Andrew Pilsch
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781517901028
- eISBN:
- 9781452957685
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9781517901028.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
This book argues that transhumanism should be taken more seriously as a Utopian force in the present. Combatting the widespread idea that transhumanism is a naive and dangerous reframing of the most ...
More
This book argues that transhumanism should be taken more seriously as a Utopian force in the present. Combatting the widespread idea that transhumanism is a naive and dangerous reframing of the most excessive forms humanist thought, this book situates the contemporary transhumanist movement within the longer history of a rhetorical mode Pilsch calls "evolutionary futurism." Evolutionary futurism is a way of arguing about technology that suggests that global telecommunications technologies, in expanding the geographic range of human thought, radically reshape the future of the human species. Evolutionary futurist argumentation makes the case that we, as a species, are on the cusp of a radical explosion in cognitive, physical, and cultural intelligence. Transhumanism surveys the varying uses of evolutionary futurism throughout the 20th century, as it appears in a wide array of fields. This book unearths evolutionary futurist argumentation in modernist avant-garde poetry, theosophy, science fiction, post-structural philosophy, Christian mysticism, media theory, conceptual art, and online media culture. Ultimately, the book suggests that evolutionary futurism, in the age of the collapse of the state as a unit for imagining Utopia, works by highlighting the human as the limit that must be overcome if we are to imagine new futures for our culture, our planet, and ourselves. Less
This book argues that transhumanism should be taken more seriously as a Utopian force in the present. Combatting the widespread idea that transhumanism is a naive and dangerous reframing of the most excessive forms humanist thought, this book situates the contemporary transhumanist movement within the longer history of a rhetorical mode Pilsch calls "evolutionary futurism." Evolutionary futurism is a way of arguing about technology that suggests that global telecommunications technologies, in expanding the geographic range of human thought, radically reshape the future of the human species. Evolutionary futurist argumentation makes the case that we, as a species, are on the cusp of a radical explosion in cognitive, physical, and cultural intelligence. Transhumanism surveys the varying uses of evolutionary futurism throughout the 20th century, as it appears in a wide array of fields. This book unearths evolutionary futurist argumentation in modernist avant-garde poetry, theosophy, science fiction, post-structural philosophy, Christian mysticism, media theory, conceptual art, and online media culture. Ultimately, the book suggests that evolutionary futurism, in the age of the collapse of the state as a unit for imagining Utopia, works by highlighting the human as the limit that must be overcome if we are to imagine new futures for our culture, our planet, and ourselves.
Curtis D. Carbonell
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781789620573
- eISBN:
- 9781789629644
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781789620573.003.0002
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Cultural Studies
This chapter examines exemplary texts within science fiction, Bruce Sterling’s Schismatrix stories and the TRPG, Eclipse Phase (EP). It begins by looking at SF as a mythic form of storytelling, one ...
More
This chapter examines exemplary texts within science fiction, Bruce Sterling’s Schismatrix stories and the TRPG, Eclipse Phase (EP). It begins by looking at SF as a mythic form of storytelling, one rooted in modernity. It uses literary theorist Istvan Csicsery-Ronay’s ideas in The Seven Beauties of Science Fiction (2008) to argue that tropes within SF are often highly fantastic, the cyborg transforming into posthuman tropes far beyond simple human-machine interfaces. In Sterling’s stories we see this dynamic in extreme forms of posthuman imaginings. With Sterling, he represents both transhuman and posthuman possibilities, some as extreme as biological space stations. In EP, players can choose a variety of characters to play that go beyond normative human forms into the strange and exotic. This provides a template for posthuman subjectivity.Less
This chapter examines exemplary texts within science fiction, Bruce Sterling’s Schismatrix stories and the TRPG, Eclipse Phase (EP). It begins by looking at SF as a mythic form of storytelling, one rooted in modernity. It uses literary theorist Istvan Csicsery-Ronay’s ideas in The Seven Beauties of Science Fiction (2008) to argue that tropes within SF are often highly fantastic, the cyborg transforming into posthuman tropes far beyond simple human-machine interfaces. In Sterling’s stories we see this dynamic in extreme forms of posthuman imaginings. With Sterling, he represents both transhuman and posthuman possibilities, some as extreme as biological space stations. In EP, players can choose a variety of characters to play that go beyond normative human forms into the strange and exotic. This provides a template for posthuman subjectivity.
