Theological issues raised by transhumanism Harry Walton PhD Candidate Albertus Conference 2013 What is transhumanism It is based on the premise that the human species in its current form ID: 421798
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Slide1
What MAKEs a person? Theological issues raised by transhumanism
Harry WaltonPhD Candidate
Albertus
Conference 2013Slide2
What is transhumanism?
It is based on the premise that the human species in its current form does not represent the end of our development but rather a comparatively early phase.“… the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41 (NIV)By re-envisioning the human body as a work-in-progress,transhumanists reject the idea that physical limitations should separate people from their aspirations.Faith is placed in technology as the means by which humanscan transcend the human condition.
An international movement committed to
improving the human condition
by developing and making widely available
technologies that can eliminate disease and disability, and also greatly enhance human mental and physical capacities.
Over the hill at 25?Slide3
Pharmacology
BiotechnologyNanotechnologyProstheticsComputer IntegrationTranscending the human condition via therapy and enhancementThe Hayflick Limit
Cognitive enhancers used by students
Performance enhancers used by athletes
Lance Armstrong – dope or pioneer?
Pre-implantation genetic diagnosisSlide4
Pharmacology
BiotechnologyNanotechnologyProstheticsComputer IntegrationRespirocytePillboxMaintenance-bot
Jerry
Jalava’s
“thumb drive”
Oscar Pistorius – South Africa’s “Blade Runner”Neil Harbisson – the cyborg with the ‘eyeborg’Harbisson’s superhuman range of perceptionJens Naumann’s brain-computer interfaceMatrix Style Mind Upload
Cardiac Pacemaker Cochlear Implant
Nanoscale
A possible ‘posthuman’Slide5
Transhumanist discourse as…
“…the adolescent speculations…[of] biologists and engineers intoxicated by science fiction.” - Jürgen Habermas The Future of Human Nature (2003, 15)Slide6
Therapy vs. enhancement in the Christian moral tradition
Technologies used for curative purposes generally fall within the logic of the Christian moral tradition.Pope John Paul II consistently supported technologies aimed at preventing disease and restoring health.Christ spent his time healing the afflicted, and Christians should emulate his example. Thumbs up from John Paul IISlide7
The image of god
The Image of God might be…Reflected in the rational human soulInstantiated by our duties as stewards and co-creatorsReflected in the human physical formChristological in essenceThen God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
-
Genesis 1:26-27
Can we enhance the image of God?Slide8
Salvation in Christianity and transhumanism
Theologically speaking, the proper destiny of human beings is to be glorified/divinized in Christ.This is the venerable doctrine of theosis or ‘deification’.“God became man that man might become god”Slide9
Salvation in Christianity and transhumanism
Both Christianity and Transhumanism share…Longing for TransformationLonging for EdenAnd the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” - Genesis 3:22
Transhumanist ‘salvation’
might be seen as…
An attempt at recreating
EdenAn attempt at turning humans into godsAn attempt at immanentizing the eschaton
An attempt at saving humanity from finitude
and
mortalitySlide10
Conclusions to draw?
There are many similarities between Christianity and transhumanism.However, transhumanism presents a new challenge for theology in general and for ordinary Christians in particular.The task at hand is to remain creaturely in the face of technology.Theology must rise to the challenge of transhumanismif it is to remain relevant.