Outline of transhumanism

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to transhumanism:

Transhumanism – international intellectual and cultural movement that affirms the possibility and desirability of fundamentally transforming the human condition by developing and making widely available technologies to eliminate aging and to greatly enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities.^[1] Transhumanist thinkers study the potential benefits and dangers of emerging technologies that could overcome fundamental human limitations, as well as study the ethical matters involved in developing and using such technologies.^[1] They predict that human beings may eventually be able to transform themselves into beings with such greatly expanded abilities as to merit the label "posthuman".^[1] Transhumanism is often abbreviated as H+ or h+ ("humanism plus").

History of transhumanism

Renaissance humanism

Age of Enlightenment

Transhumanist currents

Main article: Transhumanism#Currents

• Abolitionism, an ethical ideology based upon a perceived obligation to use technology to eliminate involuntary suffering in all sentient life.^[2]
• Democratic transhumanism, a political ideology synthesizing liberal democracy, social democracy, radical democracy and transhumanism.^[3]
• Extropianism, an early school of transhumanist thought characterized by a set of principles advocating a proactive approach to human evolution.^[4]
• Immortalism, a moral ideology based upon the belief that technological immortality is possible and desirable, and advocating research and development to ensure its realization.^[5]
• Libertarian transhumanism, a political ideology synthesizing libertarianism and transhumanism.^[6]
• Postgenderism, a social philosophy which seeks the voluntary elimination of gender in the human species through the application of advanced biotechnology and assisted reproductive technologies.^[7]
• Singularitarianism, a moral ideology based upon the belief that a technological singularity is possible, and advocating deliberate action to effect it and ensure its safety.^[8]
• Technogaianism, an ecological ideology based upon the belief that emerging technologies can help restore Earth's environment, and that developing safe, clean, alternative technology should therefore be an important goal of environmentalists.^[3]

Transhumanist technologies

Transhumanists believe that humans can and should use technologies to become more than human. Examples of the types of technologies that have become the focus of transhumanism include:

Anti-aging Artificial intelligence Augmented reality Biomedical Engineering Bionics Biotechnology Brain-computer interface Cloning Human cloning Therapeutic cloning Cognitive science Cryonics Cyberware Cyborg Designer baby

Human enhancement Human genetic engineering Human-machine interface Information technology Head-mounted displays Life extension Mind uploading Mind transfer Nanotechnology Molecular nanotechnology Molecular assemblers Neurohacking Nootropics

Organ transplants Personal communicators Personal development Powered exoskeleton Prosthetics Rejuvenation Robotics Reprogenetics Simulated reality Space colonization Suspended animation Virtual retinal display

Transhumanism-related lists

List of future studies topics

List of life extension-related topics

Transhumanist organizations

Applied Foresight Network Alcor Life Extension Foundation Foresight Institute

Humanity+ Immortality Institute Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence

Leaders and scholars in transhumanism

Some people who have made a major impact on the advancement of transhumanism:

Anders Sandberg Aubrey de Grey David Pearce FM-2030 Frank J. Tipler

George Dvorsky Giulio Prisco James Hughes Julian Huxley K. Eric Drexler

Max More Natasha Vita-More Nick Bostrom Raymond Kurzweil Robert Ettinger

Transhumanist concepts

Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance Differential technological development Emerging technologies Existential risks Extropy Futures studies Futurology Human condition Human enhancement [9] Human extinction Immortality

Longevity Megatrajectory Mind children Morphological freedom Noosphere Omega Point Parahuman Participant evolution Post scarcity Posthuman [10] Posthuman God

Posthumanism Procreative beneficence Procreative liberty Proactionary Principle Singularitarianism Superhuman Technogaianism Technological evolution Technological singularity Technophilia Techno-utopianism

See also

Bioethics Future Shock Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies

Meaning of life Transhuman Space

Transhumanist art Transhumanism in fiction

Transhumanism portal

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Bostrom, Nick (2005). "A history of transhumanist thought" (PDF). Journal of Evolution and Technology. http://www.nickbostrom.com/papers/history.pdf. Retrieved 2006-02-21. 
2. ^ The Abolitionist Society. "Abolitionism". Archived from the original on 2006-11-04. http://web.archive.org/web/20061104055800/http://www.abolitionist-society.com/abolitionism.htm. Retrieved 2007-01-03. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Hughes, James (2002). Democratic Transhumanism 2.0. http://www.changesurfer.com/Acad/DemocraticTranshumanism.htm. Retrieved 2007-01-26. 
4. ^ More, Max (1990–2003). Principles of extropy. http://extropy.org/principles.htm. Retrieved 2006-02-16. 
5. ^ "Immortality Institute". http://www.imminst.org/. 
6. ^ Hughes, James (2002). The politics of transhumanism. http://www.changesurfer.com/Acad/TranshumPolitics.htm. Retrieved 2006-02-26. 
7. ^ Dvorksy, George (2008). Postgenderism: Beyond the Gender Binary. http://sentientdevelopments.blogspot.com/2008/03/postgenderism-beyond-gender-binary.html. Retrieved 2008-04-13. 
8. ^ Kurzweil, Raymond (2005). The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. Viking Adult. ISBN 0-670-03384-7. OCLC 224517172. 
9. ^ Institute on Biotechnology and the Human Future. Human "Enhancement". http://www.thehumanfuture.org/themes/human_enhancement/background.html. Retrieved 2007-02-02. 
10. ^ World Transhumanist Association (2002-2005). The transhumanist FAQ. http://www.transhumanism.org/resources/FAQv21.pdf. Retrieved 2006-08-27. 

External links

• Transhumanism at the Open Directory Project
• Future of Humanity Institute, Oxford University