Stuart Murray
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- January 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781789621648
- eISBN:
- 9781800341159
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781789621648.003.0003
- Subject:
- Sociology, Culture
Chapter One concentrates on recent theoretical writings on disability and posthumanism and also explores the intellectual spaces in which the subjects take shape, before moveing to a discussion of ...
More
Chapter One concentrates on recent theoretical writings on disability and posthumanism and also explores the intellectual spaces in which the subjects take shape, before moveing to a discussion of how these come together in select science fiction films. Disability Studies and critical posthumanism have much in common; a critique of humanist norms; a recognition of complex embodiment; and a commitment to intersectionality and inclusive practice among them. But they also harbour suspicions of one another. The most important divergence between the two subject areas comes in arguments surrounding transhumanism. Transhumanist assertions that the application of future technology will allow for bodily and neurological enhancement, and the ‘improvement’ of humans as a result, are met with hostility by many with disabilities who see in them suggestions that disability is a condition that might, and indeed should, be eradicated in a science-led drive towards ‘perfection’. The chapter will explore these and other debates, especially as they form around cultural representations and the ways stories are told about the bodies and technologies of the future.Less
Chapter One concentrates on recent theoretical writings on disability and posthumanism and also explores the intellectual spaces in which the subjects take shape, before moveing to a discussion of how these come together in select science fiction films. Disability Studies and critical posthumanism have much in common; a critique of humanist norms; a recognition of complex embodiment; and a commitment to intersectionality and inclusive practice among them. But they also harbour suspicions of one another. The most important divergence between the two subject areas comes in arguments surrounding transhumanism. Transhumanist assertions that the application of future technology will allow for bodily and neurological enhancement, and the ‘improvement’ of humans as a result, are met with hostility by many with disabilities who see in them suggestions that disability is a condition that might, and indeed should, be eradicated in a science-led drive towards ‘perfection’. The chapter will explore these and other debates, especially as they form around cultural representations and the ways stories are told about the bodies and technologies of the future.
Stuart Murray
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- January 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781789621648
- eISBN:
- 9781800341159
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781789621648.003.0007
- Subject:
- Sociology, Culture
The Conclusion focuses on debates around the end of life and transhumanist claims about the need to prolong life, in the context of debates about disability. It analyses Don DeLillo’s novel Zero K to ...
More
The Conclusion focuses on debates around the end of life and transhumanist claims about the need to prolong life, in the context of debates about disability. It analyses Don DeLillo’s novel Zero K to make a series of points about cultural representation of embodiment, the end of life and disability futures.Less
The Conclusion focuses on debates around the end of life and transhumanist claims about the need to prolong life, in the context of debates about disability. It analyses Don DeLillo’s novel Zero K to make a series of points about cultural representation of embodiment, the end of life and disability futures.
R. S. Deese
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780520281523
- eISBN:
- 9780520959569
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520281523.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This book explores the life and work of two brothers, a scientist and an artist, who changed the way we think about science, religion, and the future of our species. As an evolutionary biologist and ...
