March 23, 2009
When I first became familiar with the transhumanist movement, I immediately thought that there were many fundamental similarities between transhumanism and Nietzsche’s philosophy, especially concerning the concept of the posthuman and that of Nietzsche’s overhuman. This is what I wish … Read More
February 6, 2009
Abstract: After covering the basic tenets of Transhumanism, I discuss what I take to be the most important philosophical element of the transhumanist picture—its unique perspective on the nature and development of persons. Examining the enhancement issue through the vantage … Read More
January 21, 2009
The Journal of Evolution and Technology of the IEET has a very interesting and thoughtful article by Eric Steinhart on Teilhard de Chardin and Transhumanism. Teilhard is almost surely the first to discuss the acceleration of technological progress to a … Read More
January 5, 2009
Artificial Life and Robotics (Volume 13, Number 1, December 2008) is now available by subscription only. Articles Include: “Human breeders for evolving robots” by Orazio Miglino, Onofrio Gigliotta, Michela Ponticorvo and Henrik H. Lund, 1-4. “Stochastic determinism underlying life: systematic theory for assisting the synthesis … Read More
November 11, 2008
Transhumanist philosophers argue that there not only exists a perfectionist ethical imperative for humans to strive for progress and improvement of the human condition, but that it’s possible and desirable for humanity to enter a transhuman phase of existence in … Read More
October 20, 2008
Lecture by Drew Indy, Stanford University Imagine generating a living thing of your own design, to your own specifications. Recently, researchers have developed powerful new technologies that allow life to be built from scratch. New, engineered organisms are being constructed … Read More
September 15, 2008
A novel medical device could treat eye diseases like age-related macular degeneration. Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration fast-tracked a novel treatment for two eye diseases: age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. The treatment, developed by the Lincoln, … Read More
August 15, 2008
University researchers in England are working to find out how the brain learns and stores memories by controlling a robot with a biological brain. Scientists at the University of Reading today announced that they have developed a robot that is … Read More
August 14, 2008
Landmines releasing brain-altering chemicals, scanners reading soldiers’ minds and devices boosting eyesight and hearing could all one figure in arsenals, suggests the study. Sophisticated drugs, designed for dementia patients but also allowing troops to stay awake and alert for several … Read More
August 7, 2008
The first words in Ed Wood’s infamously awful masterpiece Plan 9 From Outer Space are, “Greetings, my friend. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our … Read More
July 25, 2008
Lutheran theologian Ted Peters is the author of the sixth and last of the generally hostile articles on transhumanism in the June 2008 issue of The Global Spiral . Despite my own rather anti-religious bias, I actually consider this the … Read More
April 30, 2008
Studies in Ethics, Law, and Technology (Volume 2, Issue 1) is now available online. Articles include: “Death in Traffic: Why Are the Ethical Issues Ignored?” by Leonard Evans “The Ethics of Autonomous Military Robots” by Jason Borenstein “Privacy, Data Protection, … Read More
April 8, 2008
March 25, 2008
Many computer scientists take it on faith that one day machines will become conscious. Led by futurist Ray Kurzweil, proponents of the so-called strong-AI school believe that a sufficient number of digitally simulated neurons, running at a high enough speed, … Read More
March 25, 2008
Kurzweil’s notion of a singularity is taken from cosmology, in which it signifies a border in spacetime beyond which normal rules of measurement do not apply (the edge of a black hole, for example). The word was first used to … Read More
March 17, 2008
In London the other day I had dinner with an engaging transhumanist and a couple of scholars who are somewhat skeptical of the transhumanist project (since it was London, perhaps I should say sceptical). Not all transies are equally engaging … Read More
March 10, 2008
As Kevin Warwick gently squeezed his hand into a fist one day in 2002, a robotic hand came to life 3,400 miles away and mimicked the gesture. The University of Reading cybernetics professor had successfully wired the nerves of his … Read More
March 10, 2008
A thoughtful piece in today’s New York Times has usefully brought the “enhancement” question into general discussion. It is a curious thing how little attention this clutch of questions has received, and how when attention has been evident it has … Read More
February 18, 2008
Computer power will match the intelligence of human beings within the next 20 years because of the accelerating speed at which technology is advancing, according to a leading scientific “futurologist”. There will be 32 times more technical progress during the … Read More
February 6, 2008
Lio thwarts an early transhumanist uploading experiment.
January 21, 2008
Prototype includes light-emitting diodes, basic wiring and a tiny antenna Thumper has seen the future. Researchers at the University of Washington have created the prototype for a bionic contact lens — recently tested on rabbits — that includes light-emitting diodes, … Read More
January 9, 2008
Well, this is refreshing: Transhumanist and now former James Hughes disciple Justice De Thezier, has made a New Year’s Resolution to “quit transhumanism.” In the blog Cyborg Democracy, De Thezier, the founder of the Quebec Transhumanist Association seems to have … Read More
November 23, 2007
An antidepressant used in humans can extend the life span of tiny worms by about 30 percent, according to a new finding that has intrigued scientists who study aging. (NPR All Things Considered)
November 18, 2007
The cultural ethic of “choice ubber alles” is growing increasingly radical. We have seen previously, that a few bioethicists have advocated that doctors be permitted to cut off healthy limbs of people suffering from Body Identity Integrity Disorder (BIID), also … Read More
November 15, 2007
Scientists say they may be on the brink of translating into words the thoughts of a man who can no longer speak, after a pioneering experiment. Electrodes have been implanted in the brain of Eric Ramsay, who has been “locked … Read More
