Sunday, March 20, 2005

TRANSHUMANISM

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TRANSHUMANISM ........to make us more than human
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'What is a human being, then?' 'A seed.''A... seed?''An acorn that is unafraid to destroy itself in growing into a tree'

David Zindell, The Broken God

Transhumanism is a philosophy that humanity can, and should, strive to higher levels, both physically, mentally and socially. It encourages research into such areas as life extension, cryonics, nanotechnology, physical and mental enhancements (Intelligence Amplification),uploading human consciousness into computers and megascale engineering.

Specially the scenarios like nanotechnology,mental enhancements and megascale engineering are somthings where we need tremendous scientific & R/D effort to tryst with our transhumanian destiny. As we have only seen the concepts like "mega structures" only in sci fi drama or fictions but this is time for us to educate ourself with the documented concepts and theories related to this arena . I am giving a link here where u may have a knowledge about the 'megastructures" http://www.aleph.se/Trans/Tech/Megascale/megastruct.txt.
Guys its sounds pretty nerd but I am just thinking of being the "Gandalf" by enhancing my mental and physical attributes (http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/default.htm?http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/g/gandalf.html if u wanna know about this grt man !) , which will be offered to the common man as a result of this neo humanitorian movement.

Transhumanism is entering the mainstream culture today, as increasing numbers of scientists, scientifically literate philosophers, and social thinkers are beginning to take seriously the range of possibilities that transhumanism encompasses. A rapidly expanding family of transhumanist groups, differing somewhat in flavor and focus, and a plethora of discussion groups in many countries around the world, are gathered under the umbrella of the World Transhumanist Association( "http://transhumanism.org/" ), a non-profit democratic membership organization.

"Biotechnology", "genetic engineering", "stem cells", and "cloning" are the major technological arenas R&D segment is concentrating these days..and there r few other topics like "superintelligence", "virtual reality" , "cryonics" and "singularity hypothesis" ..the transhumanitorian world is concentrating oflate. I will advice to google these topics if things sound interesting.

Now the basic question is Why should I be a transhuman?

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Transhumanism can't tell you what kind of music to listen to, which hobbies to pursue, whom to marry or how to live your life, any more than, say, being a member of Amnesty International or studying molecular biology could tell you these things.Depending on your situation and your needs, you might or might not find some of the currently available human modification or enhancement options useful. Some of these are commonplace exercise, healthy diet, relaxation techniques, time management, study skills, information technology, coffee or tea (as stimulants), education, and nutritional supplements (such as vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, or hormones). Others you might not have thought of, such as getting a cryonic suspension contract or chewing nicotine gum for its nootropic ( mental enhancement) effects. Still others for instance pharmacological mood drugs or sex reassignment surgery are suitable only for people who have special difficulties or needs

Transhuman's day out:
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As proponents of personal evolution and self-creation, transhumanists tend to utilize technologies and techniques that improve cognitive and physical performance, while engaging in specific routines and lifestyles designed to extend health and prolong life.

Many transhumanists are transhuman by virtue of seeking to become posthuman (http://transhumanism.org/index.php/WTA/faq21/56/), which they claim is the next significant evolutionary step for the human species. It is supposed that specific biotechnological and nanotechnological innovations will facilitate such a leap by the midpoint of the 21st century. Depending on their age, some transhumanists worry that they will not live to reap the benefits of these future technologies. However with this knowledge, many have a great interest in life-extension practices and as a last resort cryonic suspension.

Transhumanists are also forming regional and global networks and communities to provide support and forums for discussion and working on collaborative projects.


transhumanically yours
Sudipta Banerjee

2 comments:

Skyhopper said...

yeh finally want to add somthing on this blog of my , my syncratic tendency of trying out the newest thing has produced this kind of writing , actually I always wanted to be different and perfect altogether so , yeh It takes me here finally , yeh but I am working on it , finally have started the prep for doing somthing better in life.

saranya said...

v interestin..