The prospect of a future in which technology plays the supreme role in our lives is increasingly confirmed by the applications of scientific discoveries. In this context, it is even speculated that the nature of humanity will be profoundly changed, reaching a higher qualitative stage, so that, in the end, even the obstacle of death will be overcome.
One project that has attracted public attention is that of Russian media tycoon Dmitry Itskov. Although he is very young, he does not consider himself too young to think seriously about death.
Dmitry wants to live forever, and with money and a passion for science, he won’t settle for just a dream. He believes that immortality is possible through new technologies and has conceived a project that can make this dream a reality. By 2045, the billionaire wants to see technology that can preserve a person’s mind in a hologram or avatar. That way, that person will exist forever, albeit in a different form.
“Humanity essentially faces this choice: Slide into the abyss of global degradation, or find and realise a new model of development, a model capable of changing human consciousness and giving new meaning to life. We believe that to move to a new stage of human evolution, mankind vitally needs a scientific revolution coupled with significant spiritual changes, inseparably linked, supplementing and supporting of each other.”
Dmitry Yitzkov
The Russian billionaire’s initiative, eccentric as it may seem, is by no means unique. In early May 2014, a conference on the impact of technology on faith, ethics and philosophy was held in Piedmont, California (USA). The conference was organised and sponsored primarily by the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technology, a techno-progressive think-tank that seeks to promote transhumanist ideas “about how technological progress can enhance freedom, happiness, and human flourishing in democratic societies.”
Transhumanism is an ideological movement that affirms humans’ ability to transcend their condition not only as individuals, but also as a species. There is even talk of an eventual posthuman (or transhuman) state when biological limits have been overcome by technology. Characterised by a positive view of the future, transhumanism can largely be defined as a technological version of classical secular humanism.
The humanist substrate of transhumanism
The notion of self-determination, together with the ideal of multidimensional human development, was historically introduced by Renaissance humanism. A similar doctrine can also be found in Christianity, except that in the humanist context the individual is no longer required to fulfil the “divine will” but becomes fully responsible for his or her own destiny.
Later, the rationalism of the Enlightenment began to focus on scientific research, popularising a progressive vision. The 18th and 19th centuries saw the first speculation about the beneficial role that science could play (such as the development of medicine or technology) in the development of human society. After the publication of On the Origin of Species in 1859, the idea that humans were not the culmination of evolution, but only an incipient phase, became increasingly popular and widely accepted. The development of scientific research and its applications in many fields would fuel new hopes, with transhumanism becoming a form of “religion without revelation”[1] in the 20th century.
As early as 1923, a club of intellectuals at Cambridge University[2] proclaimed the birth of a society in which the achievements of science would allow unprecedented development, both individually and socially. According to this kind of progressive “religion”, technology would be the new saviour of humanity and mankind would reach “the mount of the gods” through the conquests of science. The lecture was to become the cornerstone of transhumanism, according to which humans could recreate themselves through technology. It is worth noting, however, that Haldane (the author of the lecture) also expressed some reservations about the benefits of scientific progress, which could do more harm than good if humanity did not make directly proportional progress in the ethical sphere.
The father of transhumanismSir Julian Sorell Huxley[3] (1887-1975), an English evolutionary biologist, eugenicist, and internationalist, can be considered the “father” of transhumanism. He was the first to use the term and attempt to define it: “The human species can, if it wishes, transcend itself (…). We need a name for this new belief. Perhaps transhumanism will serve: man remaining man, but transcending himself, by realizing new possibilities of and for his human nature.”[4] |
Immortality created in the laboratory
In the context of transhumanist enthusiasm, it is even suggested that the state of immortality could be achieved by means of technology, by transforming the human body into a kind of biological machine with superior capabilities. In the future, it is believed, people will be able to grow organs for transplant in the laboratory, undergo gene therapy to eliminate the risk of hereditary diseases, and wear artificial limbs and organs if needed. These improvements could transform their beneficiaries into creatures who, in effect, would have access to immortality. Such a prospect led the famous American futurist Ray Kurzweil to state a few years ago that “immortality is only 20 years away”[5].
