Shepherd's Pie

Transhumanism

Great basic outline of transhumanism. A concept which is distinctly Kurzweilian. While I clearly support Transarchitecture and general design issues in terms of our relationship with technology, I have some big problems with "Transhumanism." The whole thing reeks of disturbing misplaced escapism. Transhumanism argues that construction of certain physiologically enhancing technology brings us to a new destined "Post-human" state. To me, I would expect the improvement would be superficial. While it seems sort of religious.... I would expect we have certain human defenses built in which force us to reject such prosthetic improvement. The costs would be payed in emotional and physical damage. Not to say we are incapable of creating such identity changing devices. While the Transhumanist link points to medical and physical rigging of our brains for total mood and intelligence controls. I would say that the side effects and complications of today's mental health pharmaceuticals prove that our bodies will disagree. I don't think it is just incomplete design that dissatisfies patients of these drugs. I think it may be our intincts for simplification and enlightenment which counteract transhuman growth. Also Transhumanism is seems to be mistakenly individualistic in it's view of our future. I hope to find themes of technologies and designs which seek to improve these instincts of simplification, enlightenment and satisfying community. While being equally future looking and technology aware... Only reaching toward and allowing us to search and understand these conflicts. It all becomes issues of individual object and idea ethics... I support "X," I disagree with "Y." We have to allow both X and Y to be developed before we make such decisions, which is a strange and difficult position to be trapped in. We just have to be hyper aware, and regain cartiledge strong philosophical guidelines. Firm but reshapeable.

I am not sure what I mean... But I hope to be able to represent these conflicts in actual blog link examples and with my life choices.


Is this how everyone
gets when they stay
up till 4:00 in the
morning?
-JAKE


ps. Everyone should see the new queen of "videoblogging," Dylan Verdi

posted by JRS @ 3:41 AM