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Transhumanism is an offshoot or extension of Humanism, so we should look at Humanism first. Humanism is an influential, time-honored philosophy that argues for certain fundamental human rights, freedoms and responsibilities. Humanism endorses the values of humane societies, built on reason and free inquiry. In terms of addressing everyday life, Humanist philosophy attempts to answer questions like:
- How should we behave toward one another?
- What is the best way to live within the constraints imposed on us by the human condition?
In essence, Humanism tells us:
"We're all in the same boat here: by all means work towards your dreams, but be nice to your neighbor and don't tread on anyone's toes."
What is Transhumanism, and how does it differ from Humanism? Transhumanism is a philosophy of life; an evolving, debated collection of ideas, just like Humanism. Transhumanism builds on Humanist concepts by embracing progress. Transhumanism endorses the idea that humanity can, and should, strive to higher levels, physically, mentally and socially. Transhumanism tells us:
"While being nice and not treading on toes, the dreams we work towards can include a fleet of better boats for all of us."
Transhumanism is closely tied to an enthusiasm for ethical, responsible technological progress. This progress brings greater choice and options for improving the human condition. This is really nothing new: we have been doing that for ages with fire, farming, steam, bicycles, antibiotics, vaccines, dental prosthesis, cell phones, and so forth. Transhumanists take this common sense approach to its natural conclusion: modern science and technology can safely improve the human condition by overcoming limits, and that they should be used to this end. So if today, for example, we say yes to therapeutic cloning and stem cell research, tomorrow we will say yes to healthy life extension and aging reversal.
You can find out more about Transhumanism at the sites in our Transhumanist Resources section.
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