More
This book explores the life and work of two brothers, a scientist and an artist, who changed the way we think about science, religion, and the future of our species. As an evolutionary biologist and conservationist, Julian Huxley argued that we must accept responsibility for our future evolution, and coined the term Transhumanism to promote this idea in the 1950s. While Aldous Huxley explored the dystopian dangers of manipulating human nature in his most famous work of literature, Brave New World, his less noted writings on religion, ecology, and human consciousness may in fact have been more influential in the long run. These proved to be powerful catalysts for the environmental and human potential movements that proliferated across the industrialized world in the decades following 1945. While they often disagreed about the role of science and technology in human progress, Julian and Aldous Huxley both believed that the future of our species would depend on a saner set of relations with each other and with our environment. Their common concern for ecology has given their ideas about the outlook for Homo sapiens an enduring resonance in the face of climate change and mass extinctions. The amphibian metaphor that both brothers used to describe humanity highlights not only the complexity and mutability of our species but also our ecologically precarious situation.Less
This book explores the life and work of two brothers, a scientist and an artist, who changed the way we think about science, religion, and the future of our species. As an evolutionary biologist and conservationist, Julian Huxley argued that we must accept responsibility for our future evolution, and coined the term Transhumanism to promote this idea in the 1950s. While Aldous Huxley explored the dystopian dangers of manipulating human nature in his most famous work of literature, Brave New World, his less noted writings on religion, ecology, and human consciousness may in fact have been more influential in the long run. These proved to be powerful catalysts for the environmental and human potential movements that proliferated across the industrialized world in the decades following 1945. While they often disagreed about the role of science and technology in human progress, Julian and Aldous Huxley both believed that the future of our species would depend on a saner set of relations with each other and with our environment. Their common concern for ecology has given their ideas about the outlook for Homo sapiens an enduring resonance in the face of climate change and mass extinctions. The amphibian metaphor that both brothers used to describe humanity highlights not only the complexity and mutability of our species but also our ecologically precarious situation.
Lisa Meinecke
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- January 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781789621761
- eISBN:
- 9781800341326
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781789621761.003.0020
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Television
This chapter aims to analyse narratives of non-human and human agency and their embeddedness in the interconnectivity of the mycelial network in Star Trek: Discovery. It argues that the mycelium can ...
More
This chapter aims to analyse narratives of non-human and human agency and their embeddedness in the interconnectivity of the mycelial network in Star Trek: Discovery. It argues that the mycelium can be considered rhizomatic in structure, leaning on Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari's explorations in their A Thousand Plateaus (2004). Neither Lt. Stamets nor the Tardigrade are able to connect Discovery to the network in innocence. Both trouble the mycelium’s fragile balance. Thus, the framework of the rhizome will be applied to trace transhumanist trauma and resilience in order to contextualise the mycelial network against the foil of the Borg, the other major instance of interconnectedness in the Star Trek universe.Less
This chapter aims to analyse narratives of non-human and human agency and their embeddedness in the interconnectivity of the mycelial network in Star Trek: Discovery. It argues that the mycelium can be considered rhizomatic in structure, leaning on Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari's explorations in their A Thousand Plateaus (2004). Neither Lt. Stamets nor the Tardigrade are able to connect Discovery to the network in innocence. Both trouble the mycelium’s fragile balance. Thus, the framework of the rhizome will be applied to trace transhumanist trauma and resilience in order to contextualise the mycelial network against the foil of the Borg, the other major instance of interconnectedness in the Star Trek universe.
R. S. Deese
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780520281523
- eISBN:
- 9780520959569
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520281523.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
The Darwinian revolution of the nineteenth century lent a new sense of plasticity to our conceptions of human nature, and helped clear the way for such concepts as eugenics and biotechnology. While ...
More
The Darwinian revolution of the nineteenth century lent a new sense of plasticity to our conceptions of human nature, and helped clear the way for such concepts as eugenics and biotechnology. While Aldous satirized attempts to change human nature with technology, Julian was more open to the idea. After WWII, Julian coined the term Transhumanism, giving name to what would become a growing movement advocating the deliberate improvement of the human species through the use of new technologies. This movement has gained prominent advocates such as the Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom and prominent critics, such as the Catholic intellectual Fabrice Hadjadj. In the future, the debate over human enhancement would benefit from remembering an important quality that was common to the best work of Julian and Aldous Huxley: their profound reverence for the complexity of human nature, and the fragility of the web of life on which we all depend.Less
The Darwinian revolution of the nineteenth century lent a new sense of plasticity to our conceptions of human nature, and helped clear the way for such concepts as eugenics and biotechnology. While Aldous satirized attempts to change human nature with technology, Julian was more open to the idea. After WWII, Julian coined the term Transhumanism, giving name to what would become a growing movement advocating the deliberate improvement of the human species through the use of new technologies. This movement has gained prominent advocates such as the Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom and prominent critics, such as the Catholic intellectual Fabrice Hadjadj. In the future, the debate over human enhancement would benefit from remembering an important quality that was common to the best work of Julian and Aldous Huxley: their profound reverence for the complexity of human nature, and the fragility of the web of life on which we all depend.
