youth and such ideas represent such transendentalist yearnings. Even Charles Darwin’s theories were used to suggest that we humans are only at the beginning of evolution and much more can be expected.
By 19th century, the idea of using technology to enhance human capabilities began to receive attention and the trend gained momentum in the 20th. Bionic implants have already become a reality helping the diseased heart to beat and the deaf to hear. Research into cognitive enhancement is beginning to show results.
Another related development is space colonization that allow people to migrate to other hospitable worlds. It can perhaps help improve things back on earth, which is getting increasingly overcrowded in certain areas while the reverse is happening in other areas.
Developments in nanotechnology gave a new dimension to transhumanist ideas. Nanobiotechnology is a field where biotechnology works with nanoscale elements. Nanorobots could be traversing our blood vessels curing diseases and the new properties of materials at nanoscale might lead to better healing of wounds, for example.
The movement is also concerned with the possible dangers of using technology in this manner. There are opponents to this movement such as Francis Fukuyama who considered it the “world’s most dangerous idea”.
Universal access to tranhumanist technologies across classes and borders is a key ethical issue. Unless such access is made possible, the movement can lead to an elite few benefiting from the technologies to the exclusion of the vast majority. It could lead to a nightmare world where the majority become slaves of the elite “superhumans,” a popular theme in horror films.
See the four possible scenarios for transhumanist developments at the Institute for Emerging Ethics and Technologies.
