The A to Z of -isms...
transhumanism.
Most of us would consider the end of the human race as a catastrophe.
There are some however who would not only rejoice at it
but want to hasten the day it arrives.
Transhumanists look forward to a future in which Homo sapiens
is superseded by a better, smarter, fitter model -
humanity 2.0.
Humans are in dire need of improvement.
Any species that causes huge damage to our environment,
can't feed itself even though it has enough food
and fights countless wars costing millions of lives
must surely benefit from an intelligence upgrade.
Our lifespans are short,
our final years usually characterised by diminishing health and vitality,
often accompanied by a drop off in cognitive capacity.
One in three people born in 2015 are expected to get dementia.
Is this really the best we can hope for?
Transhumanists think not.
Ageing could be stopped and even reversed.
Enhancements could dramatically raise our IQs
and make us stronger and fitter.
We might even be able to leave our fragile bodies behind
and upload ourselves to computers, living forever in virtual worlds.
Improving humanity through science and technology
could radically change us.
Such a new beginning would in effect be the end of humanity as we know it.
Many transhumanists see this as not only desirable but inevitable.
The scientist and futurist, Ray Kurzweil,
believes we are approaching what he calls "the singularity" -
the point at which computers become smart enough to learn for themselves,
after which they will rapidly become smarter and smarter.
The future belongs to artificial intelligence.
The only way for humanity to survive is to embrace it
and become wholly or partially artificial ourselves.
The thought of being replaced by a new form of humanity
is bound to be unsettling.
But transhumanists think
we would be wrong to lament the end of humanity as we know it
when what replaces us would be so much better.
It would be like wishing children never grew up
or that Homo erectus never evolved into Homo sapiens.
If the transhumanists are right,
we could be one of the last generations of humans to roam the planet.
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