Communism and Transhumanism

[Laika]

Transhumanism is a sort of philosophy about the radical future implications of science and technology in affecting human biology (and nature in the related "techno-gaianism") to "enhance" them to serve our interests.

Transhumanism - Wikipedia

Technogaianism - Wikipedia

Transhumanist ideas do have a history within Marxist Communism with its belief in progress, the power of science and technology to "master nature" to serve human interests, and also in the implications of planning as a form of "directed evolution" of society. Whilst Trans-humanism is a primarily western movement, it had russian predecessors in the Russian cosmists. Certian ideas from the cosmists had an influence on the early utopian phase of Communism in the USSR in the 1920's and to a lesser extent in the 1930's.

Russian cosmism - Wikipedia

Trans-humanism comes in many shapes and sizes. It appears to be predominantly "libertarian" but their is also a "democratic transhumanism" or "techno-progressivism".

Democratic transhumanism - Wikipedia

Democratic Transhumanism

I don't know how familiar these ideas are, but they are still very intriguing from a communist perspective. So I just wanted to get your thoughts and some reactions on it?

Please note this is in the "Communist Only" subforum. I do plan on making more threads about this later on outside the subforum as I get into it more. I like the ideas behind it and there is alot worth discussing.

 

[Kirran]

I was a transhumanist myself for a couple years back there

 

[Laika]

I was a transhumanist myself for a couple years back there

What got me interested was thinking about climate engineering technologies as a way to deal with climate change. Its really far out at the moment but is something that will almost certianly need to develop at some point just to control the changes. That, and the desire for space exploration. It bring out my inner trekkie!

I'm not sure on the transhumanist bit itself though when it comes to altering human biology and anatomy. I can see the point in that we can direct human evolution but it does sound maybe a bit dangerous or intrusive. Still very cool to think about though as it may now actually happen in our lifetime.

 

[Kirran]

To be honest, I think increasingly radical transformation of people in this manner is essentially inevitable. It'll just happen as technology progresses.

I used to be involved in a hard science fiction worldbuilding project called Orion's Arm, which has heavy transhumanist overtones. I may have mentioned it before, but you might some of that interesting, in particular the stuff about post-scarcity economic models and so forth.

 

[Laika]

To be honest, I think increasingly radical transformation of people in this manner is essentially inevitable. It'll just happen as technology progresses.

I used to be involved in a hard science fiction worldbuilding project called Orion's Arm, which has heavy transhumanist overtones. I may have mentioned it before, but you might some of that interesting, in particular the stuff about post-scarcity economic models and so forth.

Yeah, you did mention it. I just checked the site and remembered looking at it from earlier.

In a sense we are already "trans-human" in limited ways as there isn't a hard dustinction between biology and technology. I mean I wear glasses as I'm short sighted and thats a very mild form of "human enhancement". Wearing a watch to tell the time is one. You then have the internalised ones such as artifical limbs, a pace maker, blood donation and organ transplants, etc. But I think what may happen over the next few decades is supposed to be much more dramatic isn't it?

 

[Kirran]

Yeah, you did mention it. I just checked the site and remembered looking at it from earlier.

In a sense we are already "trans-human" in limited ways as there isn't a hard dustinction between biology and technology. I mean I wear glasses as I'm short sighted and thats a very mild form of "human enhancement". Wearing a watch to tell the time is one. You then have the internalised ones such as artifical limbs, a pace maker, blood donation and organ transplants, etc. But I think what may happen over the next few decades is supposed to be much more dramatic isn't it?

Yeah, it's essentially continuations on that theme, but becoming more radical. Although it isn't limited to humans - most transhumanists would also think it likely that computer personhood will emerge soon, that some other animal species will be modified to personhood, that human-other animal hybrids will emerge, as well as humans being modified in a wide variety of ways etc. It is thought that the lines between the resulting groups of people will be very blurred.

That's mainstream fare in transhumanism. I wouldn't call myself a transhumanist because I'm somewhat apathetic on all this, but it seems plausible to me.

 

[Laika]

Yeah, it's essentially continuations on that theme, but becoming more radical. Although it isn't limited to humans - most transhumanists would also think it likely that computer personhood will emerge soon, that some other animal species will be modified to personhood, that human-other animal hybrids will emerge, as well as humans being modified in a wide variety of ways etc. It is thought that the lines between the resulting groups of people will be very blurred.

Ok, I think thats my day dreaming for the rest of today taken care of.

I think wolf-human hybrids would be very cool.

 

[Kirran]

Ok, I think thats my day dreaming for the rest of today taken care of.

I think wolf-human hybrids would be very cool.

Got you covered - Carnivorous Rianths

 

[David T]

Transhumanism is a sort of philosophy about the radical future implications of science and technology in affecting human biology (and nature in the related "techno-gaianism") to "enhance" them to serve our interests.

Transhumanism - Wikipedia

Technogaianism - Wikipedia

Transhumanist ideas do have a history within Marxist Communism with its belief in progress, the power of science and technology to "master nature" to serve human interests, and also in the implications of planning as a form of "directed evolution" of society. Whilst Trans-humanism is a primarily western movement, it had russian predecessors in the Russian cosmists. Certian ideas from the cosmists had an influence on the early utopian phase of Communism in the USSR in the 1920's and to a lesser extent in the 1930's.

Russian cosmism - Wikipedia

Trans-humanism comes in many shapes and sizes. It appears to be predominantly "libertarian" but their is also a "democratic transhumanism" or "techno-progressivism".

Democratic transhumanism - Wikipedia

Democratic Transhumanism

I don't know how familiar these ideas are, but they are still very intriguing from a communist perspective. So I just wanted to get your thoughts and some reactions on it?

Please note this is in the "Communist Only" subforum. I do plan on making more threads about this later on outside the subforum as I get into it more. I like the ideas behind it and there is alot worth discussing.

Marx just took Anabaptist social structure and eliminated God not much there between the ears actually except himself. A kind of social narcissism battling against social narrcisism called capitalism which narrcisism is correct? Transhumanism is just more of the same we must break free from death and become immortal!!! It's so stupid it's crazy stupid.

 

[Laika]

I can imagine a boatload of new social class issues with the modifications of humanity.
We gotta cross our fingers and hope we get socialism first.

I saw this guardian article today so it may be pretty close:

Woolly mammoth on the verge of resurrection, scientists say

 

[wicketkeeper]

UK sci-fi series which began in the 1960's, Dr Who, gave us a heavy hint of what was to come with the Cybermen. Transhumanism has been on the agenda for many years. the Cybermen looked clumsey but the hint was heavy. A film from the 1980's - Total Recall gave us X Ray terminals at airports. The Series Continuuim also feeds us with more clues, and there are plenty of other examples.