Transhumanism: A Realistic Future? PDF
Preview Transhumanism: A Realistic Future?
A Realistic Future? 1111558822__99778899881111221111338866__TTPP..iinndddd 11 44//33//2200 22::2266 PPMM Other World Scientific Titles by the Author Longevity in the 2.0 World: Would Centenarians Become Commonplace? ISBN: 978-981-120-116-5 ISBN: 978-981-120-203-2 (pbk) Brain vs Computer: The Challenge of the Century ISBN: 978-981-3145-54-2 ISBN: 978-981-3145-55-9 (pbk) Is Man to Survive Science? ISBN: 978-981-4644-40-2 ISBN: 978-981-4644-41-9 (pbk) Near Field Optics and Nanoscopy ISBN: 978-981-02-2349-6 YuShan - 11582 - Transhumanism.indd 1 28-02-20 12:20:29 PM A Realistic Future? Jean-Pierre Fillard World Scientific NEW JERSEY • LONDON • SINGAPORE • BEIJING • SHANGHAI • HONG KONG • TAIPEI • CHENNAI • TOKYO 1111558822__99778899881111221111338866__TTPP..iinndddd 22 44//33//2200 22::2266 PPMM Published by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. 5 Toh Tuck Link, Singapore 596224 USA office: 27 Warren Street, Suite 401-402, Hackensack, NJ 07601 UK office: 57 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9HE Library of Congress Control Number: 2019052205 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. TRANSHUMANISM A Realistic Future? Copyright © 2020 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the publisher. For photocopying of material in this volume, please pay a copying fee through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. In this case permission to photocopy is not required from the publisher. ISBN 978-981-121-138-6 ISBN 978-981-121-210-9 (pbk) For any available supplementary material, please visit https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/11582#t=suppl Typeset by Stallion Press Email: [email protected] Printed in Singapore YuShan - 11582 - Transhumanism.indd 2 28-02-20 12:20:29 PM “6x9” b3774 Transhumanism: A Realistic Future? Contents About Jean-Pierre Fillard vii Introduction ix Part I Where Does Transhumanism Come From? 1 Chapter One The Origins and Further 3 Chapter Two The Theories 23 Chapter Three New Ways of Life 43 Chapter Four Favorite Goals of Transhumanists 61 Part II Possible Pledges 79 Chapter Five Present Achievements and Transhumanism 81 Chapter Six Information, Communication, and Artificial Intelligence 99 Chapter Seven Energy and Civilizations 121 Part III Problems to be Solved 137 Chapter Eight Man and Men, Issues To Be Faced 139 Chapter Nine Robots & Co. 155 Chapter Ten What About Space and the Post-Human Realm? 173 Conclusion 189 v b3774_FM.indd 5 5-3-2020 10:22:52 AM b2530 International Strategic Relations and China’s National Security: World at the Crossroads TTTThhhhiiiissss ppppaaaaggggeeee iiiinnnntttteeeennnnttttiiiioooonnnnaaaallllllllyyyy lllleeeefffftttt bbbbllllaaaannnnkkkk b2530_FM.indd 6 01-Sep-16 11:03:06 AM “6x9” b3774 Transhumanism: A Realistic Future? About Jean-Pierre Fillard I came from the University of Algiers when Algeria was a full French territory. I initially specialized in nuclear physics but soon turned to the study of solid state electronics. At that time the “transistor effect” had just been discovered and the buzz was about understanding the electronic mechanisms inside mat- ter. One of the topics was to understand the key issues of the atomic defects lying in the starting semicon- ductor crystals. This was the field which motivated for me three decades of research. Now that activity has turned to pure technology, following an endless Moore’s law. So I tell people that I was, scientifically, born with the tran- sistor and I died with it! Incidentally, I was elected a fellow of the British Institute of Physics in 1978 and belonged to a flurry of international sci- entific associations. In 1967, I obtained a full thesis from the University of Montpellier in France where I was soon upgraded to a full Professor and launched a research laboratory in the field of solid state physics. I am the author or co-author of some 300 publications, communications or collective books and a personal book — Near Field Optics and Nanoscopy (World Scientific, 1996). In 1985 I initiated a series of international conferences DRIP (Defect Recognition and Image Processing) which continue around the world every two years. vii b3774_FM.indd 7 3-3-2020 12:25:23 PM b3774 Transhumanism: A Realistic Future? “6x9” viii Transhumanism: A Realistic Future? During these three decades of intense research work, I had the opportunity to visit many places in Europe, the US, Israel, Japan, and even stay in China as invited lecturer. I retired in 1998, as a Professor Emeritus, after winning a cancer episode and I, then, became interested in the evolution and the new prospects opened up by Science and Technology 2.0. This was an opportunity for me to write some books in collaboration with World Scientific and Transhumanism: A Realistic Future? is the fourth one. b3774_FM.indd 8 3-3-2020 12:25:23 PM “6x9” b3774 Transhumanism: A Realistic Future? Introduction “Transhumanism is an international philosophical movement that advocates for the transformation of the human condition by developing and making widely available sophisticated technologies to greatly enhance human intellect and physiology.”1 This is the broad definition of transhumanism that can be found on the internet.2 This “philosophy” especially deals with the benefits (and dan- gers) we could currently expect from the extrapolation of technologies already available which can deeply change our human nature along with the corresponding environment. Such a thesis is not a new one but one that has resulted from a process of maturation by philosophers. It is not to be confused with science fiction. From Gilgamesh to the Ubermensch of Friedrich Nietzsche, a recur- rent dream has been access to a different (better) being, and how this can be done. This mainstream thinking converged in the search for ways and means to bring an end to old curses like ageing and death. But are we now facing a philosophical or a science prospect, or both? Transhumanism can be considered a culmination of continuous evolu- tion from the Big Bang. Darwin theory says that genetic evolution occurs with the millenaries, aimed at making the species more closely adapted to the requirements of the environment. This is the universal rule Nature 1 “A history of transhumanist thought”, Nick Boström, Journal of Evolution and Technology, February 21, 2006. Available at https://nickbostrom.com/papers/history.pdf 2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transhumanism ix b3774_FM.indd 9 3-3-2020 12:25:23 PM
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