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bin Laden Is A Humanitarian
a US Senator has said that the man behind the 9-11 attacks on the USA is a humanitarian. A Pastor I use to sit under said this once my lips work at times but not my brain. I think that is the way that a Senator should feel and or the...

Businesses Need to 'Rehumanise'
Big companies and corporations have lost the human touch. The question is, when will humanity catch on, or like robotic sheep will we do whatever the business shepherds tell us, no matter how bad we are treated? I am talking from firsthand...

Clones, Engenharia genética e o futuro da humanidade
Penso que a evolução e a superioridade de algum ser, seja humano ou não, nunca foi desejado. A mitologia de várias civilizações demonstram a existência de seres poderosos, muitos que viveriam em algum lugar longe dos mortais comuns. Alguns autores...

Humanity's Team is Leading the Way to New Spirituality
Humanity's Team is a growing body of individuals who have formed a Civil Rights Movement for the Soul. It is the vehicle, which uplifts and inspires people as it brings in New Spirituality and the Energy of Oneness to the World. Humanity's Team is...

Worth and Humanitarianism
Worth And Humanitarianism By Punkerslut I will not live forever. All of the people around me will not live forever, either. There have been various groups to assert that there is eternal life, "eternal salvation," but such claims bring with...

 
Movin' On: Taking Transhumanism in Stride

Back in the seventies, we watched "The Six Million Dollar Man", a popular television show about a trained agent who was critically injured and given the gift of technology--bionic legs and super vision.

Lee Majors portrayed a man capable of leaping tall buildings and scanning the landscape at night. We marveled at the possibility of creating a human with superior qualities. In the opening sequence of each episode, we heard the phrase, "We have the technology." The implication was that we could--and should--use it to transform a high market value man into a formidable man/machine mix.

My definition of an excellent human is someone who is mindful of maximizing his or her own potential for creativity and compassion. That seems like plenty to tackle, but there is an emerging school of thought that suggests we ought to become excellent superhumans.

Transhumanists believe that the continual evolution of humans requires the--key word here-- ethical use of technology to help us live better, longer lives. For them, a life span of 80 years may be what "nature intended" for this decade, but our role as 21st century humans is to use what we've learned to improve upon nature.

These aren't doom and gloom types who live in a fantasy world or anticipate a future run by robots. Transhumanists are passionately optimistic about the role of humans. They're excited about the possibilities for people to truly maximize their potential. They believe that human development is limited only by our current technology.

We're seeing evidence of this every day. Fertility clinics offer a range of effective treatments unthinkable a few decades ago. We're captivated by the extreme makeover shows featuring dramatic physical transformations of those willing to endure multiple surgeries and painful recovery periods. We know people who have benefited from pacemakers, cochlear implants, laser vision surgery, prosthetic devices, and cosmetic dentistry.

Transhumanists embrace these techniques and many more as a desirable progression toward


utilizing technology as a tool for human improvement. They envision a time when we can eliminate disease, enhance memory, develop superior senses, and create physical bodies resistant to aging.

This build-a-better-human view isn't universally accepted, but it's important to look at how our ideas of "improvement" have changed over the years. Eyeglasses were once viewed as an unnecessary and unwelcome manipulation of our God-given eyesight. The current hot topics such as stem- cell research will one day elicit the same yawns with which we greet news of eyebrow lifts or fertility drug-induced twins.

What does it mean to go beyond human? As long as humans are in charge, is it possible to do anything that might be considered beyond the realm of human potential? Is there a need for ethical controls or legal restrictions if advances in science are seen as the desired result of natural human achievement? Is all fair in love and war--and science?

We love ethical debates about the nature of nature. Instead of focusing on a particular new-fangled technique, we'd do well to frame our rejection or acceptance of transhumanism in terms of the bigger picture--is technology a natural part of human evolution? Do we have a responsibility to use science as a tool to improve the human experience- including the human body?

I'm always open to improving, and that goes for my definition of excellence. If we can develop superhuman brains and bodies, can we also look forward to tremendous gains in creativity and compassion? Transhumanists get us thinking about the potential for humanity over the long haul.

Now that's excellent.

Maya Talisman Frost is a mind masseuse. Her work has inspired thinkers in over 90 countries. She serves up a satisfying blend of clarity, comfort and comic relief in her free weekly ezine, the Friday Mind Massage. To subscribe, visit http://www.massageyourmind.com.


maya@massageyourmind.com


 

EDSITEment - The Best of the Humanities on the Web
EDSITEment, the best of the humanities on the web.
edsitement.neh.gov
 
Humanities - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The humanities are usually distinguished from the social sciences and the natural sciences ... The arts are usually considered as part of the humanities. ...
en.wikipedia.org
 
Welcome To Humanities Interactive
Texas Council for the Humanities Resource Center presents interactive exhibits, games, and lessons.
www.humanities-interactive.org
 
Humbul Humanities Hub
Cataloged and annotated resources covering the humanities and social sciences.
www.humbul.ac.uk
 
Habitat for Humanity Int'l
A nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing organization building simple, decent, affordable housing in partnership with people in need.
www.habitat.org
 
Welcome to Humanities Washington
Humanities Washington is a non-profit organization and public foundation providing cultural and educational programs to the people of Washington State.
www.humanities.org
 
Humanities and Humanistic Studies | The WWW Virtual Library
this resource in English is indexed under: Humanities and Humanistic Studies, Peoples, Social and Behavioural Sciences. ...
vlib.org
 
National Endowment for the Humanities
Agency of the US government dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities.
www.neh.gov
 
Humanities Magazine
Humanities Magazine: The Magazine of the National Endowment for the Humanities ... Subscriptions to Humanities magazine are available through the Government ...
www.neh.gov
 
Arts > Humanities in the Yahoo! Directory
Explore the fields of history, literature, philosophy, and classics and all of their related disciplines with resources designed for students, academics, ...
dir.yahoo.com
 
Arts in the Yahoo! Directory
Explore sites about art history, artists, fine arts, humanities, performing arts, and crafts. Also features categories for organizations, services, museums, ...
dir.yahoo.com
 
Humanities Text Initiative
University of Michigan's online humanities text archives.
www.hti.umich.edu
 
VoS - Voice of the Shuttle
We've tried to maintain most of the original structure of the site, which models the way the humanities are organized for research and teaching as well as ...
vos.ucsb.edu
 
the world wide web virtual library humanities
www.hum.gu.se/w3vl/w3vl.html - Similar pages
 
The Arts and Humanities Data Service | tel: 0207 848 1988 | email ...
A catalogue organized to collect, preserve and promote re-use of the electronic resources which result from research in the arts and humanities.
ahds.ac.uk
 
Arts and Humanities Research Council
The AHRC was established on 1 April 2005, and replaced the Arts and Humanities Research Board. The decision to create an AHRC underlines the importance of ...
www.ahrb.ac.uk
 
Arts and Humanities Research Council
Provides funding and support to UK researchers in three programmes: advanced research; postgraduate research and training; and special funding for museums, ...
www.ahrc.ac.uk
 
SULAIR: Research Help: Humanities and Area Studies
Collections by subject--provided by Stanford University.
www-sul.stanford.edu
 
Films for the Humanities and Sciences - Home
Extensive collection of documentary and educational videos.
www.films.com
 
H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences Online
H-Net is an interdisciplinary organization of scholars dedicated to developing the enormous educational potential of the Internet and the World Wide Web.
www.h-net.org
 
 

 

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