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Transhumanism

To withstand the immemorial threat of the cosmic darkness and our own self-made motif of the nuclear apocalypse we must take on some kind of stronger, more adaptive and versatile bodily composition. Our very cells cry out for that lively bioreengineering. And our machines, our alloys, our electronic senses, our delicate microinstruments and fantastic nanotechnologies; all of them raise an ache in our meaningful survival mechanism to join with them an let them enhance our ephemeral doomed biological bodies.

-- St. Boniface, Cyberia

Vae! Puto deus fio!
(Alas! I think I am becoming a god!)

-- Emperor Vespasian on his deathbed

Transhumanism (>H or H+) is the belief that we can, and should, try to overcome our biological limitations by means of reason, science, and technology. Transhumanists seek things like intelligence augmentation, increased strength and beauty, extreme life extension, sustainable mood enhancement, and the capability to get off-planet and explore the universe. These goals are to be achieved with the aid of contemporary and future technologies such as genetic engineering, nanotechnology, cryonics, megascale and space-time engineering, AI, and mind uploading. In other words, (hardcore) Transhumanists seek to become posthuman (demi-)gods -- "persons of unprecedented physical, intellectual, and psychological capacity. Self-programming, self-constituting, potentially immortal, unlimited individuals." It is a fairly common belief among transhumanists that unless we destroy ourselves first (or get wiped out by a natural disaster), the pace of technological progress will accelerate enormously within the first half of this century, ultimately resulting in the birth of superhuman intelligence. This will, in turn, trigger a period of even faster and more profound social and technological change, after which nothing can be reliably conceived: the Singularity.

Introductions to Transhumanism

• What is Transhumanism?, by Nick Bostrom

• Transhumanism: The Next Step?, by Patrick Inniss. Transhumanism vs Humanism.

• Transhumanism and Extropianism, by Greg Burch

• Introductory Texts about Transhumanism, compiled by Anders Sandberg

• The Transhumanist FAQ

• The Transhumanist Declaration

• Principles of Extropy V. 3.11

Mailing Lists and Newsgroups

• Extropy Institute mailing lists and BBS. For everything related to (Extropian) Transhumanism. The main forum, Extropy Chat, is more or less the mother of all Transhuman mailing lists, and is still very active.

• WTA mailing lists An index of lists related to the World Transhumanist Association.

• Transhumantech "Discussion of transhumanist technologies; confluence of subscriber-contributed content (trawled from the Net and other sources)." Less philosophy, more hardcore tech.

• Technocalypse Transtopia's main (public) mailing list. Technology, philosophy, and politics. Venerable citadel of real free speech. A forum for true progressives, iconoclasts, and freethinkers.

• Transtopia For those specifically interested in our old autonomous island project.

• MURG The Mind Uploading Research Group's mailing list. A somewhat "technical" list for anyone interested in mind uploading.

• Nanotech For anyone who wants to keep up to date with the latest developments in molecular nano technology.

• CryoNet mailing list A list for discussing matters related to cryonics, the experimental procedure whereby patients who no longer can be kept alive with today's medical abilities are preserved at low temperature for treatment in the future. The cryonics equivalent of the Extropian list, and equally recommended.

• Cryonics-Euro A list for European cryonicists. See also the Cryonics Page.

• Prometheism-pgroup A list related to the Promethean movement. Prometheism is a worldview and religion rooted in the posthuman and self-transforming philosophy of transhuman cosmic Self-Directed Evolution. It combines voluntary (neo-)eugenics, Libertarian philosophy, and Transhumanism, among other things.

• Church of Cosmotheism A list related to the Cosmotheism movement. Cosmotheists believe that our true human purpose is to know and to complete ourselves as conscious Individuals and also as a self-aware species and thereby to co-evolve with the cosmos towards total and universal awareness, and towards the ever higher perfection of consciousness and being.

Transhumanism, Extropianism & Futurism

• Transhumanist Resources

• World Transhumanist Association (WTA)

• Extropy Institute (ExI)

• Transcedo Dutch Transhumanist Organization.

• De:Trans German Transhumanist Society.

• Svenska Transhumanist Förbundet Aleph Swedish Transhumanist Association.

• Transhuman and Extropic Art Center

• Transhuman World Culture InfoMark

• Immortality Inst. -- For Infinite Lifespans.

• HedWeb -- The Hedonistic Imperative The Hedonistic Imperative outlines how genetic engineering and nanotechnology will abolish suffering in all sentient life.

• The Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Inc. A nonprofit corporation whose charitable purpose is to bring about the Singularity - the creation of greater-than-human intelligence.

• The Incipient Posthuman

• Singularity Action Group "Talk is good, but action is better!"

• Betterhumans Transhumanism-related news and resources.

• Entelechy Institute A non profit organisation for education and research. Our primary focus is on using leading edge technologies and techniques to enhance or augment intelligence. The prolongation of human life and the maintenance of quality of life by medical or other means is of course a part of that.

The late • Alexander 'Sasha' Chislenko's Transhumanist Website

• Henry's Future Pages Misc. Transhuman writings in English and Dutch.

• World Future Society The World Future Society is a nonprofit educational and scientific organization for people interested in how social and technological developments are shaping the future.

• T.E.C.H. -- Transhumanist / Extropian Central Home Has many neatly categorized Transhumanism-related links.

• Church of Virus "A neo-cybernetic philosophy for the 21st century; a synthesis of religion and evolution."

• MindUploading.org A central repository for the open dissemination of information for the Whole Brain Emulation research project, as well as the official site of the Mind Uploading Research Group (MURG) and its affiliates.

