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Christian Transhumanism

Saint Frankenstein

Saint Frankenstein

Wanderer From Afar
Premium Member
What does everyone think of it? I think it's perfectly in line with Christianity since Christianity is essentially the overcoming of base humanity and striving for a more exalted state, along with the renewal of creation. I think Christianity is already a transhumanist faith.

Why not use technology to approach these ends? Isn't technology essentially a God-given tool? Genetic engineering to treat disease, robotic limbs, artificial organs and so on. Why can't that be God working through us? I think that transhumanism is the future. Religions that don't accept it will probably fall by the wayside. So I think Christian Transhumanists are ahead of the game in that respect.

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/9akxm3/why-i-became-a-christian-transhumanist
Christianity Is Transhumanism | HuffPost

What other religions can agree with transhumanism? I think that any religion that believes in apotheosis of some sort can agree with it.
 
Brickjectivity

Brickjectivity

wind and rain touch not this brain
Staff member
Premium Member
Some guy told me he thought that the antichrist would be a robot. I don't buy into the whole antichrist coming thing, but apparently its an idea that floats around that there could be a machine being called antichrist. Its sort of like 'Skynet' but for religion.
 
ADigitalArtist

ADigitalArtist

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
I don't think the JWs I used to be around would have jived with the ideas of transhumanism. They would probably take a health insurance view of how it might work. Restorative only, not cosmetic and not attempting to exceed the average biological human.

In fiction (which may still be inspirational for many), I play Shadowrun frequently. And in the game setting, adding on mechanical augmentation reduces your capability to use magic and spiritual powers (essence loss). I thought that was a little myopic myself, but a conflict between magic and technology certainly isn't new. It's also a part of the flavor of the Dresden Files universe. In that universe magic is something ever changing and entropic. The more complicated the machine, the more likely it's to fail near magic.
 
Brickjectivity

Brickjectivity

wind and rain touch not this brain
Staff member
Premium Member
Saint Frankenstein said:
Strange. Can't say I've heard that one before.
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I wouldn't take it too seriously.

Transhumanism? It seems to me like if you get rid of your suffering then you are no longer technically alive. I'm not saying that too much suffering is good, but I think there are limits to transhumanism. Even if you could become a machine being you'd need problems and boredom to be considered 'Alive' by me. You'd probably also have to be mortal (maybe not), but I don't think pain-free beings could perceive time like we do or reality. Think about how it is to be on an anesthetic. You've got no pain, but along with that comes confusion.
 
ADigitalArtist

ADigitalArtist

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Brickjectivity said:
I wouldn't take it too seriously.

Transhumanism? It seems to me like if you get rid of your suffering then you are no longer technically alive. I'm not saying that too much suffering is good, but I think there are limits to transhumanism. Even if you could become a machine being you'd need problems and boredom to be considered 'Alive' by me. You'd probably also have to be mortal (maybe not), but I don't think pain-free beings could perceive time like we do or reality. Think about how it is to be on an anesthetic. You've got no pain, but along with that comes confusion.
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One of my favorite quotes is "Transhumanism is how technology will save humanity from suffering. Cyberpunk is how it won't." Most Transhumanistic stories I like are dystopic. Like Transmetropolitan, which I highly recommend and it's one of the best Vertigo comics out there.
 
Saint Frankenstein

Saint Frankenstein

Wanderer From Afar
Premium Member
Brickjectivity said:
I wouldn't take it too seriously.

Transhumanism? It seems to me like if you get rid of your suffering then you are no longer technically alive. I'm not saying that too much suffering is good, but I think there are limits to transhumanism. Even if you could become a machine being you'd need problems and boredom to be considered 'Alive' by me. You'd probably also have to be mortal (maybe not), but I don't think pain-free beings could perceive time like we do or reality. Think about how it is to be on an anesthetic. You've got no pain, but along with that comes confusion.
Click to expand...
I think it would probably revolutionize our notions of what "life" in a biological sense is but I'm not sure I see what suffering has to do with it. Does God suffer?
 