Michael Hauskeller
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780262036689
- eISBN:
- 9780262341981
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262036689.003.0011
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This chapter asks the question whether sexual and/or romantic relationships with robots could ever be as satisfying as the real thing. Three main arguments are made. First, if we assume that robots ...
More
This chapter asks the question whether sexual and/or romantic relationships with robots could ever be as satisfying as the real thing. Three main arguments are made. First, if we assume that robots will be not be real persons and instead simply behave and act as if they are persons (“pseudo-persons”) then love and sex with them will never be as satisfying as it is with a real person. Second, if robots somehow manage to be real persons (and not just pseudo-persons), we run into problems regarding their moral status and, importantly, their freedom to choose to be our romantic partners. It is more satisfying to be loved by a real person that freely chooses to be your lover than it is to be loved by someone who is programmed to love you. Finally, it is argued that the desire for relationships with robotic persons does reveal something telling about the transhumanist desire for total autonomy and independence. The only possible way for me to become completely independent is by cutting all ties to other persons, by making my own world, uninhabited by any real persons except myself. Robotic partners may consequently be the preferred inhabitants of that transhumanist utopia.Less
This chapter asks the question whether sexual and/or romantic relationships with robots could ever be as satisfying as the real thing. Three main arguments are made. First, if we assume that robots will be not be real persons and instead simply behave and act as if they are persons (“pseudo-persons”) then love and sex with them will never be as satisfying as it is with a real person. Second, if robots somehow manage to be real persons (and not just pseudo-persons), we run into problems regarding their moral status and, importantly, their freedom to choose to be our romantic partners. It is more satisfying to be loved by a real person that freely chooses to be your lover than it is to be loved by someone who is programmed to love you. Finally, it is argued that the desire for relationships with robotic persons does reveal something telling about the transhumanist desire for total autonomy and independence. The only possible way for me to become completely independent is by cutting all ties to other persons, by making my own world, uninhabited by any real persons except myself. Robotic partners may consequently be the preferred inhabitants of that transhumanist utopia.
Thaddeus Metz
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199599318
- eISBN:
- 9780191747632
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199599318.003.0008
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology, Moral Philosophy
Chapters 5 through 7 demonstrate that the most promising motivation for holding any form of supernaturalism is the perfection thesis that meaning requires engagement with a maximally conceivable ...
More
Chapters 5 through 7 demonstrate that the most promising motivation for holding any form of supernaturalism is the perfection thesis that meaning requires engagement with a maximally conceivable value. Chapter 8 provides reason to favour a contrary 'imperfection thesis' that there can be meaning without perfection. After rejecting extant arguments against the perfection thesis and supernaturalism, suggested by the likes of Brooke Alan Trisel and Kurt Baier, it presents a new one, namely, that most readers cannot coherently hold such views, given plausible beliefs to which they are already committed. This chapter also specifies the imperfection thesis, arguing for the best view of exactly how much less than perfect value in the natural world one must engage with in order for one’s life to be meaningful all things considered. In doing so, it addresses how human nature and transhumanism bear on whether a life counts as meaningful on balance.Less
Chapters 5 through 7 demonstrate that the most promising motivation for holding any form of supernaturalism is the perfection thesis that meaning requires engagement with a maximally conceivable value. Chapter 8 provides reason to favour a contrary 'imperfection thesis' that there can be meaning without perfection. After rejecting extant arguments against the perfection thesis and supernaturalism, suggested by the likes of Brooke Alan Trisel and Kurt Baier, it presents a new one, namely, that most readers cannot coherently hold such views, given plausible beliefs to which they are already committed. This chapter also specifies the imperfection thesis, arguing for the best view of exactly how much less than perfect value in the natural world one must engage with in order for one’s life to be meaningful all things considered. In doing so, it addresses how human nature and transhumanism bear on whether a life counts as meaningful on balance.
