The Philosophical Basis of “Transhumanist” Politics
Analyzing the future of transhumanist ideology based on the book 'The Transhumanist Wager'
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/eph.31528Keywords:
Transhumanism, Transhumanist Wager, Zoltan Istvan, Social Ideology, Humanism and Technology, Humanism and Innovation, Humanism and FuturismAbstract
Transhumanism conceives itself as the next phase of humanism, postulating to leave behind most of its allegedly outdated features and paradigms. To that purpose, transhumanism has recently developed its own philosophy to get to a concrete social ideology, on which political action can be based. This philosophy has been first concentrated in the best-selling book (No. 1 New York Times bestseller) “The Transhumanist Wager” (2013). We discuss the basic elements of the social philosophy of transhumanism in its attempt to overcome traditional humanism both in the social sphere and in politics, including the innovative elements and the contradictions inbuilt in its current self-concept and thought.
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World Transhumanist Association. http://transhumanism.org/index.php/wta/hvcs/
Benedikter, R. and J. Giordano. 2012. “Neurotechnology: New Frontiers for European Policy.” Journal of European Government 3: 204–207.
Benedikter, R. and J. Giordano. 2011. “The Outer and the Inner Transformation of the Global Social Sphere through Technology: The State of Two Fields in Transition.” New Global Studies 5(1): 1–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.2202/1940-0004.1129
Benedikter, R., K. Siepmann and A. Macintosh. 2015. “The Age of Transhumanist Politics Has Begun. Will it Change Traditional Concepts of Left and Right?” Leftist Review. Commentaries on Politics, Science, Philosophy and Religion (March): 1–18.
Bostrom, N. 2007. “Technological Revolutions: Ethics and Politics in the Dark.” In Nanoscale: Issues and Perspectives for the Nano–Century, edited by M. de Nigel and M. Ellen Mitchell, 129–152. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9780470165874.ch10
———. 2005a. “Transhumanist Values.” Review of Contemporary Philosophy 4: 3–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.5840/jpr_2005_26
———. 2005b. “A History of Transhuman Thought.” Journal of Evolution & Technology 14: 14–25.
———. 2003. The Transhumanist FAQ 1.5. http://www.nickbostrom.com/
De:Trans, ed. 2005. “Deutsche Gesellschaft für Transhumanismus.” Reader zum Transhumanismus. 7. Würzburg.
Giordano, J. 2014. “The human prospect(s) of neuroscience and neurotechnology: Domains of influence and the necessity—and questions—of neuroethics.” Human Prospect 4(1): 1–18.
Giordano, J. and R. Benedikter. 2014. “Integrative convergence in Neuroscience/Neurotechnology. On the engagement of computational approaches in neuroscience/neurotechnology and deterrence.” In: Leveraging Neuroscientific and Neutechnological (NeuroS&T) Developments with Focus on Influence and Deterrence in a Networked World. A Strategic Multilayer (SMA) Publication, edited by H. Cabayan, W. Casebeer, D. DiEuliis, J. Giordano and N. D. Wright, 74–79. US Department of Defense and US Joint Chiefs of Staff White Paper. Washington, DC: Pentagon Press.
Giordano, J. and R. Benedikter. 2013. “Toward a Systems Continuum: On the Use of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology to Assess and Affect Aggression, Cognition and Behaviour.” In Topics in the Neurobiology of Aggression: Implications for Deterrence. A Strategic Multilayer (SMA) Publication, edited by
D. DiEuliis and H. Cabayan, 68–85. US Department of Defense and US Joint Chiefs of Staff White Paper. Washington, DC: Pentagon Press.
Hewitt, J. 2014. “An Interview with Zoltan Istvan, leader of the Transhumanist Party and 2016 presidential contender.” Extremetech, October 31. http://www. extremetech.com/extreme/192385–an–interview–with–zoltan–istvan–lead– er–of–the–transhumanist–party–and–2016–presidential–contender
Istvan, Z. 2014. “Should A Transhumanist Run For US–President?” The Huffington Post. October 6. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/zoltan–istvan/should–a–transhumanist–be_b_5949688.html?utm_hp_ref=politics
Istvan, Z. 2013. “The Transhumanist Wager.” www.transhumanistwager.com/
Rand, A. 1957. Atlas Shrugged. New York: Penguin.
Shook, J. and J. Giordano. 2014. “A Principled and Cosmopolitan Neuroethics: Considerations for International Relevance.” Philosophy, Ethics and Humanities in Medicine 9(1): http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1747-5341-9-1
Steger, M. 2008. The Rise of the Global Imaginary: Political Ideologies from the French Revolution to the Global War on Terror. Oxford University Press.
Teleological Egocentric Functionalism (TEF). http://www.transhumanistwager.com/ThePhilosophy.html
Transhumanist Party. “Putting Science, Health & Technology at the Forefront of American Politics.” http://www.transhumanistparty.org/
Transhumanist Party Global (TPG). https://transhumanistparty.wordpress.com/
Unschuld, P. 2009. What is Medicine? Western and Eastern Approaches to Healing. Berkeley: University of California Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/california/9780520257658.001.0001
Volpicelli, G. 2015. “Transhumanists Are Writing Their Own Manifesto For The UK General Election.” Motherboard (January): http://motherboard.vice.com/read/a-transhumanist-manifesto-for-the-uk-general-election
Wood, D. 2015. “Q&A with Zoltan Istvan, Transhumanist Party candidate for the US president” (January 11): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk4olY4qIjg
World Transhumanist Association. http://transhumanism.org/index.php/wta/hvcs/
Published
2016-09-20
Issue
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Benedikter, R., Siepmann, K., & McIntosh, A. (2016). The Philosophical Basis of “Transhumanist” Politics: Analyzing the future of transhumanist ideology based on the book ’The Transhumanist Wager’. Essays in the Philosophy of Humanism, 24(1), 103-114. https://doi.org/10.1558/eph.31528