Saint Frankenstein

Saint Frankenstein

Wanderer From Afar
Premium Member
ADigitalArtist said:
One of my favorite quotes is "Transhumanism is how technology will save humanity from suffering. Cyberpunk is how it won't." Most Transhumanistic stories I like are dystopic. Like Transmetropolitan, which I highly recommend and it's one of the best Vertigo comics out there.
Click to expand...
I'm a fan if cyberpunk, too. That might be what happens if we don't fix capitalism or replace it. But I think we'll have to get rid of capitalism as we know it to survive as a species, anyway. The idea of smucks like Peter Thiel hogging up all the technology is frightening and shouldn't be.
 
Saint Frankenstein

Saint Frankenstein

Wanderer From Afar
Premium Member
ADigitalArtist said:
A worthy question. A lot of people, particularly Christians, conceptualize a god who sadness and anger when humanity does wrong. In that sense you could probably say God can suffer, right?
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Right. But Christianity promises a future where there is no suffering. So it doesn't make sense to me for a Christian to say that a non-suffering being isn't alive.
 
ADigitalArtist

ADigitalArtist

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Saint Frankenstein said:
I'm a fan if cyberpunk, too. That might be what happens if we don't fix capitalism or replace it. But I think we'll have to get rid of capitalism as we know it to survive as a species, anyway. The idea of smucks like Peter Thiel hogging up all the technology is frightening and shouldn't be.
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If you haven't yet, you should totally pick up Transmetropolitan. It's not really about capitalism but just political apathy and concession to corruption. (The main character is a surrogate Hunter S Thompson and the president a surrogate Nixon.) Technology doesn't really make it better or worse, though there's both disturbing attempts to resist technological progress and disturbing loss of anything like privacy due to government oversight. (literally germ sized cameras.)
 
idav

idav

Being
Premium Member
Brickjectivity said:
I wouldn't take it too seriously.

Transhumanism? It seems to me like if you get rid of your suffering then you are no longer technically alive. I'm not saying that too much suffering is good, but I think there are limits to transhumanism. Even if you could become a machine being you'd need problems and boredom to be considered 'Alive' by me. You'd probably also have to be mortal (maybe not), but I don't think pain-free beings could perceive time like we do or reality. Think about how it is to be on an anesthetic. You've got no pain, but along with that comes confusion.
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Your reminding me of this song by Three Days Grace - I Am Machine. (got the YouTube with lyrics but recommend the video)
 
Saint Frankenstein

Saint Frankenstein

Wanderer From Afar
Premium Member
idav said:
Your reminding me of this song by Three Days Grace - I Am Machine. (got the YouTube with lyrics but recommend the video)
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Catchy song. It makes you think. But transhumanism largely proposes feeling self-aware machines. However, maybe there is something positive to be said about flesh and blood struggle.
 
Mrpasserby

Mrpasserby

Do not just Believe 'Become', I am Sufficient.
Saint Frankenstein said:
What does everyone think of it? I think it's perfectly in line with Christianity since Christianity is essentially the overcoming of base humanity and striving for a more exalted state, along with the renewal of creation. I think Christianity is already a transhumanist faith.

'Why not use technology to approach these ends? Isn't technology essentially a God-given tool? Genetic engineering to treat disease, robotic limbs, artificial organs and so on. Why can't that be God working through us? I think that transhumanism is the future. Religions that don't accept it will probably fall by the wayside. So I think Christian Transhumanists are ahead of the game in that respect.'

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/9akxm3/why-i-became-a-christian-transhumanist
Christianity Is Transhumanism | HuffPost

What other religions can agree with transhumanism? I think that any religion that believes in apotheosis of some sort can agree with it.
Click to expand...


Cool avatar handle: Saint Frankenstein,
The spirit based collectives that I frequent, have been using golems, tuples, daemons, clones, and the like science before recorded history. I was posting on a site that had all of the sciency stuff about Transhumanism. So while trying not to offend any of their advanced science about plugging a person into a robotic body, I simple said; I think that their is a spell for that. They thought that I was kidding so we all had a good laugh. :)
 
Saint Frankenstein

Saint Frankenstein

Wanderer From Afar
Premium Member
Mrpasserby said:
Cool avatar handle: Saint Frankenstein,
The spirit based collectives that I frequent, have been using golems, tuples, daemons, clones, and the like science before recorded history. I was posting on a site that had all of the sciency stuff about Transhumanism. So while trying not to offend any of their advanced science about plugging a person into a robotic body, I simple said; I think that their is a spell for that. They thought that I was kidding so we all had a good laugh. :)
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Thanks.
 
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