Transhumanism is one of the leading philosophical ideas in our post-postmodern era. Movies and TV shows are inundated with transhumanist thought, with comedy/thrillers like Amazon Prime’s Upload, or the creation of the Vision — an AI-turned-synthetic-humanoid — in Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Transhumanism is the natural conclusion of the theory of evolution: that humanity will continue to evolve as it previously has, likely speeding the process through our technological means. In his book Post- and Transhumanism: An Introduction, Stefan Sorgner says, “Based on a neo-Darwinian worldview, it is upheld that humans should take evolution into their own hands and undertake broad-scale attempts to incorporate technologies into their own lives. These projects aim for a radical increase of bodily functions (i.e. healthspan, longevity), cognitive and emotional capacities (e.g. intellect, memory), physical traits (strength, beauty), and behavior (e.g. morality).”[1]
Like many philosophical ideas, there are some reasonable aspects to transhumanist thought. For instance, transhumanists advocate for the advancement of science and technology to reduce hunger, end premature death, and restore lost functionality to one’s body. However, they take these ideas several steps further. Among other problems, transhumanism is inseparably tied to posthumanism, the idea that humanity will bring about a more evolved version of itself, to the point of becoming a new, separate species. Sorgner demonstrates this connection by stating, “Transhumanism affirms the use of techniques to increase the likelihood of bringing about the posthuman.” Therefore, they will be discussed jointly, as lightning and thunder often are as well.
Transhumanism is a violent departure from the idea that man was created in God’s image in Genesis 1:26, instead seeking to make ourselves gods after our own image. Transhumanism stems from the fundamental idea that humanity is progressing towards the Nietzschean Übermensch — the highest evolved being — an idea that is flawed at its very root and is dangerous to our society.
It is blatantly incorrect that transhumanist ideas will lead to greater societal good. If these ideas are enacted to their fullest and people are “upgraded”, this will cause people to break dangerously from reality. We already have a problem with being too connected to our technology. For instance, the average American adult in 2019 spent at least 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phone every day.[2] That equates to about 1/5 of our waking hours, and that was before the COVID-19 pandemic, when most people were confined to their homes with even more spare time. Video games have become so addictive that “gaming disorder” is a mental health condition recognized by the WHO.[3] It has become so severe that some people have begun to wear diapers to avoid getting up to leave their game. Gabe Newell, the CEO of video game company Valve, said in an interview that “In the brain-computer stuff, we’re way closer to ‘the Matrix’ than people realize. It’s not going to be The Matrix. The Matrix is a movie that misses all the interesting technical subtleties and just how weird the post brain-computer interface world is going to be. It’s going to have a huge impact on the kinds of experiences that we can create for people.”[4] Computer technology is already extremely addictive and detrimental to one’s mental condition. Brain-computer interfacing will only exacerbate the issue.
Transhumanist ideas could also easily lead to discrimination against an “enhanced” person’s “evolutionary inferiors”. Historically, groups that view other humans as physically or genetically “inferior” violently asserted their dominance. It is commonly known that the Holocaust was rationalized by the Nazis through claims that the Jewish people were “subhuman”, and thus were of no more value than a dog or rat. An augmented human could plausibly make this leap in rationale, deeming their fellow man as a lesser creature in the areas of intelligence, beauty, and longevity. These are among our most clearly expressed attributes, which transhumanists most ardently seek to improve. However, the idea that anyone is a superior being to anyone else is an inherently unbiblical one. The Bible declares that we all share a common human ancestry through Noah, who received it from Adam. The Bible also reiterates this thousands of years after Noah in Romans 2:11: “For there is no respect of persons with God.” But if one departs from the teaching that a human life is of inherent value, it becomes trivial to assign physical or mental differences a subhuman status.
The fundamental assumption of transhumanism is that the human condition is a goal to be surpassed, as ape was surpassed. This is based on the flawed theory of Darwinian evolution, which finds its footing in sinking sand. If there is a creator God, transhumanist thought has no leg to stand on and must be discarded. Many books have been written on this topic, so we will only take a cursory glance at the topic here. First, it is clear that there is order to our material universe. Order and structure, in any other case, would suggest that there is an intelligence behind that order and design. Psalms 19:1 cries out in agreement, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” If there is a creative force, there must be further evidence of his character. The Bible demonstrates itself as such, as it is the only verifiable source of true prophecy. For instance, Daniel 9 recounts a perfect history of the nation of Israel from the construction of the temple until the first advent of Jesus Christ. It also speaks about the restoration of the nation of Israel, which occurred in 1948. Before this point, a nation had never dissolved and reformed over the amount of time Israel had been disbanded. Overall, the Bible establishes itself as a clear, unmistakably divine message of meaning and purpose to our existence.
Transhumanists believe that scientific reasoning is the key to immortality. They believe aging is a disease that must be cured at any cost, and have co-opted the idea of “medicine” for themselves, insisting that infinite life extension and the creation of post-human entities is a medical service. This is described in 2 Thessalonians 2:4. By denying God but desiring his attributes of divine intelligence and eternal life, the transhumanist takes the act of human creation into his own hand. He is an individual “who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” This is a description of the antichrist, but the spirit of antichrist is evident in these beliefs. I am also reminded of Isaiah 14:12-14, describing Satan: “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” The goal of transhumanism is to be like the Most High without his influence, which is one of Satan’s primary objectives.
Transhumanist thought is as dangerous as it is common. It is the religious conclusion of atheism, a “religion without revelation”. It is fundamentally flawed in its faith in evolution, as it is clear that there is a creator God. Pursuit of its ideas will also bring about societal distress by causing fellow men to be viewed as subhuman, while giving the “enhanced” the ability to completely break from reality. It is clearly anti-Christ in its agenda to make man like God in the place of him, and should be opposed.
If you’re interested in learning more about Transhumanism through the lens of God’s Word, check out this episode of The Postscript Show
For more information about LFBI and its courses, visit www.lfbi.org.
Resources:
[1] Stefan Lorenz Sorgner and Robert Ranisch, Post- and Transhumanism: An Introduction (Frankfurt a.M.: Peter Lang GmbH, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften, 2015).
[2] Molla, R. (2020, January 6). Tech companies tried to help us spend less time on our phones. It didn’t work. Vox. https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/1/6/21048116/tech-companies-time-well-spent-mobile-phone-usage-data.
[3] Lee, Bruce Y. (2017, December 24). Do You Have 'Gaming Disorder,' A Newly Recognized Mental Health Condition? https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2017/12/24/do-you-have-video-gaming-disorder-a-newly-recognized-mental-health-condition/?sh=46dbb107316d.
[4] Hayden, Scott. (2020, March 18). Gabe Newell on Brain-computer Interfaces: ‘We’re way closer to The Matrix than people realize’. https://www.roadtovr.com/gabe-newell-brain-computer-interfaces-way-closer-matrix-people-realize/.
Sam Miles Jr. is a student in the Living Faith Bible Institute and an engineer. He is a member of Midtown Baptist Temple and a discipler in their College & Young Adults ministry.