Transhumanism, Human Enhancement and Ethical Debate

Abstract

Human civilization, in different stages, has witnessed numerous religious and philosophical movements that have proposed human enhancement. When human society was dominated by human labor, they proposed humanistic ways to overcome human problems and surpass human limitations. The introduction of new technologies in human society has led to a change in human thought. Tranhumanism as a philosophical movement is the result of techno-dominated human society that advocates for the harmonious combination of man and machine or technology. This paper attempts to clarify about this movement drawing from its historical roots, philosophical bases to modern institutions and thinkers associated with it. Critical observation of the ideas of different thinkers has led to the conclusion that transhumanism opens multiple opportunities to human enhancement. However, the issue of ethics remains prominent. It ultimately leads to the crumbling of traditional norms, values, rules and regulations, and creates the need of redefining human beings, human relations and human identity. However, there is no way out than accepting it. The paper is in qualitative research design based on the library study. It derives data from scholarly publications, books and articles and utilizes the sources from the internet. This research work is beneficial for those who are interested in the future of humanity with advancements in science and technology. Similarly, it opens up the research path for exploring human psychology and human relationship in techno guided modern world.