Ashley Woodward
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780748697243
- eISBN:
- 9781474418669
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748697243.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology
Approximately one trillion, trillion, trillion (101728) years from now, the universe will suffer a “heat death.” What are the existential implications of this fact for us, today? This chapter ...
More
Approximately one trillion, trillion, trillion (101728) years from now, the universe will suffer a “heat death.” What are the existential implications of this fact for us, today? This chapter explores this question through Lyotard’s fable of the explosion of the sun, and its uptake and extension in the works of Keith Ansell Pearson and Ray Brassier. Lyotard proposes the fable as a kind of “post-metanarrative” sometimes told to justify research and development, and indeed the meaning of our individual lives, after credulity in metanarratives has been lost: it replaces the adventure of the subject of history aimed towards the perfection and emancipation of the human with the adventure of inhuman, negentropic processes aimed towards the survival and extension of complexity. Negotiating Lyotard’s thought in relation to contemporary movements such as transhumanism and speculative realism, this chapter reflects on the existential significance of the “deep time” revealed by contemporary science.Less
Approximately one trillion, trillion, trillion (101728) years from now, the universe will suffer a “heat death.” What are the existential implications of this fact for us, today? This chapter explores this question through Lyotard’s fable of the explosion of the sun, and its uptake and extension in the works of Keith Ansell Pearson and Ray Brassier. Lyotard proposes the fable as a kind of “post-metanarrative” sometimes told to justify research and development, and indeed the meaning of our individual lives, after credulity in metanarratives has been lost: it replaces the adventure of the subject of history aimed towards the perfection and emancipation of the human with the adventure of inhuman, negentropic processes aimed towards the survival and extension of complexity. Negotiating Lyotard’s thought in relation to contemporary movements such as transhumanism and speculative realism, this chapter reflects on the existential significance of the “deep time” revealed by contemporary science.
Andrew Pilsch
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781517901028
- eISBN:
- 9781452957685
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9781517901028.003.0002
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
Chapter 1 explores the modernist roots of evolutionary futurism through the uptake of Friedrich Nietzsche by the European avant-garde. Foregrounding the work of Mina Loy and P.D. Ouspensky, the ...
More
Chapter 1 explores the modernist roots of evolutionary futurism through the uptake of Friedrich Nietzsche by the European avant-garde. Foregrounding the work of Mina Loy and P.D. Ouspensky, the chapter argues that modernism embodies evolutionary futurism through what I call an "inner transhumanism."Less
Chapter 1 explores the modernist roots of evolutionary futurism through the uptake of Friedrich Nietzsche by the European avant-garde. Foregrounding the work of Mina Loy and P.D. Ouspensky, the chapter argues that modernism embodies evolutionary futurism through what I call an "inner transhumanism."
Andrew Pilsch
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781517901028
- eISBN:
- 9781452957685
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9781517901028.003.0003
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
Chapter 2 discusses the "Superman Boom," a science fiction publishing phenomenon in the 1930s that coincided with the dawn of the Golden Age of SF. In addition to the fiction, this chapter documents ...
More
Chapter 2 discusses the "Superman Boom," a science fiction publishing phenomenon in the 1930s that coincided with the dawn of the Golden Age of SF. In addition to the fiction, this chapter documents the fan response that positioned SF readers as genetic supermen and inspired plans for fan utopian communities.Less
Chapter 2 discusses the "Superman Boom," a science fiction publishing phenomenon in the 1930s that coincided with the dawn of the Golden Age of SF. In addition to the fiction, this chapter documents the fan response that positioned SF readers as genetic supermen and inspired plans for fan utopian communities.
Andrew Pilsch
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781517901028
- eISBN:
- 9781452957685
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9781517901028.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
Chapter 3 considers suffering as a problem in transhumanism by juxtaposing the hedonistic abolitionism advocated by Oxford philosopher David Pearce to the Christian mystical transhumanism of Pierre ...
