We must discover new frontiers. People have been standing for centuries before a worm-eaten door, making pinholes in it with increasing ease. The time has come to kick it down, for it is only on the other side that everything begins.

Raoul Vaneigem, Philosopher

We human beings can become more than we are now. We can become stronger, healthier, happier, and smarter. We can become more loving, more effective, more compassionate, and more energetic.

We are not perfect. Neither are we to be despised or pitied or to debase ourselves before imaginary perfect beings. We are to see ourselves as a work in progress.

Max More, Extropy Institute

The world we know today is but a shadow of the marvelous place it can be, and we are just ghostly outlines of the magnificent creatures we are yet to become. Never before have such fabulous prospects been laid before us.

“We, all of us, are part of the most thrilling adventure ever unleashed on planet earth. Instead of looking backward in anger and fear, let’s look forward to the next dance step in the adventure we’re crafting for ourselves. A century or so from now, the earth may simply be the home world of a species rich and strange, a fiercely new and amazingly interesting species—transhumanity. The human adventure is just beginning.”

(from “Moths to the Flame” by Dr. Gregory Rawlins)

It is time to step boldly into our future; not to fear change and growth, but to embrace them; not to mourn the pains and ills we leave behind, but to celebrate the expanded freedoms and opportunities that await us.

Our best is yet to come.

Man is a rope, fastened between animal and superhuman—a rope over an abyss. What is great in man is that he is a bridge and not a goal.

Frederick Nietzsche, Philosopher

The skeptical reader might respond that she is perfectly happy being a normal, limited, unenhanced human; that she is sure she would be no happier with all this extra sensory response; and that she doesn’t see why anyone would want to become more than human.

Our reply? First, it is indeed wonderful to be human, and to be a lucky human at that, one who enjoys the privilege of living in a modern society where good nutrition, expert medical care, quality education, and Internet access are available to nearly all. It’s a pity that more of our planet’s billions of humans are not so fortunate. One way toward correcting this inequity is to support the widespread development and distribution of advanced technologies.

Second, it may not be wise to dismiss the possibility that transhuman enhancements could be an indescribably glorious leap forward, such that we will look back and wonder that we could ever have doubted its desirability. Most of us can think of some experience that we initially resisted, only to later regret that we did not take a chance and attempt it sooner. For some, this might have been riding a roller coaster, or trying sushi, or attending college, or backpacking, or ____ (fill in the blank).

Third, just because our beloved skeptical reader might not (yet) wish to partake of transhuman enhancements or upgrades, it would be morally wrong for her to deny others that opportunity. Shockingly, there are people—some highly placed in government, industry, or academia—who would endeavor to prevent anyone from enjoying the benefits of emerging technologies. If you are believer in the principles of freedom and democracy, regardless of whether or not you call yourself a transhumanist, then surely you must oppose undue interference with the right of others to improve themselves.

But although certain neo-Luddites are rearing their nasty heads, it is also possible to find enlightened visionaries in government, in industry, in academia, and among the general public. Many of these are beginning to come together in organizations such as the World Transhumanist Association.

The Incipient Posthuman™ website is dedicated to the proposition that:

Some (perhaps all) limitations of human nature are undesirable

Science and technology, steered by human values, could enable us to transcend our limitations

Transcending the current limitations of human nature will lead to remarkable reductions in human suffering and marvelous improvements in human freedom, happiness, and potential

This site is divided into three main sections: Human, Becoming, and Posthuman. These three sections can be defined respectively as Condition, Transition, and Inception.

Condition (Human) – an overview of what we are now as humans, how we got this way, and the tribulation we might face if we choose not to take advantage of the amazing opportunities offered by scientific discovery and emerging technologies.

Transition (Becoming) – a look at some things we can do to improve ourselves now in preparation for becoming posthuman, and a few of the many options we, as transhumans, may have in the near future.

Inception (Posthuman) – our conception as humans occurred approximately nine months before we were born; our inception as posthumans is another birth, an opening of a door into a new world and a new life; this section is necessarily the most speculative, because by definition it is impossible for us as humans to conceive of all the potential we might have in such an advanced state.

Like our lives in these fascinating and fast-paced times, this website is a work in progress. It will change and grow as we do. Please come back often to see what’s new and what’s ahead for us!