125. Transhumanism 3/28: From Dante to Silicon Valley

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As far as we currently know, the term transhuman was first used by Dante in his work The Divine Comedy, completed in 1321. There, the word meant "to move beyond the human condition and sensuality"—that is, to step outside the perceptions and experiences dictated by the mind and our five senses. Dante applied the term "transhuman" to the manifestation of the universal human.

In the 19th century, Friedrich Nietzsche’s concept of the "overman" (Übermensch) still referred to the manifestation of the universal human waiting for apotheosis—one who transcends themselves and their individuality. By the 20th century, a turning point occurred in the interpretation of the concept; in the modern liberal and capitalist era, the transhuman became exclusively the individualistic ego, a human dominated by the body-mind. We see this, for example, in T. S. Eliot, who used the concept of the transhuman in his 1949 work The Cocktail Party to express the risks of the human journey. In his posthumous work The Future of Man (1959), Teilhard de Chardin proposed that humans should exploit every possibility to reach the fullness of their potential. Next in line is Julian Huxley, a professor at Oxford University, who first applied the word "transhumanism" in his 1957 essay of the same title. Huxley wrote that humans must create a better environment for themselves, but this did not yet mean creating an environment alienated from humanity and driven by artificial technologies. In 1966: The Reader’s Digest Great Encyclopedic Dictionary defined the noun "transhuman" as the idea that the "human" can be surpassed or transcended. In 1990 this idea reappeared in Max More’s essay Transhumanism: Toward a Futurist Philosophy, where the author demonstrates that with the help of human intelligence and technology, human life can evolve without limits.

The term "transhuman" also appeared in science fiction literature, such as Robert Ettinger’s Man into Superman (1972), and later in futurist literature, like Fereydoon M. Esfandiary’s Are You a Transhuman? (1989). It also appeared in the 1974 book Women: Year 2000 in a chapter titled "Transhumans 2000," where the author presents the transhuman as the future of human evolution. Later, Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary (1983) interpreted the concept as an evolutionary process where the human is "transhuman" or "superman"—something through which a human can be raised or transformed beyond their current existence. That same year saw the birth of the Transhumanist Declaration and the Declaration of Transhumanist Arts, which set the transcendence of the body and mind as a goal (e.g., that the biological human is not the end-station of evolution). Transhumanism represents the understanding that humans must step out of their current state, as further evolution is only possible this way.

The rapid development of transhumanism at the beginning of the 21st century was made possible by the World Wide Web, as well as advancing genetic technologies and info-communication tools like Artificial Intelligence. From a previously narrow circle of interests, and with the help of AI, transhumanism "evolved" into a worldview or religion. A major role was played by the community site Extropy: The Journal of Transhumanist Thought (launched in 1989), which established the first non-profit Extropy Institute in 1991. Its goal was to implement technologies supporting further human evolution, such as: artificial intelligence human-machine integration, data encryption and the use of crypto currencies, super intelligences and nanotechnology, technological singularity (synchronization) and life extension. Supporters of the transhumanist religion can also be found within the World Transhumanist Association (now known as Humanity+). This materialist alliance supports the creation of the super intelligent human, eternal life, and the "very good life" (erroneously formulated as "happiness").

Seeing these goals, the elixir of life from folk tales immediately comes to our mind—the water and fountain of eternal life—which today is made possible for the "self-chosen" by existing power-wielding, utilitarian genetic technology and artificial intelligence. We can also point to the goals of medieval alchemy, where one finds the creation of the artificial human (the homunculus), the making of gold (the modern version of which is data trading), and the realization of longevity. Today, we have digital alchemy. Among the most well-known atheist supporters of these goals, we find the "chosen" ones of both the old and new guard, such as Larry Page (Google), Jeff Bezos (Amazon), Elon Musk (X, Neuralink), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Wozniak (Apple), Larry Fink (BlackRock), etc. What the self-chosen do not disclose is what will happen to those who are not chosen.

According to Hajdu, reducing the human being to a simple biological entity—a body-mind—and excluding their "createdness" and universality has led to the attribution of an "evolutionary necessity" to humanity, even though the human being does not need to "develop" anywhere or at any time. It could even be said that transhumanism is a critique of the Creator’s act. Since creation is seen as imperfect, it becomes man's job to make it perfect. Because the "ignorant chosen" are to this day unable to grasp the circularity of dualities—the perpetual cycle of birth and passing—they always think in terms of linearity. They mistakenly label this Westernized, linear progress as "evolution."

Let us not forget that this type of misinterpretation of evolution is also linked to the increase in consumption applied in economics, which signifies nothing other than exploitation and even greater profit. Just like Westernized evolution and civilization, the capitalist economy is based on external intervention. The society of a country, a region, a city, or a village must be operated in a Western fashion through external intervention to satisfy its consumer needs. The essence is external dependency. In contrast, in self-determining societies of Eastern thought, the country, region, city, or village sustains itself. In Eastern thinking, the essence lies in internal interconnectedness, self-determination, and self-sufficiency.

As stated on the Humanity+ website: "Transhumanism is a way of thinking closely linked to the earlier Renaissance and Enlightenment, which brought significant changes to European culture, arts, philosophy, science, and mathematics. The Renaissance primarily sought to promote literature, architecture, and humanism, while the Enlightenment prioritized scientific methods, rationality, and mathematics. Transhumanism is also linked to the philosophy of humanism because it emphasizes the rational solution to human needs and problems." While humanism is known as a secular philosophy representing resistance to beliefs, practices, and rituals associated with divine or supernatural power, the dogma of transhumanism seeks to influence the very nature of reality, existence, and ethics. It embraces the discovery of the unknown and the new, as well as the management of new challenges. Transhumanism focuses on the future of humanity, paying particular attention to the possibilities of longevity—noting, for instance, that one cannot live a healthy, long life without a healthy environment.