Mythologies of Transhumanism [Paperback]

This book examines the dependence of transhumanist arguments on the credibility of the narratives of meaning in which they are embedded. By taking the key ideas from transhumanist philosophy  the desirability of human self-design and immortality, the elimination of all suffering and the expansion of human autonomy  Michael Hauskeller explores these narratives and the understanding of human nature that informs them. Particular attention is paid to the theory of transhumanism as a form of utopia, stories of human nature, the increasing integration of the radical human enhancement project into the cultural mainstream, and the drive to upgrade from flesh to machine. 

Introduction.- 1. Dreams of a Better World.- 2. Stories of Human Nature.- 3. The Twofold Nature of the Transhumanist Human.- 4. The Bioconservative Human.- 5. The Disease of Being Human.- 6. Messy Bodies.- 7. Is Nature Unfair? .- 8. Love Enhancement.- 9. Moral Enhancement.- 10. Animal Enhancement.- Conclusion.- Literature.- Index.

Michael Hauskeller is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Exeter, UK. He has published extensively on various topics. Recent publications include: Better Humans? Understanding the Enhancement Project (2013), Sex and the Posthuman Condition (2014), and, as co-editor, The Palgrave Handbook of Posthumanism in Film and Television (2015).

This book examines the dependence of transhumanist arguments on the credibility of the narratives of meaning in which they are embedded. By taking the key ideas from transhumanist philosophy  the desirability of human self-design and immortality, the elimination of all suffering and the expansion of human autonomy  Michael Hauskeller explores these narratives and the understanding of human nature that informs them. Particular attention is paid to the theory of transhumanism as a form of utopia,l4