On the other hand, the explosive development of the computer industry also leads contemporary transhumanists to imagine “digital immortality”: the day will come, they say, when the technical possibilities will allow an entire personality to be copied onto a computer. In this way, immortality could be guaranteed in a digitalised form, with heaven replaced by a supercomputer. The 2013 Cambridge Film Festival saw the premiere of a biographical film telling the story of renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, from his childhood in Oxford to his life in Cambridge. On this occasion, the British scientist compared the human mind to a computer program that runs on the biological substrate of the brain, rather than on silicon and hardware[6].
“I think the brain is like a program in the mind, which is like a computer. So it’s theoretically possible to copy the brain onto a computer and so provide a form of life after death. However, this is way beyond our present capabilities.” Stephen Hawking
The double-edged sword of technology
Space travel, new medical breakthroughs, nanotechnology or artificial intelligence are becoming favourite subjects of speculation for transhumanists, whose ideas are popularised by the media and the entertainment industry (science fiction films or theme parks). As a result, transhumanism is not just an exotic ideology, but is becoming part of the contemporary collective mentality. But how reasonable is transhumanist enthusiasm?
At a time when many of his contemporaries were predicting a bright future for humanity thanks to the discoveries of science, the philosopher, mathematician, and historian Bertrand Russell[7] was more cautious, warning that without the goodness that comes from within, technological progress will be a destructive force.
Some twenty five years ago, Bill (William) Joy[8] (co-founder of Sun Microsystems) warned of “the most powerful 21st-century technologies”. He saw robotics, genetic engineering and nanotechnology as both powerful and dangerous. In this context, he went so far as to say that humanity is one of the most endangered species.
Through technology, therefore, the potential for transhumanity can very easily lead to inhumanity. The danger of a nuclear or biological catastrophe is not theoretical, it is a reality. We are already in a situation where we have advanced and extremely dangerous technologies, but we do not have the technologies to counteract a possible disaster caused by them.
This is why Nick Bostrom, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford, proposes a cautious use of technology. In a study[9] on the risks of human extinction, he paid particular attention to technologies with a high risk potential: nanotechnology, the nuclear industry, artificial intelligence and genetic engineering.
Another aspect to consider is the potential social conflict that could be caused by technologies that focus on biological “enhancement”. The fact that the rich could be the exclusive beneficiaries of breakthroughs in biotechnology and robotics would lead to unprecedented social segregation. Given these concerns, the renowned philosopher and political economist Francis Fukuyama[10] identifies transhumanism as one of the most dangerous ideas because, in his view, a fundamental change in human nature would lead to a challenge to the egalitarian ideal of democracy.
It has often been said that artificial intelligence is humanity’s ultimate invention. Both in a positive sense—the thinking machine would take over man’s creative responsibilities, leaving the rest of the inventions to the computer—and in a negative sense—the existence of the human race would be threatened by a non-human superintelligence. The latter concern was also shared by Stephen Hawking[11].
Other voices argue that transhumanist enthusiasm is unfounded, as history has witnessed many predictions that have not come true. Sociologist Max Dublin[12], for example, lists many predictions that have failed, and therefore believes that we can expect many transhumanist predictions to meet the same fate.
In the context of the current debate, however, it matters little whether the expectations of a technologically blessed future come true or not. After all, transhumanism is not based on the feasibility of the technologies under consideration, but on the fundamental belief that human beings are capable of overcoming their present condition by (also) using technology.
A secular utopian belief
Certainly humans, as individuals and as a species, have a certain potential, but the ability to transcend the human condition is nothing more than a bold and exciting thought. Although religion, philosophy and politics promise the “new man” along various paths of fulfilment, reality stubbornly shows otherwise.
The concept of transcending the present condition, even if it is found in various forms in the religious context, ends up being redefined in strictly secular parameters in the transhumanist context. The agent of change is no longer the divine, but the individual himself. We could say that transhumanism proposes a technologised form of Nietzsche’s Übermensch.
Most transhumanists generally have no explicit interest in religion. They are usually atheists or agnostics who share a materialist outlook. Transhumanism is definitely not a religion in the classical sense of the word: it does not advocate belief in a supreme being to be worshipped, nor does it have a specific set of moral norms. Transhumanism does not even promote a particular way of life.
Like the religious phenomenon, however, transhumanism appeals precisely because it offers a sense of direction, suggests a glorious vision of the future, and offers something far greater than the present. Only instead of heaven, a future advanced human society awaits. The fire of hope continues to burn, even if it is no longer fueled by religious fuel. But one obstacle remains: technology cannot bring the kindness that comes from within.
