Vulnerability and resilience in light of Trans and Post-humanist provocations
At the threshold of a “post-pandemic” era, an overview of humanity’s future must address the contrasting forces of this historical moment: the radical nature of vulnerability, an inseparable ally of resilience; the capacity for integration between an awareness of finitude and the willingness to res...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Editorial Neogranadina
2024-05-01
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| Series: | Revista Latinoamericana de Bioética |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://revistas.unimilitar.edu.co/index.php/rlbi/article/view/6548 |
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| Summary: | At the threshold of a “post-pandemic” era, an overview of humanity’s future must address the contrasting forces of this historical moment: the radical nature of vulnerability, an inseparable ally of resilience; the capacity for integration between an awareness of finitude and the willingness to respond to such knowledge; and the hubris (arrogance) of transhumanist and posthumanist
provocations, which view vulnerability as an “accidental deficit” of human beings, a view that underpins their emergence. A reductionist and mechanistic understanding of the human being forms the foundation for aspirations of human improvement, neatly encapsulated in the concept of Human Enhancement (HE). The central tenet of HE is that anything technically possible is, by default, a matter of social justice: the endless expansion of possibilities becomes a morally obligatory and ameliorative good—both for the individual (a right) and for society (a duty)—implying responsibility for selfevolution. To achieve this, it is necessary to first uproot humanity from its ontologically given identity
(the tabula rasa) and then reprogram it into a trans/post-human identity (the homunculus). The ideal of enhancement technologies forces us to reconsider not only the common understanding of human “nature” but also the fundamental character of human history: caducity (mortality). Therefore, this essay aims to engage with the theme of vulnerability and resilience in light of transhumanist provocations by questioning whether, and if so, how, the liberation of human nature from its mortal condition might unfold.
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| ISSN: | 1657-4702 2462-859X |