About The Transhumanist

Transhumanism is a strange, exhilarating, and almost indefinable movement. In many ways, this is because transhumanity deals not only with new technologies, cultural norms, religion, philosophy, and law, but also the very definitions of ‘human,’ ‘mind,’ and ‘life.’ Worse yet, it is somewhat difficult to wade into this ocean of information and ideas. A quick Google search on ‘transhumanism’ will reveal that there are only a handful of websites handling this topic, and, not surprisingly, Wikipedia is the most accessible of these. Yet at some 8,000 words with over 150 sources and at least as many hyperlinks, even an introduction to the topic is staggering; hence, the birth of this blog.

The Transhumanist is an effort to handle the massive and expansive movement of Transhumanism by tackling it in three distinct ways. The first way is to simply post stories pertinent to the movement, such as cybernetics, cloning, or cognition enhancers, and provide a bit of context. These posts will be brief, perhaps a sentence or two. The second way is to analyze the development of pro or anti transhumanist thought, however it may emerge. These posts will function to chronicle the influence and growth of the movement within mainstream culture and society. The third way will be substantial essays that each deal with a core issue of transhumanism (e.g. cloning or A.I.) and attempt to create a useful, if not conclusive, set of responses to common questions and fears.

It should be noted here that The Transhumanist, like the topic it covers, sits at a strange border between an academic, dry study of transhumanism and discussions about science fictional, and, to be honest, totally awesome developments in technology and knowledge. I’m going to be looking into the aesthetics of prosthetics, how cloning alters our understanding of the family and sexuality, and what nanotech might mean for universal health care. I hope it is entertaining and that you enjoy it.