Inhuman thoughts
Subtitle: philosophical explorations of posthumanity
By: Asher Seidel.
Publisher: Lexington Books
Published: 2008
Place of publication: Lanham, MD
Language: eng
Number of pages: 130
ISBN-13: 9780739123287
Subjects: Human beings; Human evolution; Humanity
Description: "Inhuman Thoughts is a philosophical exploration of the possibility of increasing the physiological and psychological capacities of humans to the point that they are no longer biologically, psychologically, or socially human. The movement is from the human through the trans-human, to the post-human. The tone is optimistic; Seidel argues that such an evolution would be of positive value on the whole. Seidel's initial argument supports the need for a comprehensive ethical theory, the success of which would parallel that of a large-scale scientific revolution, such as Newtonian mechanics. He elaborates the movement from the improved-but-still-human to the post-human, and philosophically examines speculated examples of post-human forms of life, including indefinitely extended life-span, parallel consciousness, altered perception, a-sociality, and a-sexuality. Inhuman Thoughts is directed at those interested in philosophical questions on human nature and the best life given the possibilities of that nature. Seidel's overall argument is that the most satisfactory answer to the latter question involves a transcendence of the present confines of human nature." --Publisher description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Revolutionary ethics; title: On human improvement; title: Facing immortality; title: Parallel consciousness; title: Mindful seeing; title: Alone without love; title: Temporarily in conclusion.