Sources of the Concept of Human Enhancement in the History of Ideas

Abstract

The article examines the ideological and historical background of the transhumanistic concept of “human enhancement”.

In the second half of the 20th century, under the influence of the secular paradigm of physicalism, combined with active technological innovations and bold visionary ideas of science fiction writers, a new concept was created called “Transhumanism”.The idea of ​​transhumanism boils down to the thesis that “the human species is not the end of evolution, but rather its beginning”. This statement contains the key idea of ​​transhumanism: man as an object of transformation into an evolutionarily more perfect being. As the conceptual base of transhumanism expanded, the concept of human enhancement emerged from it and became an autonomous one. The essence of the concept boils down to the fact that a person can and should be improved with the help of technology. The legitimization of this discourse can be traced through the historical perspective of the ideas of the Enlightenment, scientific and technological progress of the early XX century and the rapid technological growth of the late XX — early XXI century. Historical analysis of the genesis of transhumanist philosophy goes through several eras. Starting with Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, the analysis deals in detail with the ideas of progress of Nicolas de Condorcet. Further, the influence of biologists Charles Darwin, John Haldane and Julian Huxley is examined, after which the key components of the transhumanist concept in the second half of the 20th century are analyzed. In conclusion, the projects and enhancement technologies that have already been implemented or are being prepared for implementation are analyzed, as well as an assessment of the transhumanistic concept of human enhancement is given, taking into account the considered ideological and historical context.