A Little Something for the Kids
Transhumanism has arrived for our children with a new book just for them entitled Death is Wrong. The book is by Gennady Stolyarov II and illustrated by Wendy Stolyarov. The endeavor is even crowd-funding free copies for kids. The somewhat creepy cover says it all: a stoic male child, in collar and tie, banishes the grim reaper.
Transhumanism is a philosophical way of life where humanity and technology work together, indeed, not hand in hand, but technically inside one another, to reach perfection. Theoretically such synergistic perfection would lead to a transhuman, or also known as a posthuman, leaving the imperfect mortal coil behind , emerging as an immortal.
War’s Drum Beat
The Catholic Church has made it clear on its stance on transhumanism. It has declared war against it. The manifesto entitled the Madrid Declaration on Science and Life takes a grim view. The simple long/short of the paper is that we are made in the image of God, therefore we should not tamper with that which is sacred.
Yet, one could look at the words in Genesis where God tells humankind to take dominion over the earth and skies. Would that, too, not be our own bodies? Did Paul of Tarsus not speak of the spiritual perfection to which all people should strive? Would such spiritual perfection include giving our bodies more time by replacing our parts that bleed and sweat and die?
Hey, we all have some tin, plastic, or nanotech in us, already….right ? Who really cares if the ratio of plastic to flesh changes rather….er… dramatically?
We see what happens when technology gets the better of us in the movie adaptations of Phillip K. Dick’s brilliant works. In both Minority Report, and Bladerunner, the endings feature the protagonists fleeing from the cities of technology, returning to the forest where balance and nature reign.
The Forever Child Among Us Now
A few years ago, we were saying that there is a child now walking the earth that will live for 200 years. But now, we have made adjustments. The new talk is that there is a child who walks who will live forever. The scary-bright Ray Kurzweil, who pops 150 vitamin and nutrient pills a day to keep alive , proclaims that if aging people can tough it out for another twenty years, they will be able to live forever, too.
Kurzweil is now consulting with the hot epicenter of culture: Google. And what about Google’s Sergei Brin who is now 40 and worried about his Parkinson’s gene kicking in? Would be not put his billionaire’s quarry to work to change his troubled gene? Has he not already provided the OK Glass for our eyes so we may see new things?
A Few Questions
Does transhumanism trivialize the sacredness of humanness? Does it negate the spiritual life?
There is no question that Transhumanism has arrived. It has now even been wrapped in a creepy propaganda package for our kids. They probably have no objection to Transhumanism.
From the book description:
If you have ever asked, “Why do people have to die?” then this book is for you. The answer is that no, death is not necessary, inevitable, or good. In fact, death is wrong. Death is the enemy of us all, to be fought with medicine, science, and technology. This book introduces you to the greatest, most challenging, most revolutionary movement to radically extend human lifespans so that you might not have to die at all.
Our kids would see this as epic. And it most certainly is.