[extropy-chat] Dante and transhumanism

[BillK]

On 11/29/06, Giu1i0 Pri5c0 wrote:
> Compilation of interesting bits appeared on the Extropy list in a
> thread dedicated to the Wikipedia article onTranshumanism.
>
> Dante, Paradiso I:
>
> "Trasumanar significar per verba
> non si poria; però l'essemplo basti
> a cui esperienza grazia serba."
>
> English: "The passing beyond humanity may not be set forth in words: therefore,
> let the example suffice any for whom grace reserves that experience."
>
<snip>
> So:
> Should we say Trasumanar or Transumanar (the first is Dante's
> original, the second is also used and definitely sounds better)?
> Should we welcome Dante as one of the founding fathers of
> transhumanism, in the sense of "aspiration to pass beyond humanity"?
>

Dante was writing in the Christian mystic tradition.  He is looked
upon by Rosicrucians as a follower of its doctrines and teachings and
there is much to indicate that he had been either privately or
partially initiated into some of its mysteries and was very familiar
with its mystical ideals.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysticism>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Divine_Comedy>

Paradiso
After an initial ascension (Canto I), Beatrice guides Dante through
the nine spheres of Heaven. Beatrice leaves Dante with Saint Bernard
who prays to Mary on behalf of Dante and Dante is allowed to see both
Jesus and Mary. From here, Dante ascends to a substance beyond
physical existence, called the Empyrean Heaven (Cantos XXX through
XXXIII). Here he comes face-to-face with God Himself, and is granted
understanding of the Divine and of human nature. His vision is
improved beyond that of human comprehension. God appears as three
equally large rings spinning within each other representing the Holy
Spirit with the essence of each part of God, who according to Dante
can equally be called a plural and a singular. After this vision, the
book ends with Dante's vision growing ever stronger, and the vision of
God becomes equally inimitable and inexplicable that no word can come
close to explaining what he saw, offering him a vision how Divine Love
is the power behind existence. Essentially, Dante described as much as
one can in words the experience of the beatific vision.
----------------

In Paradiso Dante was trying to describe the mystical experience of
casting off human flesh and becoming one with God. This is directly in
the tradition of Christian mystics everywhere. The human mystical
experience occurs in all religions throughout history. Even atheists
have mystical experiences, but they don't link the experience so much
to traditional religions. Some atheists are converted, after an
overwhelming mystical experience, to a formal religion they have some
previous knowledge of.

If you want to link Dante to modern transhumanism, then you should
also want to link all the famous mystics throughout history. Dante
wasn't the first or the last.

BillK