Visions of Technological Transcendence

James A. Herrick

Description

This book examines key narratives animating the techno-progressive rhetoric of the human enhancement movement, arguing that enhancement and transhumanist discourse performs a variety of distinctly mythic functions. Principal among these is to cast a vision of a technological future involving enhanced posthumans, immortality, human merger with machines and space colonization.

Informations

• Publié par: Parlor Press, LLC
• Date de parution: 03 mars 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781602358775
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

known and most inuential manifestation—promotes dramatic mental and physical augmentations to be realized by the radical and coordinated appropriation of biotechnology and computer science. Goals of Trans humanism include immortality, the merger of humans and machines, human-level artiîcial intelligence, and space colonization. The discourse of human enhancement is marked by the imminent emergence of a post human species and the culmination of human history in a technological upheaval referred to as the Singularity.

VISIONS OF TECHNOLOGICAL TRANSCENDENCE approaches the rhet oric of human enhancement as a system of mythic narratives, each devel oping around a key tenet of enhancement thought. These strategic sto ries are treated as myths, providing “imaginative patterns” for predicting technology’s trajectory, envisioning the technological redemption of the human race, aligning the mundane world with a transcendent, technolog ical future, and attributing a sacred quality to scientiîc progress. Despite their scientiîc cast, these narratives rest on and promote a futuristic ide ology originating in a range of non-scientiîc sources. Chapters explore the narratives of progress, technologically directed evolution, the person as information, the posthuman as supplanting , technologi cal immortality, limitless artiîcial intelligence, and space colonization as human destiny. Together, these narratives constitute a contemporary my thology envisioning a comprehensive and rhetorically powerful account of a technologically transformed posthuman future.

JAMES A. HERRICK is the Guy Vander Jagt Professor of Communication at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. He is the author of New Spirituality, ScientiIc Mythologies, The Radical Rhetoric of the Eng The History and Theory of Rhetoric co-editor of Herrick writes and speaks about the history of rhetoric, new religious movements, and popular narratives about science and technology.

Edited by Alan G. Gross

3015 Brackenberry Drive Anderson, South Carolina 29621 http://www.parlorpress.com S A N: 2 5 4 – 8 8 7 9 ISBN: 978-1-60235-877-5

VISIONS OF TECHNOLOGICAL TRANSCENDENCE

Human Enhancement & the Rhetoric of the Future

James A. Herrick

Vîŝîôŝ ô Téçôôîçà Tàŝçééçé

RhetorIc of ScIence and Technology Séîéŝ Eîô: Aà G. Gôŝŝ

Té éôîç ô ŝçîéçé à éçôô îŝ à àç ô éôîçà çîîçîŝ à àŝ ô àî ŝîçé îŝ îçéîô ôû éçàéŝ àô. ïŝ îîîà ôçûŝ àŝ é éŝ ô ŝûç é-ô ŝçîéîŝŝ àŝ Dàî, Néô, à Wàŝô à Cîç. Té îé àŝ ŝîçé éàé ô éçôàŝŝ îôà ô ô îéîŝçîîàî, é ôé ô éôîçà ŝçééŝ, é ôûà éàîŝ ô é éé, é éôîçà îŝô ô é ŝçîéîîç àîçé, é qûéŝîô ô î- çôéŝûàîî, à é çîîçà éàéé î ééé éçôôîéŝ. Bû îŝ ô à éŝé ôîçŝ  ô éàŝ éàûŝ é îé. Aôû é ôî àŝ àéà éé àé à ŝçîéçé à éçôô àé î ŝôé ŝéŝé éôîçà, é îé éàîŝ ôé ô é ôîçŝ à îôàîé àôàçéŝ. Fô ŝûîŝŝîô îôàîô, éàŝé îŝî é ŝéîéŝ àé à ://.à- ôéŝŝ.çô/ŝçîéçé.

