Overview
- Offers a high-level introduction to the international political and cultural movement of transhumanism
- Examines the ways in which the human species may take the course of evolution into its own hands
- Discusses the main philosophical, epistemological, and ethical issues
- Reviews the state of the art in scientific research on key topics
Part of the book series: Springer Praxis Books (PRAXIS)
Part of the book sub series: Popular Science (POPS)
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Table of contents (11 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
This book is designed to offer a comprehensive high-level introduction to transhumanism, an international political and cultural movement that aims to produce a “paradigm shift” in our ethical and political understanding of human evolution. Transhumanist thinkers want the human species to take the course of evolution into its own hands, using advanced technologies currently under development – such as robotics, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cognitive neurosciences, and nanotechnology – to overcome our present physical and mental limitations, improve our intelligence beyond the current maximum achievable level, acquire skills that are currently the preserve of other species, abolish involuntary aging and death, and ultimately achieve a post-human level of existence. The book covers transhumanism from a historical, philosophical, and scientific viewpoint, tracing its cultural roots, discussing the main philosophical, epistemological, and ethical issues, and reviewing the state of the art in scientific research on the topics of most interest to transhumanists. The writing style is clear and accessible for the general reader, but the book will also appeal to graduate and undergraduate students.
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Roberto Manzocco is an Italian science writer, journalist, and historian of science who specializes in the history and philosophy of biology, technological innovation, and technological forecasting. He has also written books on philosophy and “pop culture” (for example, his first book was about David Lynch and philosophy). He is also interested in European policy making and the future of the Transatlantic Partnership.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Transhumanism - Engineering the Human Condition
Book Subtitle: History, Philosophy and Current Status
Authors: Roberto Manzocco
Series Title: Springer Praxis Books
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04958-4
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: Engineering, Engineering (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-04956-0Published: 20 March 2019
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-04958-4Published: 11 March 2019
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIX, 293
Number of Illustrations: 2 b/w illustrations
Topics: Popular Science in Technology, Philosophy of Technology, History of Science, Anthropology, Epistemology, Artificial Intelligence