Description

Book Synopsis
The first authoritative and comprehensive survey of the origins and current state of transhumanist thinking The rapid pace of emerging technologies is playing an increasingly important role in overcoming fundamental human limitations.

Trade Review

“The book, with the exceptions mentioned, may be read by nearly anyone. It is a simple and straight way to make oneself an idea about a movement it is now impossible not to know.” (Metapsychology, 19 November 2013)

“Edited by the internationally acclaimed founders of the philosophy and social movement of transhumanism, The Transhumanist Reader is an indispensable guide to our current state of knowledge of the quest to expand the frontiers of human nature.” (LIS Trends, 8 March 2013)

Review appeared in The Guardian 1st July 2013



Table of Contents

Contributor Biographies ix

Part I Roots and Core Themes 1

1 The Philosophy of Transhumanism 3
Max More

2 Aesthetics: Bringing the Arts & Design into the Discussion of Transhumanism 18
Natasha Vita-More

3 Why I Want to be a Posthuman When I Grow Up 28
Nick Bostrom

4 Transhumanist Declaration (2012) 54
Various

5 Morphological Freedom – Why We Not Just Want It, but Need It 56
Anders Sandberg

Part II Human Enhancement: The Somatic Sphere 65

6 Welcome to the Future of Medicine 67
Robert A. Freitas Jr.

7 Life Expansion Media 73
Natasha Vita-More

8 The Hybronaut Affair: A Ménage of Art, Technology, and Science 83
Laura Beloff

9 Transavatars 91
William Sims Bainbridge

10 Alternative Biologies 100
Rachel Armstrong

Part III Human Enhancement: The Cognitive Sphere 111

11 Re-Inventing Ourselves: The Plasticity of Embodiment, Sensing, and Mind 113
Andy Clark

12 Artificial General Intelligence and the Future of Humanity 128
Ben Goertzel

13 Intelligent Information Filters and Enhanced Reality 138
Alexander “Sasha” Chislenko

14 Uploading to Substrate-Independent Minds 146
Randal A. Koene

15 Uploading 157
Ralph C. Merkle

Part IV Core Technologies 165

16 Why Freud Was the First Good AI Theorist 167
Marvin Minsky

17 Pigs in Cyberspace 177
Hans Moravec

18 Nanocomputers 182
J. Storrs Hall

19 Immortalist Fictions and Strategies 196
Michael R. Rose

20 Dialogue between Ray Kurzweil and Eric Drexler 205

Part V Engines of Life: Identity and Beyond Death 213

21 The Curate’s Egg of Anti-Anti-Aging Bioethics 215
Aubrey de Grey

22 Medical Time Travel 220
Brian Wowk

23 Transhumanism and Personal Identity 227
James Hughes

24 Transcendent Engineering 234
Giulio Prisco

Part VI Enhanced Decision-Making 241

25 Idea Futures: Encouraging an Honest Consensus 243
Robin Hanson

26 The Proactionary Principle: Optimizing Technological Outcomes 258
Max More

27 The Open Society and Its Media 268
Mark S. Miller, with E. Dean Tribble, Ravi Pandya, and Marc Stiegler

Part VII Biopolitics and Policy 279

28 Performance Enhancement and Legal Theory: An Interview with
Professor Michael H. Shapiro 281

29 Justifying Human Enhancement: The Accumulation of Biocultural Capital 291
Andy Miah

30 The Battle for the Future 302
Gregory Stock

31 Mind is Deeper Than Matter: Transgenderism, Transhumanism, and the Freedom of Form 317
Martine Rothblatt

32 For Enhancing People 327
Ronald Bailey

33 Is Enhancement Worthy of Being a Right? 345
Patrick D. Hopkins

34 Freedom by Design: Transhumanist Values and Cognitive Liberty 355
Wrye Sententia

Part VIII Future Trajectories: Singularity 361

35 Technological Singularity 365
Vernor Vinge

36 An Overview of Models of Technological Singularity 376
Anders Sandberg

37 A Critical Discussion of Vinge’s Singularity Concept 395
David Brin, Damien Broderick, Nick Bostrom, Alexander “Sasha” Chislenko, Robin Hanson, Max More, Michael Nielsen, and Anders Sandberg

Part IX The World’s Most Dangerous Idea 419

38 The Great Transition: Ideas and Anxieties 421
Russell Blackford

39 Trans and Post 430
Damien Broderick

40 Back to Nature II: Art and Technology in the Twenty-First Century 438
Roy Ascott

41 A Letter to Mother Nature 449
Max More

42 Progress and Relinquishment 451
Ray Kurzweil

Index 454

The Transhumanist Reader Classical and

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    A Paperback / softback by Max More, Natasha Vita-More

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      Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd
      Publication Date: Publication Date: 23/04/2013
      ISBN13: 9781118334317, 978-1118334317
      ISBN10: 1118334310
      Also in:
      Philosophy

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      The first authoritative and comprehensive survey of the origins and current state of transhumanist thinking The rapid pace of emerging technologies is playing an increasingly important role in overcoming fundamental human limitations.

