Transgumanism - New Religion

Transgumanism is a movement that popularizes access to a new level of evolutionary development, elimination of diseases, suffering, aging and death thanks to the achievements of science. The concept was introduced by the evolutionary biologist Julian Huxley, the brother of the author of the anti-utopia “On the wonderful new world” of Oldos Huxley, in 1957. The biologist wrote : “I believe in transgumanism: as soon as the critical mass of people who share these views, the new human appearance will differ from the previous one, as we differ from Sinanthropus.” In anticipation of the Geek Picnic festival , where the person’s craving for immortality will be discussed, among other things, the author of Samizdat figured out that this direction offers a person and how it became a new religion among fans of science fiction.

Humanity has been engaged in the search for immortality for a long time and seriously. To find the ways to him, the Taoians plunged into deep meditation, European alchemists were looking for a legendary philosopher’s stone, and the followers of some religions intended to get eternal life. Nowadays, the searches continue, they are conducted by transhumanists who claim that science and progress will be able to defeat aging in the near future. So far, immortality remains in theory, new methods of extending life and youth are invented, whose effectiveness does not tire of convincing their sellers.

Hippocrates said that the cause of all diseases in impaired equilibrium, lack or excess of life juices. Progressive science seeks to bring everything to the balance - from trace elements and vitamins, the daily norm of hormones of joy and stress to the amount of blood sugar. The imbalance is reported by gadgets, pocket measuring devices. A fitness bracelet will control the pulse and pressure, the hardware application to the smartphone will give out a cardiogram, and a small device will diagnose a number of diseases by a drop of blood.

Progress led humanity to the third industrial revolution - now the physiological parameters are available for round -the -clock control. If you wish, you can find out about the phases of your sleep, defeat the snoring, which will be reported by the vibration of the “smart” collar, and track ovulation on a special sensor. To put in order all life indicators can cost a lot of money, especially for those who want to turn back the time for their body with a bio -chucking - a systematic approach to optimizing physiological processes to achieve marginal longevity. But initially, biohacakers were called single scientists (DIY, DO it Yourself), who conducted experiments with DNA in laboratories equipped houses.

Biohaking

Modern biohacakers in the struggle for eternal youth strive to ensure that their choice has a scientific justification and relies on the latest medical discoveries. The benefits and harm of the elected funds are determined by themselves. If for one, the use of coffee and tea is justified by the content of antioxidants slowing aging, then for another caffeine-death due to its properties to pull moisture and calcium from the body.

The most famous example of a bio -haker is an entrepreneur from Silicon Valley, the founder of the Ostrovka service and the company for the organization of video communications Sergey Faga. He says that he is engaged in bio -haking of the body and mind with the help of logic and scientific approach: “For this, I optimized the dream, food and training, passed thousands of tests, took dozens of different drugs and hundreds of additives, worked with magnificent doctors, meditated more than a thousand times, went to a therapist and spent about 200 thousand dollars”. He says that he spent more on women and cars, he is convinced that you need to regularly have sex, and gives preference to models. The entrepreneur has no doubt that at the age of 80 he will have a body and health of a 20-year-old and full bed of girls. He also hired an assistant who helps him streamline daily use of dozens of drugs and additives. Most of them are designed to strengthen intelligence.

The phage with enthusiasm describes a person of the future who no longer needs to turn to psychotherapists and who is spared from biological restrictions. Sergei is not opposed to participating in its creation and wants to develop a platform for the introduction of a singularity in order to "help people become gods."

Not all experts share his enthusiasm. Candidate of Medical Sciences, expert of the Federal Biological Agency Andrei Vasilkov finds the phage methods dubious and recommends not to repeat them at home. He believes that the simultaneous use of a large number of potent drugs can lead to hormonal malfunctions, liver poisoning and early stroke. Medical journalist Daria Sargsyan recalls the risk of side effects when taking a large number of dietary supplements and poorly studied drugs.

By the way, we talked about biohaking in this special project:

Biohaking through the centuries of trepanation, iron hands and genetic engineering - how a person tries to make himself better read

Now it is difficult to judge the success of Sergei's experiment - for the result you will have to wait for almost a century. But the phage says that he is satisfied with the results and notices only positive changes. Now he works better, eats and sleeps. His plans to live up to 120 years and remain awake. This is not the limit of ambitions: some researchers periodically warm up interest in the topic, stating that you can live even longer. Employees of the University of Copenhagen report the absence of the limiting age and expect that life expectancy can reach several hundred years. The English gerontologist Obri Di Gray is convinced that a person is able to live a thousand years and offers an innovative program of rejuvenation of Sens, including nanopreduers and the introduction of stem cells.

Another biohaker, the author of five books about the correct lifestyle, and the intellectual development specialist Dave ESPRU intends to live up to 180 years. He calls biohaking "the art and science of how to become a super man." ESPri founded a company for the production of food additives, products are called “glutathionic force”, “neuromaster”, “smart regime”, “undeserved advantage”. He also created a recipe for a coffee drink of Bulletproof bio -hackers, which also sells on the Internet and on the network of coffee houses. The recipe is quite simple: coffee, coconut and butter (as well as medium -chain triglycerides - special fats that are used in sports diet to accelerate fat burning). According to ESPRI, thanks to such coffee you will forget about food for 4-6 hours. On his research, Biohaking Dave spent 300 thousand dollars. He is constantly experimenting, sometimes not quite successful. Once he directed an infrared ray to his head, confident that it would make him smarter. But no: ESPris could not recover for several hours. Like the phage, Dave recommends that you have sex more often and wear yellow glasses. He also introduces his own stem cells - recently drove them into each joint.

