Wrestling with "Transhumanism"

Wow - just finished reading the article by Nick Bostrom, of Oxford University on Transhumanist Values. http://www.nickbostrom.com/ethics/values.html. I must admit to having a predisposition to thinking that some of these discussions reside best in the realm of science fiction. And yet the concept that through evolution and technology, humans are and will be moving in the direction of a much different version of humanity that presumeably is better is an interesting one. As I look around the world, and observe events, I constantly ask myself the question, is the world getting to be a better place?  Improvements in medicine, and particularly those generated by improving technology certainly and obviously have the impact of enhancing not only lifespan but also lifestyle. Many areas of the world have made great strides in the development of more universal human rights respect. Don't know actual statistics, but my sense is there seem to be fewer wars and conflicts going on in the world than at other times in our history.

And yet on the other hand, the issues of inequality raised in the article certainly mitigate against societal improvements resulting from individuals moving into transhumanism. The gains from medicine are certainly visible in the first world, but what about the rest of the world. What about the first world members who have no access to the latest in medical development? Even though in the west we trumpet our freedom to choose, in many ways, the freedom to choose unhealthy lifestyle choices - a sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy dietary habits results in epidemic rates of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer.

In the realm of education, the question needs to be asked - is the world as a whole become more enlightened through education? Here in Canada, we again trumpet equality of access to primary, secondary and higher education.. Our system is doing well by international standards, graduation rates are going up, percentage of our population who are university educated is at an all-time high. Yet watch what is popular on TV, in newspapers in society - observe how little reading is actually done - the prevalence of educated, intelligent discourse in popular culture seems to be on the decline, with many blindly accepting what the mass media is telling them, without a lot of healthy, educated discussion or critical thinking.

So in my mind, the jury is still out on whether we are moving towards a transhumanist ideal. Pockets maybe - more widespread in the future, perhaps. In the meantime, as an educator of about 120 students in a year, I carry the satisfaction in knowing that I have influenced some young people towards a brighter future - and hopefully some of them will move on to better the lot of their fellow human beings, and future generations of humans, post or trans.