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The Animal that Aspires to be an Angel: The Challenge of Transhumanism
Author(s) -
Hefner Philip
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
dialog
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.114
H-Index - 5
eISSN - 1540-6385
pISSN - 0012-2033
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-6385.2009.00451.x
Subject(s) - transhumanism , posthuman , posthumanism , numinous , conviction , philosophy , human enhancement , dehumanization , epistemology , dystopia , aesthetics , environmental ethics , sociology , art , literature , political science , theology , law , anthropology
: In what is called its ‘upper case’ form, transhumanism (TH) projects a fantastical posthuman existence akin to science fiction, but in its ‘lower case’ form it permeates our American culture. TH is expressed in the conviction that we need not settle for our birth‐nature; we can alter that nature in ways that we deem desirable. As such, TH represents a fundamental challenge to our understanding of human nature, and in particular what God has created us to become. The encounter with TH is more than an ethical challenge; it is an encounter with the numinous.