What is the Best Word for Transhumanism?
by Wesley J. Smith
Apparently members of the materialist religious denomination of futurists, often known as transhumanists, are having a bit of a tussle. No, it isn't an argument over how many non souls can fit into a computer server array, but about nomenclature. From the Slate story: 'Singularity or Transhumanism: What Word Should We Use to Discuss the Future?', at:
These are all terms thrown around trying to describe a future in which mind uploading, indefinite lifespans, artificial intelligence, and bionic augmentation may (and I think will) help us to become far more than just human. They are words you hear in a MIT robotics laboratory, or on a launch site of SpaceX, or on Reddit's Futurology channel.
This word war is a clash of intellectual ideals. It goes something like this: The singularity people (many at Singularity University) don't like the term transhumanism. Transhumanists don't like posthumanism. Posthumanists don't like cyborgism. And cyborgism advocates don't like the life extension tag. If you arrange the groups in any order, the same enmity occurs. All sides are wary of others, fearing they might lose ground in bringing the future closer in precisely their way.
I'll settle this. I know the perfect word to describe the goals and aspirations of this rather sad and desperate movement: Fiction.
[Note: Amen! BUT, also consider that while these transhumanists et al are being dismissed out of hand by some as irrelevant, sad, funny, just weird, mentally ill, etc., in the meantime historic levels of damage are being done, and much more will be done -- unless these fictions (aka, ancient gnostic MYTHS that simply change their names across the centuries) are identified, exposed for what they are and what they really want, and eliminated. Our younger generations especially are drowning in this horrific movement. There are also now 'Brain Games', Bitcoin and other secret internet currencies designed to marginalize the free market system, transhumanist and Wicca documentaries on BBC et al, promoting these various dangerous fictions to adults, CEO's of private companies and government officials at Silicon Valley's Singularity University, experimental research funding sources, etc.. Just search each of the categories below in Google, Amazon.com and other search engines yourself for books, clothes (even for infants and young children!), video games, gifts, movies, TV programs, across the internet and globe), social media -- not to mention international conferences across the academic spectrum (including the Russian Transhumanist Party: (home) https://2045.com/ ; (avatars) https://2045.com/manifest/. Please go ahead -- search these sources yourself. -- The article first appeared here. - DNI]