• Island One Society A meeting place for future space colonists and business people of a libertarian or at least live and let live bent.

• The Foresight Institute Nanotechnology information center.

• Alcor Life Extension Foundation Cryonics organization.

• Cryonics Institute

• American Cryonics Society

• CryoNet Home of the main cryonics mailing list.

• The Life Extension Foundation Food supplements & more.

• Transhumanity News and views from the transhumanist community, published by the World Transhumanist Association.

• AcceleratingFuture.com "This site is an information resource on the philosophical, moral, and societal implications of probable near-future technologies, and the huge opportunities they offer to human flourishing, if utilized wisely. Central topics include accelerating change, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, intelligence enhancement, the Singularity, and existential risks."

• The Society for Venturism A nonprofit, charitable organization that was formed to further the cause of cryonics and immortalism--the philosophy that seeks the elimination of death through scientific means.

• The ORION Initiative An international, not-for-profit high-IQ membership association dedicated since 1996 to breeding and educating genetically-advantaged pioneers to the stars via elective-eugenics communities: intially on-planet, then subsequently as a 'one-stop staffing' resource for privately-funded industrial/R&D orbital colonies. . .all by the end of the 21st Century.

• Against Politics: Reason, Liberty, Extropy. An excellent, apparently PC-free Transhumanist-Libertarian news and links portal.

• The Church of Mez Frivolity, hedonism, transhumanism, and intentional living (and Burning Man, apparently). Now defunct, but the old website is still available 'for historical purposes'.

• Artilect.org Artificial intelligence, neuroscience, physics.

• Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (CRN) The mission of CRN is to raise awareness of the issues presented by nanotechnology: the benefits and dangers, and the possibilities for responsible use.

• Goo prophylaxis -- How do we prevent a nanotechnological disaster?, by Nick Bostrom.

• Nanotechnology Industries Various nanotech-related links.

• Institute for Molecular Manufacturing (IMM) A nonprofit foundation formed in 1991 to carry out research aimed at developing molecular nanotechnology.

• Suomen Transhumanistiliitto (Finnish Transhumanist Association)

• New Jersey Transhumanist Association (NJTA)

• Asociación Transhumanista Venezolana (ATV) Venezuelan Transhumanist Association.

• Estropico Wop transhumanism.

• Ressources Transhumanistes Francophones Frog transhumanism.

• Europäische (Trans)Visionen Frank Prengel's review of the first European transhumanist gathering, TransVision, which was held in '98 in the Netherlands. Texts in German.

• TransVision '99: Who do you want to be tomorrow? A review of the second European transhumanist gathering in Sweden, by Frank Prengel (in German only).

• Unsterblich im Hier und Jetzt? German article from Telepolis about transhumanism, cryonics and immortality. Also has some links to related articles.

• Lust nach Laune und Leben ohne Ende...and another one, by Gundolf S. Freyermuth.

• The Low Beyond Various Singularity-related writings by Eliezer S. Yudkowsky.

• I Believe the Robots Are Our Future, by Helen Virginia Leidermeye.

• Opponents of Progress, as seen by Greg Burch.

• Christ and Transhumans

• In Defense of Humanity: Against Transhumanism Good for a laugh, if nothing else...

• Acceleration Watch Acceleration Watch is an educational affiliate of the Acceleration Studies Foundation. Through the ASF we produce a free newsletter for strategists and futurists, helpful to understanding and managing accelerating technological change. We also promote scientific investigation, analysis, forecasting, social foresight, and careful, informed speculation on the technological singularity hypothesis.

• Transhumanism: The New Master Race?, by Tihamer Toth-Fejel (from the Newsletter of the • Molecular Manufacturing Shortcut Group of the National Space Society).

• The Extropian Creed: Can High Technology and Libertarian Politics Lead us to a Transhuman Golden Age? By Ben Goertzel. A "humanist" critique of Extropianism, has some interesting background info on the late Sasha Chislenko and some other major Extropians.

• Embracing Change with All Four Arms: A Post-Humanist Defense of Genetic Engineering, by J. Hughes Ph.D.

• Meet the Extropians, by Ed Regis. How it all began...Recommended!

• Freeze Head, Save Ass: Those Uncanny Ex-Men -- you'll die before the Extropians die, by John Whalen. A must-read for anyone interested in the (roots of) Extropianism.

• Brain Tennis -- Max More vs Paulina Borsook Discussion about transhumanism and extropy from HotWired.

• Wearables Central Wearable Computing Links and News Archive.

• Wearcomp.org Prof. Steve Mann's wearable computer and camera pages.

• Gallery of Transhuman Artifacts, by Marque Cornblatt.

• The Longevity Meme Life extension and transhumanism.

• Methusalem.com Life extension and Bible code.

• Immortality Inc. Some more life extension...

• Life Extension Society (LES)...and then some. LES is a membership organization, with most members being from the mid-Atlantic region. It aims to support research and public education in human life extension.

• Elysian Enterprise The Pursuit of Immortality and Divinity.

• Future History timeline

• Cyborgs and Postmodern Bodies

• ArtFUTURE This is the home of art and design of the future! On this site you will find visions of the future, art created with emerging technologies, scientific art and items of futuristic design.

• Universe Today Space Exploration News from Around the Internet.

• Cyberlewis.com -- Transhuman Topics

• Various science fiction stories by Charles Stross

• The Transhuman Links Collection Pure goddamn nostalgia -- and loads of dead links!