Special Issue on Transhumanism

Hava Tirosh-Samuelson
Guest Editor

“If one accepts that transhumanism is more than an ideology, indeed a philosophy, one must look carefully at its understanding of the human, of biology, and of the relationship between technology and culture.” more

“...[O]nly if humans are stupid enough to end up worshiping the very idols they create, could the fantasized replacement of humans by machines take place.” more

“For there is no science that does not rest on a metaphysics, though typically it remains concealed. It is the responsibility of the philosopher to uncover this metaphysics, and then to subject it to criticism.” more

“One need not agree with Francis Fukuyama that transhumanism is 'the world’s most dangerous idea' to appreciate the critiques of transhumanism enacted in science fiction.” more

“All of the practices and states that I talk about in my paper are already marginalized in contemporary society—it feels vaguely embarrassing to talk about them in public. But at least the margins exist, and one can go there if one likes. The transhumanists would like to engineer them out of existence entirely and forever. Yes, I’m starting not to like transhumanism.” more

“[T]ranshumanist assumptions regarding progress are naive, because they fail to operate with an anthropology that is realistic regarding the human proclivity to turn good into evil...[R]esearchers ...in genetics and nanotechnology should...maintain constant watchfulness for ways in which these technologies can become bent toward destructive purposes.” more

“[W]e need to transcend the heated and often undignified debates that polarise the possibilities for our youngsters when middle positions may embrace a greater wisdom. To include some history of science in a science syllabus might be one way forward. Properly taught it would show that science does not take place in a cultural vacuum.” more

“Many teachers are locked into specialist knowledge of one area and are woefully ignorant of other disciplines. Those who become teachers often perpetuate myths about subjects they do not understand well. Students are subject to the views of the loudest and most influential voices in their small worlds. These are not always the most nuanced ones.” more

“The UK education system in secondary schools is beginning a major change in the way it considers learning. There is a move away from subject focus onto a more cross-curricular and meta-cognitive approach to learning. The Science and Religion in Schools project is a wonderful model for this new approach to learning. We are at the beginning of an exciting time. ” more

“Good science is the precondition to any responsible religious interpretation of that science. The remarkable ignorance about science displayed by many otherwise intelligent and decent people is also disturbing. How do we address these problems...?” more

“Teenagers criticise school science in particular for not enabling genuine discussion and debate, for not tackling up-to-date issues, and for giving them little choice—for example, about what practical work to undertake. Though they generally think science is important, most feel that a career in it is not for them but for others who are cleverer than they are.”more

“The biggest issue facing most teachers is the lack of transferability of this knowledge in the eyes of the students themselves. The way something may be taught in one subject may be approached very differently in another and how much it is taught can vary as well.” more

“From a perspective of religious education, it must be the goal to reach a complex understanding of creation, to help the individual subject develop the ability to handle complementary worldviews and to use a differentiated critical form of hermeneutics, especially when focusing on biblical texts.” more

“South Africa, because of its recent history, provides a unique opportunity to test the world-wide viability of such a project. This is because South Africa is a microcosm of the contemporary world, first world and third world, a scientific secular culture and a traditional religious one, in one society.” more

“The Science and Religion Debate, when taken into schools through the Science and Religion in Schools Project (SRSP), aims to shine light on ‘the bigger picture’ of our cultural heritages, and contributes to the holistic education of young people, creating opportunities for deep learning about the world around them, and understanding of how they may act positively within it.” more

“The aim is to get pupils at this age to wonder and be engaged in the world around them and to be able to use both the scientific and the religious language in their experience and understanding.” more

"The divorce of natural science and religion has been damaging to both; but it is equally true that the culture of the humanities and social sciences has often been surprisingly blind and deaf to the spiritual, and that in my case, the attempt to break down these barriers is being recognized and honoured...The deafness of many philosophers, social scientists and historians to the spiritual dimension can be remarkable.  And this is the more damaging in that it affects the culture of the media and of educated public opinion in general." more

"Hegel, Philosophical Papers, Sources of the Self, Ethics of Authenticity, Multiculturalism, Philosophical Arguments, A Catholic Modernity, Varieties of Religion Today, Modern Social Imaginaries, A Secular Age."  more

Named Member, Institute of Advanced Studies, Princeton ... Sources of the Self ... The Ethics of Authenticity ... Honored as a Companion of the Order of Canada ... Delivers Gifford Lectures ... A Catholic Modernity? ... Made a Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec ... Modern Social Imaginaries ... Awarded 2007 Templeton Prize For Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities ... more

Complexity is all around us. Complexity is in eco-systems. Where do they begin and where do they end, and what should count as the minimal unit of an ecosystem?. more

The Spirit stood among the graves, and pointed down to One. He advanced towards it trembling. The Phantom was exactly as it had been, but he dreaded that he saw new meaning in its solemn shape... 'Before I draw nearer to that stone to which you point,' said Scrooge, 'answer me one question. Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be, only?  more

In Galileo we touch a genius - a man committed to science and a man who practiced his faith - but bridged the seemingly unfathomable schism between them. He is the martyr for human intuitiveness; a man fallen into the death trap of human connivance and viciousness and one’s own ill judgements and calculated risks....in a nutshell the tears and triumphs of Galileo Galilei will always inspire humanity."  more