Transumanar

Transhumanism as a reality based religion

Wesley J. Smith says: “Hughes believes that humans will one day be made immortal and that we will all be able to upload our minds into computers where we will spend eternity enjoying group consciousnesses with our fellow post humans. Of the two of us, I hardly think I am the one who is reality challenged… Transhumanism is religion. And it definitely isn’t reality based”.

My comment:

Who is reality challenged, one who believes in science or one who believes in Santa Claus?

I have never been able to see any fundamental difference between believing in God and believing in Santa Claus. In both cases, one is believing in something for which there is no evidence. Sure, I am not able to prove that Santa Claus does not exist. But the existence of Santa Claus would be so strongly against our scientific knowledge that I think the safest assumption is that Santa Claus does not exist. Same for God.

Mind uploading is a future technology that does not exist yet, and will not be developed next year. My best guess is that developing operational mind uploading technology will take 30 years. But even if mind uploading technology does not exist yet, it is perfectly compatible with our scientific knowledge. The history of science and technology demonstrates that is something can be done (in the sense of not being a violation of scientific laws), sooner or later it will be done.

So Wesley yes, I think you are the one who is reality challenged.

Is transhumanism a religion?

I do not think “religion” is a very appropriate definition of transhumanism. We do not share the self-righteousness, closed mindedness, bigotry and intolerance found in most religions. You say that the religious right opposes the genocide at Darfur, but History and CNN say that the religious right mentality (in many religions) has been and continues to be directly responsible of many genocides all over the planet. And of course, transhumanism is not a religion because it is not based on revelation without evidence. Transhumanists only believe in a heaven that we can build, if and when we develop the necessary capabilities.

But “religion” has also, in my opinion, positive connotations. It is about transcending our current limits and becoming more, much more, than what we are. It is about hope and happiness. In this sense I am willing to accept the label “religion” for the transhumanist worldview. A transhumanist religion, if such a thing existed, would be a kinder, tolerant, inclusive and forgiving religion based on science and humanism.

Posted by on 03/01 at 07:59 AM

‘who believes in Santa Claus’?

It is a little misleading to compare belief in the existence of God with belief in Santa. The latter is something that kids grow out of, I defy you to name one person who came to believe in Santa beyond the age of 6. On the other hand, plenty of adults have come to believe there is a God. And some, such as Alistair McGrath (a one time molecular biologist and aethist who turned to Christianity) are actually quite intelligent.

‘In both cases, one is believing in something for which there is no evidence’.

There is also no evidence to support Guth’s inflation theory (what the layperson calls the ‘Big Bang’) or rather, the problems it solves are theoretical rather than observational. It is true to say that our universe is consistant with a past history in which inflation ocurred, but it is also consistant with a universe that was designed (if you are thinking of testing me on my understanding of evolution, save yourself the effort. I am quite well-versed in it, actually). If it were not, nobody would have posited the strong anthropic principle.

‘We do not share the self-righteousness, closed mindedness, bigotry and intolerance found in most religions.’

My sad experience as a transhumanist is that there is plenty of closed mindedness, bigotry and intolerence. Aetheist fundamentalists are just as prone to distortion of the facts as any religious extremeists. For instance, a theologian would have no problem spotting the misrepresentations of Christianity in Dawkins’ ‘The God Delusion’.

Having said all that I am not one of those people who think aetheism is itself a religion. That would be like saying not playing chess is a hobby. But as for transhumanism, the parallels with religious belief have been oft noted. For instance, a senior associate for the Foresight institute wrote of Drexlerian nanotechnology ‘before we reach the resurrection (he means cryogenic patients revived via nanomedicine) we must pass through the Dangers of Nanotechnology, which could destroy the world. All the elements of the appocalypse are there, transposed into a form which makes sense to a modern person who believes computers can do anything’. And Max More wrote ‘the Singularity idea has worried me for years- it’s a classic religious-style, end-of-the-world concept that appeals to people in western cultures deeply’.

‘Transhumanists only believe in a heaven that we can build, if and when we develop the necessary capabilities’.

Yes, but beware the dangers of confirmational bias. I have sometimes caught myself being dismissive of arguments that contradict something I yearn to be true, such as the feasibility of mind uploading. I do believe in the power of the scientific method to disprove a hypothesis, and would not believe anything that had been comprehensively debunked. But it is quite difficult to review something with complete impartiality and sometimes our ‘beliefs’ prevent us from accepting something that undermines them.

Posted by on 03/08 at 11:47 AM
Right, I should have said “most transhumanists do not share the self-righteousness, closed mindedness, bigotry and intolerance found in most religions”. I certainly don’t, and all transhumanists I call friends don’t. I must reluctantly agree that some who call themselves transhumanists do.

My comment to WJS blog was very much against religion because I wanted to make a couple of points clear to the audience there. But when I write about religion on transhumanist lists and blogs, I usually take a very different stance - search “Engineering Transcendence” on this blog.

I think religion has been, in history, both a force of progress and a force of darkness. My approach to religion is something like: I am no longer a child and cannot believe in Santa Claus anymore, but now I earn money so I can buy presents to myself. The analogy should be clear but I can expand.

Posted by on 03/16 at 07:00 AM
By the way, let’s organize the planned conference on transhumanists and religion in Second Life. I will post a blog and propose a date. I will speak and I hope you (Extropia) will also give a talk. Bill Bainbridge has also promised to speak.

Posted by on 03/16 at 07:02 AM
I am religiously transhumanist. I believe in something that cannot yet be verified and is derided my the majority of people around me. I can ever assert I am part of a cult, against “common sense” (fwiw) and a scary one. “We” advocate a total change of society and reality akin to an apocalypse. Even worse, I find the alternative (no change) completely unacceptable.

Posted by on 03/16 at 04:38 PM
I think you overestimate people. Self-righteousness happens regardless of the content of an ideology; it’s about group behavior. People behave badly in groups.

Posted by pdf23ds on 03/17 at 10:13 PM
Giulio, I am Santa Claus—just ask my kids. Believe. :-)

Posted by Lincoln Cannon on 04/03 at 04:10 PM