Books In the SerIes

Visions of Technological Transcendence: Human Enhancement and the Rhetoric of the Future Jàéŝ A. Héîç () Evolution by the Numbers: The Origins of Mathematical Argument in Biology  Jàéŝ W () Communicating Science:The Scientific Article from the 17th Century to the Present Aà G. Gôŝŝ, Jôŝé E. Hàô, à Mîçàé S. Réî ()

Vîŝîôŝ ô Téçôôîçà Tàŝçééçé

Hûà Eàçéé à é Réôîç ô é Fûûé

Jàéŝ A. Héîç

Pàô Péŝŝ Aéŝô, Sôû Càôîà .àôéŝŝ.çô

Pàô Péŝŝ LLC, Aéŝô, Sôû Càôîà, USA ©   Pàô Péŝŝ. A îŝ éŝéé. Pîé î é Uîé Sàéŝ ô Aéîçà S A N:    -    

Lîà ô Côéŝŝ Cààôî-î-Pûîçàîô Dàà

Nàéŝ: Héîç, Jàéŝ A., àûô. Tîé: Vîŝîôŝ ô éçôôîçà àŝçééçé : ûà éàçéé à é  éôîç ô é ûûé / Jàéŝ A. Héîç. Déŝçîîô: Fîŝ éîîô. | Aéŝô, Sôû Càôîà : Pàô Péŝŝ, []  | Séîéŝ: Réôîç ô ŝçîéçé à éçôô | ïçûéŝ îîôàîçà  éééçéŝ à îé. ïéîîéŝ: LCCN  (î) | LCCN  (éôô) | ïSBN   ( ) | ïSBN  (éû) | ïSBN  (  îôô) | ïSBN  (ôî) | ïSBN  (. : à.  àé) | ïSBN  (àçôé : à. àé) | ïSBN   (îBôô) | ïSBN  (Kîé) Sûjéçŝ: LCSH: Téçôô--Pîôŝô. | Hûà-àçîé ŝŝéŝ. |  Téçôô--Fôéçàŝî. | Hûàîŝ. Càŝŝîîçàîô: LCC T (éôô) | LCC T .H  (î) | DDC  ./--ç LC éçô ààîàé à ŝ://çç.ôç.ô/

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Contents

Açôééŝ vii  ïôûçîô 3  M à Réôîç 12  Eîŝîôî é Téçôûûé: Aéçééŝ 24  Pôéŝŝ, ïéîàîî, Sîûàî 37  Fô Nàûà Sééçîô ô Sîîûà Eôûîô 53  Lîé àŝ ïôàîô 67  Eàçé Bàîŝ, Côéçé Mîŝ 82  Eàçé Hûàŝ à Pôŝûàŝ 96  Eéî Lîé, Eî Déà 111  Aîîçîà ïéîéçé, Sûéîéîéçé à Eéé Gôŝ 123  Pôŝûàŝ î Sàçé 140  Côçûŝîô 153 Nôéŝ 169 Bîîôà 203 ïé 221 Aôû é Aûô 231

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Acknowledgments

ûé ô éôé àé çôîûé î îôà àŝ ô îŝ ôjéç, é A à.ï îŝ ô à Mîé Mçïôŝ, Jôàà Géé, Mà DéJô, Lé à ï ôû îé ô àé é ôôûî ô à é éé. Sééà îéŝ à çôéàûéŝ àé éé àîû çôéŝàîô àéŝ àô Bàéà, A MçCô, Tô Dà, Mîçàé Hé à Jô Kàŝçî. Fô éî éûŝîàŝîç éŝôŝé ô é ôîç à à éû çôéŝ ï ôû îé ô àçôéé é ŝûéŝ î  Hôôŝ Séîà ô é éôîç ô îôéçôô à ûà éàçéé à Hôé Côéé. Lîà Kôéjé ôîé àûàé àŝŝîŝàçé î éàî é àûŝçî ô ŝûîŝ- ŝîô. Tàŝ àŝô ô Aà Gôŝŝ à Dàî Bàéŝé ô éî éû ûî- àçé éàî é éŝéàîô ô é îéàŝ. Sééà àûôŝ àé îôé  îî àôû é éôîçà ôéîà ô , î àîçûà Nôô Fé, Làûéçé Côûé, Màîà Wàé à Mà Mîé. ï àé àŝô é- éîé éà ô àéî é Aûà Côééçéŝ ô Gôéàçé ô Eéî Téçôôîéŝ, ŝôŝôé  é Sàà Dà O’Côô Côéé ô Là à Aîôà Sàé Uîéŝî. M àŝ ô é ôàîéŝ ô éî é- ôŝ. Fîà,  éééŝ àéçîàîô ôéŝ ô  îé, Jàé P. Héîç, ô é ûàéî ŝûô à îééŝ. ï ôû îé ô éîçàé îŝ ôô ô é éô ô Càà Nàôî Bàîŝ, Rôé D. Héîç, à Màîà L. Héîç.

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Vîŝîôŝ ô Téçôôîçà Tàŝçééçé

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