[ExI] Human Aging

[Ben Zaiboc]

"Adam A. Ford" <tech101 at gmail.com> wrote:

>> ???
>> If the DIYBio crowd and biohackers aren't transhumanists, I don't know
>who is!
>>
>
>DIYBio, Grinders etc may not follow any transhumanist philosophy by will or
>ignorance.
>If you describe transhumanism loosely to include anyone who tries to
>augment themselves, then we have to go a long way back to find the first
>transhumanist.


I'd define transhumanism exactly as the desire or effort to use technology to improve ourselves.  Some people simply have the desire and don't do anything about it (except maybe talk about it, which could be regarded as a form of doing, depending on what and how and to whom they are speaking), and some do what they can towards furthering the aim.

I don't think that whether or not you subscribe to any other philosophical view is really relevant.

Yes, I'd agree that transhumanism is very ancient.  At least 6000 years old.  You could argue that transhumanism is what we do as a species, overall.  So it gets lost in the mists of time.  When did someone first pick up a stick and think "Hmm, I could do things with this!"?

If there are any biohackers doing work with the intention of making things /worse/, then I'd concede that they aren't transhumanists!

Ben Zaiboc