More
Chapter 3 considers suffering as a problem in transhumanism by juxtaposing the hedonistic abolitionism advocated by Oxford philosopher David Pearce to the Christian mystical transhumanism of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. In this juxtaposition, the evolutionary vanguard is established as crucial for evolutionary futurist utopian thought.Less
Chapter 3 considers suffering as a problem in transhumanism by juxtaposing the hedonistic abolitionism advocated by Oxford philosopher David Pearce to the Christian mystical transhumanism of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. In this juxtaposition, the evolutionary vanguard is established as crucial for evolutionary futurist utopian thought.
Andrew Pilsch
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781517901028
- eISBN:
- 9781452957685
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9781517901028.003.0005
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
Chapter 4 argues for the value of artistic practice to imagining evolutionary futures. Tracing the transhuman art movement of the 1980s, it suggests that contemporary aesthetic practices, ...
More
Chapter 4 argues for the value of artistic practice to imagining evolutionary futures. Tracing the transhuman art movement of the 1980s, it suggests that contemporary aesthetic practices, specifically the emergent New Aesthetic movement and the online circulation of meme images, are increasingly engaged in mapping an emergent global consciousness.Less
Chapter 4 argues for the value of artistic practice to imagining evolutionary futures. Tracing the transhuman art movement of the 1980s, it suggests that contemporary aesthetic practices, specifically the emergent New Aesthetic movement and the online circulation of meme images, are increasingly engaged in mapping an emergent global consciousness.
Andrew Pilsch
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9781517901028
- eISBN:
- 9781452957685
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Minnesota Press
- DOI:
- 10.5749/minnesota/9781517901028.003.0006
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
The conclusion considers two recently emergent radical political ideas, accelerationism and xenofeminism, as evolutionary futurist practices of Utopia.
The conclusion considers two recently emergent radical political ideas, accelerationism and xenofeminism, as evolutionary futurist practices of Utopia.
Robert M. Geraci
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199344697
- eISBN:
- 9780199374731
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199344697.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Video games and virtual worlds can rearrange or replace religious practice as designers and users collaborate in the production of a new spiritual marketplace. Online communication provided new ...
More
Video games and virtual worlds can rearrange or replace religious practice as designers and users collaborate in the production of a new spiritual marketplace. Online communication provided new opportunities and new stumbling blocks for traditional religions and even permitted the growth of new kinds of religion. Virtual worlds, however, go well beyond webpages, and they are an important part of our religious landscape. They allow us new ways of expressing old religious practices and beliefs and also provide new ways of circumventing those traditions. Using World of Warcraft and Second Life as case studies, this book shows that many residents now use virtual worlds to reimagine their traditions and work to restore them to “authentic” sanctity or replace religious institutions with virtual world communities that provide meaning and purpose to human life. For some, virtual worlds are even keys to a philosophy of transhumanism in which technology can help us transcend the human condition. World of Warcraft and Second Life are thus “virtually sacred.” They do religious work, and hence they are sacred. Yet they often do it without regard for—and frequently in conflict with—traditional religious institutions and practices; as a consequence, they are “not quite” religious but are an emergent aspect of contemporary secularism. Their virtuality is so not only because they are on computer screens but also because of that persistent “not quite.” Ultimately, World of Warcraft and Second Life are virtually sacred because they participate in our sacred landscape as outsiders, competitors, and collaborators.Less
Video games and virtual worlds can rearrange or replace religious practice as designers and users collaborate in the production of a new spiritual marketplace. Online communication provided new opportunities and new stumbling blocks for traditional religions and even permitted the growth of new kinds of religion. Virtual worlds, however, go well beyond webpages, and they are an important part of our religious landscape. They allow us new ways of expressing old religious practices and beliefs and also provide new ways of circumventing those traditions. Using World of Warcraft and Second Life as case studies, this book shows that many residents now use virtual worlds to reimagine their traditions and work to restore them to “authentic” sanctity or replace religious institutions with virtual world communities that provide meaning and purpose to human life. For some, virtual worlds are even keys to a philosophy of transhumanism in which technology can help us transcend the human condition. World of Warcraft and Second Life are thus “virtually sacred.” They do religious work, and hence they are sacred. Yet they often do it without regard for—and frequently in conflict with—traditional religious institutions and practices; as a consequence, they are “not quite” religious but are an emergent aspect of contemporary secularism. Their virtuality is so not only because they are on computer screens but also because of that persistent “not quite.” Ultimately, World of Warcraft and Second Life are virtually sacred because they participate in our sacred landscape as outsiders, competitors, and collaborators.
