A Big Picture Humanistic Essay

Passion for Improving Humanity Physically, Mentally, And Spiritually

Exemplifying and clarifying the interdisciplinary aspects of transhumanism

What is wrong with the desire to live a longer and happier life?

Each of us comes to this world having the capability to transform into better versions of ourselves. While our reptilian brain keeps us in survival mode, our neocortex and limbic system are coded to make perpetual progress. We keep reinventing ourselves.

Branches of technology and science have become by-products of using our thinking and emotional parts of the brain collectively. These tools can empower us to go above and beyond when used smartly and in an integrated way. Our genes also express themselves to evolve. We get mentally, emotionally, and physically stronger with evolutionary capacity.

Interdisciplinary studies involve multiple branches of knowledge. Transhumanism is one of the multidisciplinary philosophies.

Transhumanists produce interesting and valuable thoughts using numerous branches of science and technology. The fundamental approach utilizes an integrated style empowered by anthropology and futurology, including past and future in the equations.

Every discipline touches some aspects of transhumanism one way or another. I write this post with the intent and purpose of creating awareness by giving a few prominent examples to clarify my points. I invite you, my readers, to open your minds, refrain from fear and anxiety-limited thoughts, and think outside the box with me and others.

Not surprisingly, transhumanism is not the stuff of science fiction anymore. In fact, the fictitious sci-fi art form in writing and movies has significantly impacted the development of remarkable ideas by thought leaders and practitioners who think ahead of their times. (See, for example, Welcome to the future: 11 ideas that went from science fiction to reality and How America’s Leading Science Fiction Authors Are Shaping Your Future).

Evolution is an undeniable fact of life for all beings. However, humans evolve faster than other species. In addition, unlike other species, we have the natural capacity to observe and contribute to our evolution through intentional actions. As a result, our physical and behavioral traits have changed dramatically within the last six million years as explained in this brief video by Dr Rick Potts.

Futurology, which is systemic forecasting of the future using past and current conditions, is a crucial discipline empowering transhumanism philosophy. Using the power of our imagination, we can plan. Moreover, risk management is widely used in many fields, leveraging the guidance of futurology.

While none of us can know about our future to determine it, we can generate ideas to influence our future. Scientists and technologists make significant developments by using the power of their imagination. By using the power of imagination, we can move from survival to thriving mode.

Thoughts come from nothingness in the quantum domain, but we can turn them into ideas and tangible products. The invention process starts with imagination. So does the innovation process. Exemplary leaders lead with inventive and innovative mindsets.

For example, electricity was not even a thought a few hundred years ago. Now it is a product and service that has affected our lives dramatically. Likewise, the Internet came out of nothing fewer than a few decades ago, and has emerged and evolved so rapidly. It connected us more than any technology by removing borders we created with fear and anxiety.

The technology that created mobile phones is not just one technology — we have a tangible product with innovative approaches and integration of multiple technologies. With more creative ideas, our products and services constantly progress, leading to better outcomes. Thus, combinatorial innovation is one of the tools for achieving transhumanistic goals. So is a design thinking approach as everything is connected.

Education is a core discipline contributing to transhumanism. For example, in solving complex research problems in many areas of science, we use interdisciplinarity in Technology Enhanced Learning.

Some people fear transhumanism. They think that we end up being robots. No one, of course, wants to turn their flesh to hardware. On the contrary, having human form extending our capabilities with the help of science and technology is the crucial merit of transhumanism. By using our mental, physical, and spiritual capabilities, we can evolve to better versions of ourselves.

Science and technology have the power to intelligently and expediently enhance (hack, as has become common parlance) our biology and physiology. We have already made substantial progress in these areas. For example, we can now see the insides of our body and the brain using various medical devices. So even though we are still at nascent stages of technological and scientific breakthroughs in medicine and healthcare, there has been tremendous progress within the last few decades.

Medicine is one of the disciplines contributing to transhumanistic goals. Endoscopy, colonoscopy, and MRIs are just a few examples. By collecting data from our bodies and the brain, we can create models to identify diseases and threats and address them using smart drugs.

I read some comments about readers associating transhumanism with sex — those comments stem from an obnoxious post from a narrow-minded individual seeking to stir trouble with the LGBTQ community with the purposely baiting and insensitive post that transhumanism sounds like gender reassignment. Yet, I will answer the question anyway. If we define sex as the highest form of physical and emotional contact between two individuals, the sexual connection could be one of the transhumanism concerns.

Who doesn’t want to be able to connect with others meaningfully at older ages? So why should we be restricted to meaningful connection only at younger ages?

Medical, health, and longevity studies have made exceptional progress in enhancing and our sexual capabilities regardless of age. Now older people can revive their sexual energy using hormonal medication and sexual and mental therapies. So sexology can be a contributing discipline to transhumanistic goals.

The key transhumanistic goals are to enhance our physical and mental capacities to live longer and higher-quality lives using the power of science and technology.

Transhumanism is usually associated with AI as we are on the cusp of an artificial intelligence revolution. While this type of intelligence is essential to augment our natural intelligence, AI is only one piece of the transhumanism puzzle.