      Trade Review

      “The book, with the exceptions mentioned, may be read by nearly anyone. It is a simple and straight way to make oneself an idea about a movement it is now impossible not to know.” (Metapsychology, 19 November 2013)

      “Edited by the internationally acclaimed founders of the philosophy and social movement of transhumanism, The Transhumanist Reader is an indispensable guide to our current state of knowledge of the quest to expand the frontiers of human nature.” (LIS Trends, 8 March 2013)

      Review appeared in The Guardian 1st July 2013



      Table of Contents

      Contributor Biographies ix

      Part I Roots and Core Themes 1

      1 The Philosophy of Transhumanism 3
      Max More

      2 Aesthetics: Bringing the Arts & Design into the Discussion of Transhumanism 18
      Natasha Vita-More

      3 Why I Want to be a Posthuman When I Grow Up 28
      Nick Bostrom

      4 Transhumanist Declaration (2012) 54
      Various

      5 Morphological Freedom – Why We Not Just Want It, but Need It 56
      Anders Sandberg

      Part II Human Enhancement: The Somatic Sphere 65

      6 Welcome to the Future of Medicine 67
      Robert A. Freitas Jr.

      7 Life Expansion Media 73
      Natasha Vita-More

      8 The Hybronaut Affair: A Ménage of Art, Technology, and Science 83
      Laura Beloff

      9 Transavatars 91
      William Sims Bainbridge

      10 Alternative Biologies 100
      Rachel Armstrong

      Part III Human Enhancement: The Cognitive Sphere 111

      11 Re-Inventing Ourselves: The Plasticity of Embodiment, Sensing, and Mind 113
      Andy Clark

      12 Artificial General Intelligence and the Future of Humanity 128
      Ben Goertzel

      13 Intelligent Information Filters and Enhanced Reality 138
      Alexander “Sasha” Chislenko

      14 Uploading to Substrate-Independent Minds 146
      Randal A. Koene

      15 Uploading 157
      Ralph C. Merkle

      Part IV Core Technologies 165

      16 Why Freud Was the First Good AI Theorist 167
      Marvin Minsky

      17 Pigs in Cyberspace 177
      Hans Moravec

      18 Nanocomputers 182
      J. Storrs Hall

      19 Immortalist Fictions and Strategies 196
      Michael R. Rose

      20 Dialogue between Ray Kurzweil and Eric Drexler 205

      Part V Engines of Life: Identity and Beyond Death 213

      21 The Curate’s Egg of Anti-Anti-Aging Bioethics 215
      Aubrey de Grey

      22 Medical Time Travel 220
      Brian Wowk

      23 Transhumanism and Personal Identity 227
      James Hughes

      24 Transcendent Engineering 234
      Giulio Prisco

      Part VI Enhanced Decision-Making 241

      25 Idea Futures: Encouraging an Honest Consensus 243
      Robin Hanson

      26 The Proactionary Principle: Optimizing Technological Outcomes 258
      Max More

      27 The Open Society and Its Media 268
      Mark S. Miller, with E. Dean Tribble, Ravi Pandya, and Marc Stiegler

      Part VII Biopolitics and Policy 279

      28 Performance Enhancement and Legal Theory: An Interview with
      Professor Michael H. Shapiro 281

      29 Justifying Human Enhancement: The Accumulation of Biocultural Capital 291
      Andy Miah

      30 The Battle for the Future 302
      Gregory Stock

      31 Mind is Deeper Than Matter: Transgenderism, Transhumanism, and the Freedom of Form 317
      Martine Rothblatt

      32 For Enhancing People 327
      Ronald Bailey

      33 Is Enhancement Worthy of Being a Right? 345
      Patrick D. Hopkins

      34 Freedom by Design: Transhumanist Values and Cognitive Liberty 355
      Wrye Sententia

      Part VIII Future Trajectories: Singularity 361

      35 Technological Singularity 365
      Vernor Vinge

      36 An Overview of Models of Technological Singularity 376
      Anders Sandberg

      37 A Critical Discussion of Vinge’s Singularity Concept 395
      David Brin, Damien Broderick, Nick Bostrom, Alexander “Sasha” Chislenko, Robin Hanson, Max More, Michael Nielsen, and Anders Sandberg

      Part IX The World’s Most Dangerous Idea 419

      38 The Great Transition: Ideas and Anxieties 421
      Russell Blackford

      39 Trans and Post 430
      Damien Broderick

      40 Back to Nature II: Art and Technology in the Twenty-First Century 438
      Roy Ascott

      41 A Letter to Mother Nature 449
      Max More

      42 Progress and Relinquishment 451
      Ray Kurzweil

      Index 454

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