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‘Transhumanism’ may be defining step to our future


December 29, 2010

What does it mean to be human?

In today’s world, the question is no longer a purely philosophical or religious inquiry.

The answer may in fact depend more and more on the potential impact of our advancing technological capabilities.

What will it mean to the definition of human if new technologies can enhance the abilities of the human body – and mind – to unprecedented levels?

And what if such technological enhancements are available to only a portion of the world’s population?

The intriguing social, political and ethical questions raised by these fascinating possibilities are explored in an interview with Brad Allenby on the subject of “transhumanism.”

Allenby is a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, one of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. He’s also a professor of law and the Lincoln Professor of Engineering Ethics for ASU’s Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics.

He was interviewed in a production by The Triple Helix, an organization run by undergraduate students from numerous universities in the United States and other countries.

Through the organization, students explore some of the most pressing modern issues “at the intersection of science, technology, society and a law.”

Listen to Allenby’s interview on a podcast presented by the ASU chapter of The Triple Helix.