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Religion and Transhumanism

Author: Calvin Mercer

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2014-11-17

Total Pages: 632

ISBN-13:

Should technology be used to improve human faculties such as cognition and longevity? This thought-provoking dialogue between "transhumanism" and religion examines enhancement technologies that could radically alter the human species. "Transhumanism" or "human enhancement" is an intellectual and cultural movement that advocates the use of emerging technologies to change human traits. Although they may sound like science fiction, the possibilities suggested by transhumanism are very real, and the questions they raise have no easy answers. If these enhancements—especially major ones like the indefinite extension of healthy human life—become widely available, they would arguably have a more radical impact on humankind than any other development in history. This book comprises essays that explore transhumanism and the issues that surround it, addressing numerous fascinating questions posed by scholars of religion from various traditions. How will "immortality" or extreme longevity change our religious beliefs and practices? How might pharmaceuticals enhance spiritual experiences? Will "post-human" technologies be available to all persons, or will a superior "post-human race" arise to dominate the human species? The discussions are as intriguing as the future they suggest.

Transhumanism and the Image of God

Author: Jacob Shatzer

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2019-04-09

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13: 0830865780

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We're constantly invited to think about the future of technology as a progressive improvement of tools: our gadgets will continue to evolve, but we humans will stay basically the same. In the future, perhaps even alien species and intelligent robots will coexist alongside humans, who will grapple with challenges and emerge as the heroes. But the truth is that radical technological change has the power to radically shape humans as well. We must be well informed and thoughtful about the steps we're already taking toward a transhuman or even posthuman future. Can we find firm footing on a slippery slope? Biblical ethicist Jacob Shatzer guides us into careful consideration of the future of Christian discipleship in a disruptive technological environment. In Transhumanism and the Image of God, Shatzer explains the development and influence of the transhumanist movement, which promotes a "next stage" in human evolution. Exploring topics such as artificial intelligence, robotics, medical technology, and communications tools, he examines how everyday technological changes have already altered and continue to change the way we think, relate, and understand reality. By unpacking the doctrine of the incarnation and its implications for human identity, he helps us better understand the proper place of technology in the life of the disciple and avoid false promises of a posthumanist vision. We cannot think about technology use today without considering who we will become tomorrow.

Religious Transhumanism and Its Critics

Author: Arvin M. Gouw

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2022-03-10

Total Pages: 489

ISBN-13: 1498584144

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"In this book, the contributors examine how various religious traditions engage with transhumanism and its vision for the future"--

Transhumanism as a Challenge for Ethics and Religion

Author: LIT Verlag

Publisher: LIT Verlag

Published: 2021-01-01

Total Pages: 238

ISBN-13: 3643962975

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The crucial question of our time is: How to preserve humanity, humanitas, in a world of radical and not so long ago practically unimaginable technological possibilities? The book addresses this issue through its treatment of transhumanism, a diverse movement the representatives of which promise and advocate for the enhancement of human being through modern science, technology, and pharmacology. Their views differ in the degree of extremity, and they contain many ambiguities, as well as pitfalls and dangers that require an answer from both ethical and religious points of view. The book deepens the understanding of transhumanism in an interdisciplinary way and thus helps to form the right attitude towards it that will truly benefit human flourishing. It offers a rich variety of views on transhumanism, ranging from its illumination in the light of contemporary research into happiness, through liberal eugenics and biopolitics, all the way to its considerations in terms of religions and manifestations in concrete works of art. Robert Petkovek is Professor of Philosophy at the Faculty of Theology, University of Ljubljana. Professor Bojan alec is the Head of the Institute of Philosophy and Social Ethics at the Faculty of Theology, University of Ljubljana.

Transhumanism and Transcendence

Author: Ronald Cole-Turner

Publisher: Georgetown University Press

Published: 2011-09-29

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13: 1589017943

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The timeless human desire to be more beautiful, intelligent, healthy, athletic, or young has given rise in our time to technologies of human enhancement. Athletes use drugs to increase their strength or stamina; cosmetic surgery is widely used to improve physical appearance; millions of men take drugs like Viagra to enhance sexual performance. And today researchers are exploring technologies such as cell regeneration and implantable devices that interact directly with the brain. Some condemn these developments as a new kind of cheating—not just in sports but in life itself—promising rewards without effort and depriving us most of all of what it means to be authentic human beings. “Transhumanists,” on the other hand, reject what they see as a rationalizing of human limits, as if being human means being content forever with underachieving bodies and brains. To be human, they insist, is to be restless with possibilities, always eager to transcend biological limits. As the debate grows in urgency, how should theology respond? Christian theologians recognize truth on both sides of the argument, pointing out how the yearnings of the transhumanists—if not their technological methods—find deep affinities in Christian belief. In this volume, Ronald Cole-Turner has joined seasoned scholars and younger, emerging voices together to bring fresh insight into the technologies that are already reshaping the future of Christian life and hope.

Transhumanism as a Challenge for Ethics and Religion

Author: Robert Petkovsek

Publisher: LIT Verlag Münster

Published: 2021-01-25

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 3643912978

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