Machines can collect, analyze, process, and present vast amounts of data, connect large data sets, generate information from data, and transform them into knowledge constructs very fast and more accurately than human beings. In addition, they can leverage available knowledge by linking them meaningfully.

Transforming cognitive systems has the power to enhance our capabilities. For example, while a medical doctor can review only a limited number of medical studies and make decisions with this tiny bit of information and knowledge, a cognitive system can check a trillion pieces of information and knowledge constructs and make much better decisions. IBM Watson is one of the recent developments as an example of a cognitive system.

Art also can contribute to transhumanistic goals. While art is a way of expressing our thoughts and feelings, it can be therapeutic both for creators and consumers. For example, we use music, painting, and expressive writing for mental therapies.

Some people may argue that technology creates comfort, adversely affecting our lives. This is partially true within a specific context. However, it is not the fault of technology. It is up to us what we do with technology.

While having a smartwatch brings comfort to my life, I use it to stimulate my body and the brain, using it as a device to monitor and analyze health-related data. For example, without a smartwatch, I wouldn’t be able to check my sleep quality and the functioning of my heart.

Social science disciplines such as psychology, sociology, and leadership also provide substantial input to transhumanists. We developed many psychological and social capabilities through our evolution. Using our social, emotional, and behavioral capabilities, we can generate compelling values to contribute to a longer and happier life.

Even though it is scarcely mentioned in transhumanistic literature, I also believe that our spiritual power, the notion of connecting to something outside of ourselves, plays a critical role in longevity and quality of life. We now know that optimists live longer than pessimists.

Spiritual connections have a significant effect on our mental, emotional, and physical well-being. As my friend and editor Marcus writes, spirituality “transcends the binary of theism versus atheism. One can act entirely spiritual with or without a belief in ‘god’ however one understands that term. Spirituality only requires love, empathy, compassion, humility, honesty, and courage.”

Ethics and societal regulations are critical components of the scientific and technological process. They form governance for collective progress. We need ethics and laws for certain milestones in ideas’ lifecycles, such as the design, implementation, and execution phases.

However, if ethics and regulations interfere with the early phases, such as the ideation phase, it can be perilous for our growth. We need to keep in mind that ideation and propaganda are not the same things.

For example, I read stories and comments against transhumanistic, out-of-box ideas. However, fearing, cursing, and belittling people with great ideas do not serve the purpose of our collective growth.

Transhumanist thought leaders examine the potential benefits and dangers of emerging technologies. Their goal is to overcome human limitations and ethical concerns by looking at the pros and cons.

Scientists need rigor to challenge ideas to separate weeds from grass. Science has a self-managing mechanism for evolving ideas without fearing, censoring, and condemning them. Scientists, technologists, and philosophers are not afraid of imagining and documenting their ideas. Preventing them from these critical activities poses significant risks to the development of humanity and the improvement of society.

Fear is the greatest enemy of progress. We kill invention and innovation if we use ethics and regulations to suppress ideas to address our emotions, such as fear and anxiety caused by novel ideas.

We made huge mistakes by punishing great scientists, technologists, artists, and philosophers in the past. Since they think ahead of their time, we thought they were evil and thus should be stopped with our narrow perspectives.

History is full of examples of cursing and penalizing people for their brilliant ideas that were not understood at the time but significantly contributed to the development of human beings.

Society once tried and convicted Galileo for heresy; arrested, tortured, and burned Servetus; hit the head of Rhazes with his own manuscript. We prosecuted and castrated Alan Turing, played brilliantly by Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game, through hormone injections because he had a different sexual preference. And everyone knows the sad story of my hero and spiritual mentor, Nikola Tesla.

More recently, we penalized scientists who identified the harmful effects of sugar on our health and made those who harm our health with propaganda heroes. We also stopped those who brilliantly challenged the status quo for misunderstandings of saturated fats and essential cholesterol for our health, as documented by Nina Teicholz in this masterpiece, The Big Fat Surprise revealing the unthinkable.

I understand the concerns related to equality within the transhumanism context. Some valid concerns reveal that while a group of wealthy people thrives, another group, such as the financially disadvantaged, might suffer due to inequality. I agree that we still judge people based on their skin color.

However, transhumanism is not exclusive to wealthy people only. Any color of people can benefit from transhumanistic ideas. I know that some financially poor people live longer and experience a better quality of life than rich people.

For example, we witnessed many centenarians living in financially disadvantaged parts of the globe. Some monks living in poverty depicted more substantial mental power making them happier and more satisfied than billionaires living in luxury.

So, my clarifying point, transhumanism is not just about artificial intelligence but also about using our augmented natural intelligence mindfully, meaningfully, decisively, collectively, and holistically.

Despite all, we will physically die in the end, but our souls deserve a meaningful death to transform into a new entity. Such stoic and spiritual yet paradoxically existentialist and heroic notion makes me euphoric.

Thank you for reading my perspectives.

My wife’s recent situation reminded me of “Do every act of your life as though it were the very last act of your life” Marcus Aurelius

Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.

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