Posthumanism
One may define posthumanism as a philosophy which views seizing the opportunity to modify and enhance human nature in ways that include the deceleration or arresting of aging, genetic engineering, the bodily introduction of nanotechnology and cybernetics (Post, 2005). The lives of people today would seem to have dependence and interdependence toward technology. For instance, most people can not imagine themselves living today without their smartphones. Another example would include the deceleration of aging. Most beauty conscious people seem to be pre-occupied with which anti-aging creams works best. Ever heard the phrase: “it works best while you sleep?” These simple alterations would begin in basic steps to great leaping action. In this regard, the modified being because of alterations would not be considered human anymore. Simply put, posthumanism would seem to be the belief that humans are not humans anymore because they delve and altered the nature of their being through nanotechnology, computer dependence, and the like.
Some people maybe oblivious that they are supporting posthumanism. For instance, one may say that the “Genius” feature in the Ipod would seem to illustrate the dependence of humans to technology. Before, people depend on a DJ to mix and determine the order of the songs. Now, people would depend on a computer program and algorithm to determine which music they want to be played. Such dependence with the Genius technology can be a support to posthumanism. The very replacement of a disk jockey to a computer software with complex algorithm is one of the manifestations.
One of the many ethical issues posthumanism might raise is the alteration at conception and childbirth. In the future, majority of the people may want their children to have the genes of a genius class topnotcher with the built of a varsity player or a cheerleader. The issue that might arise: to what point it is augmentation, and to what point is it the meddling with nature? One may have a point to correct a gene of a Down syndrome, or the genes that would make a person diabetic in the future. It seems that the science fiction stories of long ago are in the process of their fruition.
Post (2005) asserts that technology is not inherently evil. It is a tool that people should use wisely. One can add that post humanism would seem to bastardize and the identity of the human beings, because, after all the alteration and modifications, arguably, the person is not the person himself, but the new product of the technology and augmentation. Posthumanists can not decelerate aging forever, death and decomposition is inevitable. Up to what point posthumanists would forestall the inevitable?
Work Cited:
Post, S.. (2005). Posthumanism. In Carl Mitcham (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Science, Technology, and Ethics, Vol. 3(pp. 1458-1462). Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA. Retrieved March 14, 2010, from Gale Virtual Reference Library via Gale:
http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/gps/start.do?prodId=IPS&userGroupName=uphoenix
Screenshot from FLICKR: http://www.flickr.com/photos/parzer/4165024168/