Robert M. Geraci
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199344697
- eISBN:
- 9780199374731
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199344697.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
It is not social activities alone that make World of Warcraft virtually sacred; such practices are anchored to practices through which people make meaning and experience transcendence. Like a Venn ...
More
It is not social activities alone that make World of Warcraft virtually sacred; such practices are anchored to practices through which people make meaning and experience transcendence. Like a Venn diagram, World of Warcraft and traditional religion show overlapping concerns, qualities, and products even as they diverge in others. This chapter shows that World of Warcraft is part of contemporary religion not just because it satisfies social concerns but also because players and designers use it to create identity online and thereby produce meaningful and even transcendent experiences. It can thus replace the devotional components of traditional religious affiliation. Through an online role-playing game like World of Warcraft, players engage in purposive acts, see meaning in their work, develop self-understanding through their online identities, and experience transcendence. Such experiences, far from being trivial, can change a person’s life, making the world more richly rewarding. The opportunity to rise above the ordinary, to become superhuman, is the ultimate promise of World of Warcraft and this kind of transhumanism is the most powerful component of how video game play and virtual world residence can be virtually sacred.Less
It is not social activities alone that make World of Warcraft virtually sacred; such practices are anchored to practices through which people make meaning and experience transcendence. Like a Venn diagram, World of Warcraft and traditional religion show overlapping concerns, qualities, and products even as they diverge in others. This chapter shows that World of Warcraft is part of contemporary religion not just because it satisfies social concerns but also because players and designers use it to create identity online and thereby produce meaningful and even transcendent experiences. It can thus replace the devotional components of traditional religious affiliation. Through an online role-playing game like World of Warcraft, players engage in purposive acts, see meaning in their work, develop self-understanding through their online identities, and experience transcendence. Such experiences, far from being trivial, can change a person’s life, making the world more richly rewarding. The opportunity to rise above the ordinary, to become superhuman, is the ultimate promise of World of Warcraft and this kind of transhumanism is the most powerful component of how video game play and virtual world residence can be virtually sacred.
Robert M. Geraci
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199344697
- eISBN:
- 9780199374731
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199344697.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter describes how Second Life was built, in part, as a quasi-religious project, and many of its residents continue to use it for religious purposes. Specifically, Second Life now serves as ...
More
This chapter describes how Second Life was built, in part, as a quasi-religious project, and many of its residents continue to use it for religious purposes. Specifically, Second Life now serves as both inspiration and base of operations for many of those who wish to transcend mortal lifetimes by uploading their minds into virtual worlds. Thanks to the efforts of Linden Lab designers and Second Life residents, who are deeply influenced by science fiction and popular science (including mind uploading theories in contemporary pop artificial intelligence), the virtual world contributes to a century-long experiment in transhumanism. Just as World of Warcraft can be an “authentic fake,” so can Second Life: it can provide authentically religious products in a secular package. Philip Rosedale, the man behind Second Life, aligned it with the hope that we can overcome human limitations and mortality through technology; subsequent transhumanists have cheerfully worked toward that vision, making Second Life their home and helping to spread the religion in world.Less
This chapter describes how Second Life was built, in part, as a quasi-religious project, and many of its residents continue to use it for religious purposes. Specifically, Second Life now serves as both inspiration and base of operations for many of those who wish to transcend mortal lifetimes by uploading their minds into virtual worlds. Thanks to the efforts of Linden Lab designers and Second Life residents, who are deeply influenced by science fiction and popular science (including mind uploading theories in contemporary pop artificial intelligence), the virtual world contributes to a century-long experiment in transhumanism. Just as World of Warcraft can be an “authentic fake,” so can Second Life: it can provide authentically religious products in a secular package. Philip Rosedale, the man behind Second Life, aligned it with the hope that we can overcome human limitations and mortality through technology; subsequent transhumanists have cheerfully worked toward that vision, making Second Life their home and helping to spread the religion in world.