Immortality of cyborgs

Danila Medvedev, a futurologist and member of the Coordinating Council of the Russian Transgumanistic Movement, claims that humanity has no other way except to become cyborgs. Like Sergey Faga, Medvedev develops intelligence and accepts brain activity stimulants, antidepressants, heroes (drugs slowing aging), vitamins and much more. There are several dozen bodies in the Cryofirm found, but Medvedev hopes for replenishment and invites everyone to his cryolabox. He also froze the brain of his grandmother. Religious conviction in the truth of the path, outlined by the ideologists of Transgumanism, acquires a special pathos in Medvedev when it comes to the future. “Ordinary people do not cut into everything that is happening to humanity now. They are not even chips, but salt molecules dissolved in the ocean. They understand this units. " Futurologist is convinced that whole religions may appear on the basis of transhumanism, but the philosophy itself is “much wider”.

Medvedev believes that artificial intelligence can replace God for God: “I hope that by this time we will become gods ourselves.” Vera Medvedeva is shared by Pyotr Levich, founder of the educational project Future Foundation. He believes that in the case of immortality after cyborgization, a person will become God -like and will take the highest step on the evolutionary ladder.

A thirty-four-year-old British artist, composer and visionary Neil Harbisson from early childhood suffers from achromatopsy-a rare disorder of perception, because of which the whole world is seen gray. To return the colors to his life, he agreed to an experiment to implant implant into his brain. So Harbisson learned to distinguish between sound frequencies of flowers and literally hear the color. The artist went further and made an antenna with four microchips in the skull, which allowed him to perceive ultraviolet and infrared spectra and receive color messages from five different people.

We play the T -shirts of Samizdat "Lada, you are a transformer." Find the answers to the question in the text by link: “How to live forever?”, Send them to the mail [Email Protected] and get the opportunity to win one of the three T -shirts with Theodor Glagolev.

You will not find an ideal path to immortality, because it is not. Therefore, we are waiting for your answers inspired by our material until July 15.

According to Neil, digitization of consciousness and cyborgization will entail a review of a person of his needs and make it more reasonable. For example, he will be able to save in night lighting if after the modification he acquires a night vision function. Or control body temperature to minimize the cost of heating and cooling the premises.

Periodically, Harbisson gives lectures at which he talks about how cool to be a cyborg. He admits that he is afraid of hackers who can hack his head, but is sure that the problem can be solved at the government level. Pyotr Levich experiences the same fear, he even dreamed of how he became the owner of the robot, whom someone hacked, and she strangled him.

Transgumanism instead of Christianity

Julian Huxley called Transhumanism a religion without revelation. There is really a lot in common between her and Christianity. The central concepts in the system of a believer - God's grace and love of God for people, which is sometimes called the ancient concept of "agapa". For the adherent of Transgumanism, the grace of Agape carries the word “progress”, which means the natural good, which exists in itself and which, by default, is always a positive meaning. Like the paths of God, the paths of progress can be non -incomprehensible and unpredictable, but even if they lead to negative consequences, they are eliminated by progress itself.

The main motive of the Christian is to get rid of his sinful nature, which he has been endowed with the time of original sin, since without this the path to paradise is closed. Similarly, transgumanism considers the human psyche as the source of negativity and entropy. Like believers, transgumanism apologists see the solution to the problem in control. It can be a program, gadget or microchip that will automatically create an optimal mood and block the negative. Unlike classical Christianity, which was similarly using the idea of ​​internal control in the institutions of monasticism or external - in the Inquisition, transgumanism seeks to solve the problem automatically, without individual participation.

Transgumanist wants to become a "post -man" with divine abilities. In the end, the ascent along the path of progress should end in gaining immortality and getting rid of earthly suffering. Those who resist the cyborgization of mankind, transgumanists call retrograde, whose skepticism is explained by the fear of change.

Among religious people are those who pray every day, and “slightly” believers who sometimes perform rituals and visit the church on holidays. Among the transgumanists there are those who are strongly tuned to digitize consciousness as soon as it is possible. There are others who are not ready to risk the previous life for the sake of gaining other being, but at the same time who believe in the omnipotence of science.

Denis Ivanov, a member of the Transgumanism community, is careful in judgments about the possibility of eternal life “in a number” and claims that “life in the current is impossible.” But the member of the Russian transgumanist movement Vyacheslav samples says that if there are no other ways to immortality, except for creating their digital copy, then at least ready for this. The popularizers of philosophy converge in one thing: if cyborgs and digital copies are among us, then you will have to reconsider the question of what consciousness is. According to the curator of Vyacheslav Obraztsov Danila Medvedev, there is nothing mysterious in the mind, because the neuronauk "considers him a small subprogram." Because the question is "who to consider alive?" He lost his relevance - adherents of transgumanism ask differently: “Who should be considered dead?”