Christian transhumanism
|
|
Christian transhumanism refers to any merging of Christianity and transhumanism.
| Contents |
Singularity and the Second Coming
An example of a Christian transhumanist theology is to identify the singularity with the Second Coming, the return of Jesus.
The identification of the technological singularity with Christian eschatology requires a postmillennialist viewpoint, in which posthumanity is viewed as a good thing, the fulfillment of God's promises. (The "technical jesus" site linked below can be viewed as having a postmillennialist theology.) However, a premillennial theology could also be developed, in which the singularity is identified as the triumph of human pride over faith, a triumph in which Christ will intervene to prevent from occurring. This would place technological singularity into the realm of doomsday predictions.
Uploading and the Resurrection
The Christian theology of the Resurrection could be seen as an ancient parallel to the concept of mind uploading. The concept of uploading one's intelligence into a powerful computer network and living a new life as a simulated entity in a virtual utopia or dystopia can be seen as a direct technological implementation of the resurrection into a spiritual body existing in the conceptual realms of heaven or hell. Variations where a posthuman is incarnated as an android or robot would correspond to Christians who believe in a physical resurrection.
Deification in Mormonism and Transhumanism
Mormonism's doctrine of deification may be considered a variant of transhumanism with an emphasis on humans progressing beyond their mortal human state to become like God. Transhumanism consistent with Mormonism could replace the more widely held concept of transhumanism's predilection with cyborg-type technological progress of humanity with the ideology that the god-like potential of the mortal, physical body is yet far from being fully realized.
External links
- Transhumanism and religion not necessarily enemies by Simon Smith (http://www.betterhumans.com/Features/Columns/Forward_Thinking/column.aspx?articleID=2003-03-09-1)
- Faith, Transhumanism and Hope Symposium (http://www.transhumanism.org/tv/2004/program.shtml#Faith)A conference on religion and transhumanism
- Parallel Universe Christianity (http://www.geocities.com/parrallelchrist/index.htm)A site which combines the Christian faith with recent discoveries concerning the existence of parallel universes
- Technical Jesus (http://www.technical-jesus.com/)A site expressing Christian transhumanist views
- The Techno Sapiens Are Coming by By C. Christopher Hook (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/001/1.36.html)An article on transhumanism in Christianity Today