Democratic transhumanism, a term coined by James Hughes in 2002, refers to the ideas of transhumanists (humanists who support morphological freedom and the ethical use of technologies that enhance human capacities) who espouse liberal, social or radical democratic political views. James Hughes Ph. ... 2002 (MMII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Transhumanism (sometimes abbreviated >H or H+) is an intellectual and cultural movement, or an emergent philosophy, analysing or favouring morphological freedom and the use of new technologies, including neurotechnology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology, to overcome human limitations and improve the human condition. ... ... Morphological freedom is, according to Anders Sandberg, an extension of one’s right to one’s body, not just self-ownership but also the right to modify oneself according to one’s desires. ... Human enhancement technologies (HET) are technologies that can be used not simply for treating illness and disability, but also for enhancing human capacities and characteristics. ... Liberal democracy is a form of representative democracy where the ability of elected representatives to exercise decision-making power is subject to the rule of law and moderated by a constitution which emphasizes the protection of the rights and freedoms of individuals and minorities (also called constitutional democracy and constitutional... Social democracy is a political ideology emerging in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from supporters of Marxism who believed that the transition to a socialist society could be achieved through democratic evolutionary rather than revolutionary means. ... Direct democracy comprises a form of democracy and theory of civics wherein all [[citizenship|citizens]traditional form of direct democracy sovereignty was lodged in the assembly of the people. ...

According to Hughes, the philosophy "stems from the assertion that human beings will generally be happier when they take rational control of the natural and social forces that control their lives." The ethical foundation of democratic transhumanism rests upon rule utilitarianism and non-anthropocentric personhood theory. Ethics (from Greek ethikos) is the branch of axiology – one of the four major branches of philosophy, alongside metaphysics, epistemology, and logic – which attempts to understand the nature of morality; to define that which is right from that which is wrong. ... ... Anthropocentrism (Greek άνθρωπος, anthropos, man, human being, κέντρον, kentron, center) Anthropocentrism is the knowledge, the theory, the belief, the creed, the “religion” et al, which states that human beings are and have to be (for human-beings) the most important and respected and venerated beings. ... Personhood Theory (Also See Person) Personhood theory addresses the microcosm of lived experience. ...

Hughes aims to encourage democratic transhumanists to unite and influence public policy, and raises objections both to right-wing and left-wing bioconservatism, and libertarian transhumanism. Public policy is a term used to describe the laws, decisions, regulations, etc. ... The examples and perspective in this article do not represent a worldwide view. ... The examples and perspective in this article do not represent a worldwide view. ... Bioconservatism is a stance of hesitancy about biotechnological development especially if it is perceived to threaten a social order. ... See also Libertarianism and Libertarian Party Libertarian,is a term for person who has made a conscious and principled commitment, evidenced by a statement or Pledge, to forswear violating others rights and usually living in voluntary communities: thus in law no longer subject to government supervision. ...

Justice De Thézier is a known social activist in the democratic transhumanist movement. Justice De Thézier at the Ex-Centris Cinema and New Media Complex in Montreal Justice De Thézier (born April 20, 1975) is a Canadian techno-progressive activist and postcyberpunk hipster. ... Social activists are people who act as the conscience and voice of many individuals within a society. ...

Hughes has identified 17 currents within democratic transhumanism:

A technorealist form of techno-utopianism, democratic transhumanism can therefore be seen as an anticipatory techno-progressivism. Afrofuturism, or afro-futurism, is an African-American and African diaspora subculture whose thinkers and artists see technology and science-fiction as means of exploring the black experience and finding new strategies to overcome racism and classism. ... Biopunk is a portmanteau word combining biology and punk. // Science fiction Biopunk is a sub-genre of science fiction which uses elements from the hard-boiled detective novel, film noir, Japanese anime, and post-modernist prose. ... Body modification (or body alteration) is the permanent or semi-permanent deliberate altering of the human body for non-medical reasons, such as spiritual, various social (markings) or aesthetic. ... Cyborg theory was created by Donna Haraway in order to critique traditional notions of feminism. ... Democratic globalization or mundialization is a movement towards an institutional system of global democracy that would give world citizens a say in world organizations. ... The term cyborg, a portmanteau of cybernetic organism, is used to designate a creature which is a mixture of organic and mechanical parts. ... The disability rights movement aims to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities. ... Nanosocialism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The open source movement is an offshoot of the free software movement that advocates open-source software as an alternative label for free software, primarily on pragmatic rather than philosophical grounds. ... Sociobiology is a synthesis of scientific disciplines that attempts to explain behaviour in all species by considering the evolutionary advantages of social behaviours. ... The examples and perspective in this article do not represent a worldwide view. ... Postcyberpunk describes a genre of science fiction which is believed to have emerged from the cyberpunk movement. ... Automation (ancient Greek: = self dictated) or industrial automation is the use of computers to control industrial machinery and processes, replacing human operators. ... Manual labor is a term used for hard physical work done with the hands, especially in an unskilled manual job such as fruit and vegetable picking, et cetera. ... A guaranteed minimum income is a proposed system of income redistribution that would give each citizen a certain sum of money independent of whether they work or not. ... Queer theory is an anti-essentialist theory about sex and gender within the larger field of Queer studies. ... Radical feminism is a branch of feminism that views womens oppression (or patriarchy) as the basic and pervasive evil upon which human relationships in society are arranged. ... Technogaianism (a portmanteau word combining techno for technology and Gaia for the Earth Mother of Greek mythology) is the stance that advanced technology can help restore Earths environment, and that developing such technology should therefore be an important goal of environmentalists. ... Transgenderism is a grassroots political movement seeking transgender rights and affirming transgender pride. ... // General biography FM-2030 was a name adopted by the transhumanist philosopher and futurist Fereidoun M. Esfandiary (October 15, 1930–July 8, 2000?), who professed a deep nostalgia for the future. ... The Viridian design movement is a Green movement tying together ecological design aspects with some love for high-tech gadgets, and some global awareness. ... Technorealism is an attempt to expand the middle ground between techno-utopianism and neo-Luddism by assessing the social and political implications of technologies so that people might all have more control over the shape of their future. ... A techno-utopia is an ideal but imaginary community, in which laws, government, and social conditions are solely operating for the benefit and well-being of all its inhabitants, set in the near- or far-future, when advanced science and technology will allow these ideal living standards to exist; for... Futures studies reflects on how today’s changes (or the lack thereof) become tomorrow’s reality. ... Techno-progressivism, technoprogressivism, or tech-progressivism (a portmanteau word combining technology-focused and progressivism), is a stance of active support for technological development and social progress. ...

See also

• Alternative society
• Biopolitics
• Democratic socialism
• Progressivism
• Transhumanist socialism

The phrase alternative society may have been in usage since the 19th century when Karl Marx and Proudhon represented two factions for alternative visions of social change. ... The term Biopolitics or Biopolitical can refer to several things: An axis on the political spectrum that reflects positions towards reproductive technology and genetic engineering. ... Democratic socialism is a broad political movement propagating the ideals of socialism within the context of a democratic system. ... Progressivism is a political philosophy whose adherents promote public policies that they believe would lead to positive social change. ... (Adapted from the TranSocialist Alliance definition) Transhumanist socialism is a particular type of socialism which holds that future transhumanist technologies such as nanotechnology will make it much more feasible to bring about a truly socialist world. ...

External links

Essays

• Embracing Change with All Four Arms: A Post-Humanist Defense of Genetic Engineering
• Politics of Transhumanism
• Democratic Transhumanism 2.0

Portals

• Changesurfer

Books

• Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future