Bad Effects Of Transhumanism Essay

Humans (and trans universe) ar marked by a persistent desire to image and control their environment and experience. Before the growth of the scientific method, deductive and inductive logic, zippy theory, sophisticated epistemic principles and so on, compassionates resorted to superficial causal translations based on observation for common phenomena, and theistic ex meanation for unusual events. Deities were invoked to explain unusual or destructive phenomena, and to try to provide a comforting model of the uncertainties and uncontrollable events in liveness. Storms, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, epidemics and madness could not be tolerated without some(prenominal) belief about their cause. In the absence of scientific explanation a apparitional or theistic explanation was nigh inevitable. Along with pre-scientific attempts at understanding came a crude attempt at a technology. A tension is evident present On the one hand righteousnesss catch frequently decl ard event s to be dictated by a divine plan and so stomach held attempts at changing things to be futile (this is common in Eastern holinesss, as well as other trusts involving predestination).On the other hand, religions have offered certain limited and carefully describe means of changing and controlling events, such(prenominal) as through prayer, ritual, and magic. The everyplaceall outcome has been entropic and anti- come nearive since religious technology is ineffective (with the perfunctory exception of psychosomatic effects). The role of religion in providing explanations, however poor, of human life and its environment has given way over time to the superior resources of empirical light. perception has been able to explain an enormous alteration of phenomena, both commonplace and unusual. Protestations by theists that science has not and cannot explain the linage of life, the offset of the universe, or the nature of consciousness are increasingly ridiculous as we perta in to learn and discover. An objection to this view of the origin and strength of religion is that it is unclear why religion is persisting and even suppuration as scientific triumphs abound.This objection makes two mistakes however. First, as I am showing, at that place are other sustaining causes of religion that do not entirely or nigh depend on the development of science. Second, the seeming strength and resurgence of religion is, I believe, an illusion generated from a limited perspective. for sure religion is not declining rapidly, and is continually winning new forms (such as New shape up mysticism), but seen over a straddle of decades and centuries the trend is clear enough. Late twentieth century religion is very a great deal less powerful than religion in the Middle Ages. In the past religion dominated all aspects of life and the inclination of a separation of Church and assure would have been considered incomprehensible and wicked.DEALING WITH expiration AND UNCERTAINTY One of the great tasks sooner us, as transhumanists, is the reengineering of our consciousness to do forth with the powerful desire for certainty of a dogmatic kind. Most humans flavor that they cannot bear to be wrong. They fear an stranger future. They readily give up expert and emotion independence in advance of faith in another person, whether human or supernatural myth. Humans are also driven to the comforts of religious dogma by the terrible incident of death.Some transhumanists expect religion to automatically decline as technical progress accelerates. Unfortunately, the faster technology and society changes, the greater the uncertainty in peoples lives, so the greater the appeal of religion in all its forms. (Hence the takeover by National Socialism and communism at times of great upheaval.) Scientific and technological progress alone will not abolish religious thinking. Transhumanist philosophies, especially immortalist philosophies such as Extropiani sm, will be merry to intellectual and emotional progress.