Posthumanism
Posthumanism or post-humanism (meaning “after humanism” or “beyond humanism”) is an idea in continental philosophy and critical theory responding to the presence of anthropocentrism in 21st-century thought.
It encompasses a wide variety of branches, including:
Antihumanism: a branch of theory that is critical of traditional humanism and traditional ideas about the human condition, vitality and agency.
Cultural posthumanism: A branch of cultural theory critical of the foundational assumptions of humanism and its legacy that examines and questions the historical notions of “human” and “human nature”, often challenging typical notions of human subjectivity and embodiment and strives to move beyond “archaic” concepts of “human nature” to develop ones which constantly adapt to contemporary technoscientific knowledge.
Philosophical posthumanism: A philosophical direction that draws on cultural posthumanism, the philosophical strand examines the ethical implications of expanding the circle of moral concern and extending subjectivities beyond the human species.
Posthuman condition: The deconstruction of the human condition by critical theorists.
Existential posthumanism: it embraces posthumanism as a praxis of existence. Its sources are drawn from non-dualistic global philosophies, such as Advaita Vedanta, Taoism and Zen Buddhism, the philosophies of Yoga, continental existentialism, native epistemologies and Sufism, among others. It examines and challenges hegemonic notions of being “human” by delving into the history of embodied practices of being human and, thus, expanding the reflection on human nature.
Posthuman transhumanism: A transhuman ideology and movement which, drawing from posthumanist philosophy, seeks to develop and make available technologies that enable immortality and greatly enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities in order to achieve a “posthuman future”. A variant of Transhumanism is known as AI takeover, where humans will not be enhanced, but rather eventually replaced by artificial intelligences.
Posthumanization comprises “those processes by which a society comes to include members other than ‘natural’ biological human beings who, in one way or another, contribute to the structures, dynamics, or meaning of the society.”
Posthumanism is a broad philosophical concept and movement that questions the centrality and uniqueness of humans in the world, emphasizing the interconnectedness of humans with technology, environment, and non-human entities. “Posthumanist philosophy” refers to this broader concept, which then also encompasses various schools of thought within it. Some views within posthumanism focus on technological enhancement (often aligned with transhumanism), while others are more focused on ethical inclusivity of non-human entities and challenging anthropocentrism.
Posthumanism: The Broad Movement
Challenging Human-Centrism:
Posthumanism critiques the idea that humans are superior or fundamentally different from other life forms and technologies.
Interconnectedness:
It posits that humans are not autonomous but are instead enmeshed with a wider web of biological, cultural, and technological forces.
Shifting Perspectives:
The goal is to decenter the human perspective and to include other non-human viewpoints in our understanding of reality.
Influences:
This movement draws from critiques of humanism, the rise of artificial intelligence, and ecological thought.
Posthumanist Philosophy: The Specific “How”
A Branch of Posthumanism:
Philosophical posthumanism is a specific approach within the broader posthumanist movement that continues the “dethroning of the human subject”.
Focus on Agency:
It examines how agency and change are distributed among humans and non-human factors like technology and the environment.
Diverse Interpretations:
Philosophical posthumanism includes various perspectives:
Cultural Posthumanism: Examines how literature and culture shape human identity and offers an ethical stance towards social justice and non-human entities.
Technological/Transhumanist Posthumanism: Explores the future of technologically enhanced humanity, seeing humans as potentially evolving into a different “posthuman” form through genetic or cybernetic means.
Environmental/Ethical Posthumanism: Extends moral concern to non-human species and the environment, arguing against the exploitative tendencies of anthropocentrism.
In essence:
Posthumanism
is the overarching concept or phenomenon.
is the set of intellectual and conceptual frameworks that analyze, explain, and engage with posthumanist ideas and futures.