The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle is a “perfectionist” philosopher, one who believes that humans should reach for the highest perfection possible. But Aristotle was also mindful of fulfilling and cultivating human nature rather than opposing or reconstructing it. Thus, within the works of Aristotle, there is a tension between the normativity of nature and the normativity of transcending nature, and this tension can be placed in dialogue with contemporary debates on the normativity of current human nature versus the normativity of human enhancement. To further that end, this paper provides an Aristotelian typology of transhumanism; first dividing transhumanism into two strands: embodied, which maintains a human body, and disembodied, which does not. Then, embodied transhumanism is subdivided into transhumanism which cultivates and fulfills human nature, and transhumanism which replaces or reconstructs human nature. In light of this typology, I will then investigate the tension between the normativity of the natural and the perfect in Aristotle’s works, and morally evaluate each type.

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An Aristotelian Typology and Evaluation of Transhumanism: Concordance and Conflict

  • Brian Patrick Green

摘要

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle is a “perfectionist” philosopher, one who believes that humans should reach for the highest perfection possible. But Aristotle was also mindful of fulfilling and cultivating human nature rather than opposing or reconstructing it. Thus, within the works of Aristotle, there is a tension between the normativity of nature and the normativity of transcending nature, and this tension can be placed in dialogue with contemporary debates on the normativity of current human nature versus the normativity of human enhancement. To further that end, this paper provides an Aristotelian typology of transhumanism; first dividing transhumanism into two strands: embodied, which maintains a human body, and disembodied, which does not. Then, embodied transhumanism is subdivided into transhumanism which cultivates and fulfills human nature, and transhumanism which replaces or reconstructs human nature. In light of this typology, I will then investigate the tension between the normativity of the natural and the perfect in Aristotle’s works, and morally evaluate each type.