All that the human mind has ever accomplished is but the dream before the awakening.
Introduction
Transcending Our Limitations
An Unprecedented Opportunity for Progress
Extropy: An Increase in Complexity
KM: Six Paradigms for Knowledge Management
The Next Step in Evolution
The Coming Technological Singularity
The Philosophy of Transhumanism
Introduction
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!
Transcending Our Limitations
"What is a human being, then?"
"A seed."
"A seed?"
"An acorn that is unafraid to destroy itself in growing into a tree."David Zindell, Author
Before reviewing some of the limitations of human nature that might be considered undesirable, it must be emphasized that freedom of choice is one of the highest values of transhumanists. Anyone who has any standing or credence within our worldwide community is committed to the belief that acceptance of treatment or enhancement of any kind must be subject to individual choice and free will. (The only exception might be if society in general determines that certain enhancements are so beneficial and so important that all children should be required to receive them, similar to the way developed nations now require children to be vaccinated and to receive a formal education.)
Now, assuming that scientific progress and emerging technologies can provide us with opportunities to transcend our human limitations, what might we choose?
One limitation we might choose to transcend is our susceptibility to physical illness. If you and your loved ones could be forever free from the threat of cancer, heart disease, kidney disease, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, HIV, pneumonia, or even tooth decay, the flu, or the common cold, would you choose that freedom? Some might not, but most of us would surely want to have a choice.
Another limitation that could be overcome is genetic diseases such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, epilepsy, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson's disease, sickle cell anemia, and many others. Another is congenital birth defects that result in children being born with severe physical and mental handicaps such as Down syndrome, spina bifida, and cerebral palsy. Imagine the pain and suffering that millions will be spared if these unnecessary and often heartbreaking conditions can be reduced or eliminated.
Many "quality of life" illnesses may be overcome, including obesity, depression, and drug and alcohol addiction. Aging diseases such as glaucoma, Alzheimer's, and dementia may be prevented someday. Mental illnesses of all types, from obsessive-compulsive disorders to schizophrenia, may be reduced or eliminated.
Beyond these obvious limitations, some would like the choice of living a longer (perhaps unlimited) healthspan of vigor and activity. Many transhumanists would jump at the opportunity to have massively expanded memory capacity, much faster processing/thinking speed, and implanted links for direct access to the telecommunications network or the Internet. Some would like to see in the infrared or the ultraviolet wavelengths, as certain other animals are able to.
Based on the scientific accomplishments in today's headlines, all this appears increasingly possible. In the future, your choices may be limited only by your imagination. MORE
What might it be like to have such expanded abilities? Consider the following fictional description of a human who has experienced the full range of sensorial information available through an advanced computer interface, and who now compares it to his normal bodily function:
"It's no good. Though he knows intellectually that this is one of the most impressive sights he has ever seen with the eyes he was born with, those eyes are just not good enough anymore; the little swatch of the spectrum from red to violet that they can perceive, the bare 165-degree cone of vision, the narrow band of signal that can pass through a human optic nerve, the fact that only two independent sensors that differ by only a few inches' position are being compared—and that his brain needs so much space even to do that—all these things, unchanged since the Paleolithic, leave him feeling crippled.
"If he could see it all in his radars, across every wavelength from radio up through hard X-ray, then it would be glorious...and he sees that all the time, with one small part of his mind, appreciating it fully while having the time to enjoy other things. To have this tiny, one-person brain is not merely to live more slowly and stupidly; because it cannot absorb the requisite data flows, it is also to feel blind and deaf."
(from "Mother of Storms" by John Barnes)
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 convergence of nanotechnology, bioengineering, information sciences and cognitive research has created a vast opportunity to enhance human performance, says a major new report issued by the United States Department of Commerce and the National Science Foundation. Many of the nation's top scientists, academics, industry leaders and policy makers were assembled recently to assess the potential impact of emerging technologies.
Graphic designed for report from National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Commerce
The report recommends that the U.S. designate as a national priority research and development in emerging technologies that enhance human abilities and efficiencies by combining four major "NBIC" (Nano-Bio-Info-Cogno) areas: nanoscience and nanotechnology; biotechnology and biomedicine, including genetic engineering; information technology, including advanced computing and telecommunications; and cognitive science, including cognitive neuroscience.
Examples cited of how convergent technologies could benefit humanity within 10 to 20 years include:
Fast, broad-bandwidth interfaces directly between the human brain and machines will transform work, control of automobiles, ensure superiority of military vehicles, and enable new sports, and art forms.
The human body will be more durable, healthy, energetic, easier to repair, and resistant to many kinds of stress, biological threat, and aging process.
Anywhere in the world, an individual will have instantaneous access to needed information, whether practical or scientific in nature, in a form tailored for most effective use by the particular individual.
Wearable computers with power similar to that of the human brain will act as personal assistants or brokers, providing valuable information of every kind in forms optimized for the specific user.
The report also recommends launching a Human Cognome Project, comparable to the successful Human Genome Project, to chart the structure and functions of the human mind. Another report recently prepared for the U.S. National Intelligence Council by the RAND Corporation contained similar findings. MORE
An Unprecedented Opportunity for Progress
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.
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
