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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Main Author: Giulia Bovassi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Editorial Neogranadina 2024-05-01
Series:Revista Latinoamericana de Bioética
Subjects:
Online Access:https://revistas.unimilitar.edu.co/index.php/rlbi/article/view/6548
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author Giulia Bovassi
author_facet Giulia Bovassi
author_sort Giulia Bovassi
collection DOAJ
description 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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spelling doaj-art-a1fc0eb4b2374383998f0944eb7e0a022025-08-20T02:28:32ZengEditorial NeogranadinaRevista Latinoamericana de Bioética1657-47022462-859X2024-05-0125110.18359/rlbi.6548Vulnerability and resilience in light of Trans and Post-humanist provocationsGiulia Bovassi0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6355-4471Unesco Biochair in Bioethics and Human Rights 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. https://revistas.unimilitar.edu.co/index.php/rlbi/article/view/6548vulnerabilityhuman enhancementposthumanismresiliencetechnomorphism
spellingShingle Giulia Bovassi
Vulnerability and resilience in light of Trans and Post-humanist provocations
Revista Latinoamericana de Bioética
vulnerability
human enhancement
posthumanism
resilience
technomorphism
title Vulnerability and resilience in light of Trans and Post-humanist provocations
title_full Vulnerability and resilience in light of Trans and Post-humanist provocations
title_fullStr Vulnerability and resilience in light of Trans and Post-humanist provocations
title_full_unstemmed Vulnerability and resilience in light of Trans and Post-humanist provocations
title_short Vulnerability and resilience in light of Trans and Post-humanist provocations
title_sort vulnerability and resilience in light of trans and post humanist provocations
topic vulnerability
human enhancement
posthumanism
resilience
technomorphism
url https://revistas.unimilitar.edu.co/index.php/rlbi/article/view/6548
work_keys_str_mv AT giuliabovassi vulnerabilityandresilienceinlightoftransandposthumanistprovocations