Transhumanism. The technological search for human improvement
Transhumanism is one of the philosophical and cultural movements that have attracted more attention in recent years. It advocates the free use of technology for the improvement of human beings, both in their physical, mental, emotional and moral capacities, transcending all their current limits. The technologies used are genetic engineering and development of intelligent machines. According to the proponents of transhumanism, with the help of these technologies we could end the suffering, with the biological limitations that produce it, and we could even beat ageing and death.
Although many transhumanists do not see it desirable to bring these improvements to a point where the improved individual no longer belongs to the human species, others, designated as posthumanists, consider that this is precisely the ultimate goal: the creation of one or more new species of ours.
This book presents the different modalities of techno-scientific transhumanism. Their arguments are discussed, seeking to elucidate their strengths and weaknesses. The promises made by proponents of transhumanism are very ambitious, and not all are justified. But on the other hand, the criticism that modifying human nature endangers the bases of moral life, dignity and human rights, contains arguable philosophical assumptions and their consequences are excessively radical. There are other approaches that allow for a more balanced evaluation, on which a greater social agreement could be built in the future.
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Antonio Diéguez, PhD. is Professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science at the University of Malaga. Until September 2015, he presided over the Ibero-American Association of Philosophy of Biology (AIFIBI). He has been visiting Professor at the Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and visiting researcher at the universities of Helsinki, Harvard and Oxford. He has researched in the areas of Philosophy of Technology and Biology and, in recent years, has been interested in the subject of transhumanism. His position on this issue is critical, but he recognizes the positive effects of biotechnology and even its potential use for human improvement. He has published several books and articles on these subjects.
El transhumanismo es uno de los movimientos filosóficos y culturales que más atención ha atraído en los últimos años. Preconiza el uso libre de la tecnología para el mejoramiento del ser humano, tanto en sus capacidades físicas, como en las mentales, emocionales y morales, trascendiendo todos sus límites actuales. Las tecnologías a las acude son la ingeniería genética y el desarrollo de máquinas inteligentes. Según los defensores del transhumanismo, con la ayuda de estas tecnologías podremos acabar con el sufrimiento, con las limitaciones biológicas que lo producen, e incluso podremos vencer al envejecimiento y la muerte.
Aunque muchos transhumanistas no ven deseable llevar estas mejoras hasta un punto en que el individuo mejorado ya no perteneciera a la especie humana, otros, designados como posthumanistas, consideran que este es precisamente el objetivo final: la creación de una o varias especies nuevas a partir de la nuestra.
Las promesas que realizan los defensores del transhumanismo son muy ambiciosas, y no todas están justificadas. Pero por otro lado, la crítica de que modificar la naturaleza humana pone en peligro las bases de la vida moral, la dignidad y los derechos humanos, encierra supuestos filosóficos discutibles y sus consecuencias son excesivamente radicales. Hay otros enfoques que permiten hacer una evaluación más equilibrada, sobre la que podría edificarse en el futuro un mayor acuerdo social.
es catedrático de Filosofía de la ciencia en la Universidad de Málaga.
