In recent years, ideas of post- and transhumanism have been popularized by novels, TV series, and Hollywood movies. According to this radical perspective, humankind and all biological life have become obsolete. Traditional forms of life are inefficient at processing information and inept at crossing the high frontier: outer space. While humankind can expect to be replaced by their own artificial progeny, post-humanists assume that they will become an immortal part of a transcendent superintelligence. The futurist visions of post- and transhumanism establish narratives of digital technologies and artificial intelligence.
In this class we will examine the historical, religious and philosophical context (such as the philosophy of progress, eugenics, cybernetic theory) of these futuristic promises by Ray Kurzweil, Frank Tipler, Hans Moravec and other posthumanist thinkers as well as of transhumanist & extropian thinkers like Nick Bostrom, Max More, Natasha Vita More, Martine Rothblatt and others.
Further, we will explore the discourse of so called "critical posthumanism" that challenges the andro- and eurocentric vision of humankind in the works e.g. by Donna Haraway, Karan Barad etc. These authors question the boundaries between human, animal and artificial forms of life.
- Enseignant·e: Oliver Krüger