Libertarian transhumanism is a political philosophy synthesizing libertarianism and transhumanism. Political philosophy is the study of the fundamental questions about the state, government, politics, liberty, property, rights, law and the enforcement of a legal code by authority: what they are, why they are needed, what makes a government legitimate, what rights and freedoms it should protect and why, what form... Libertarianism is a political philosophy[1] advocating that individuals should be free to do whatever they wish with their person or property, as long as they do not infringe on the same liberty of others. ... Natasha Vita-Mores Primo Posthuman Transhumanism (sometimes abbreviated >H or H+) is an international intellectual and cultural movement supporting the use of new sciences and technologies to enhance human physical and cognitive abilities and ameliorate what it regards as undesirable and unnecessary aspects of the human condition, such as...

Self-described libertarian transhumanists, such as Ronald Bailey of Reason magazine and Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit, advocate the right to human enhancement in a free market economy. Ronald Bailey is the Science Editor for Reason magazine. ... The libertarian Reason Magazine dedicated an issue to Ayn Rands influence one hundred years after her birth. ... Glenn Reynolds (born August 27, 1960) is Beauchamp Brogan Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Tennessee, and is best known as the Internets Instapundit. ... Instapundit is a United States political weblog produced by Glenn Reynolds, a law professor at the University of Tennessee. ... Imtech (Implantable technology) Human enhancement describes any attempt (whether temporary or permanent) to overcome the current limitations of human cognitive and physical abilities, whether through natural or artificial means. ... A free market is an idealized market, where all economic decisions and actions by individuals regarding transfer of money, goods, and services are voluntary, and are therefore devoid of coercion and theft (some definitions of coercion are inclusive of theft). Colloquially and loosely, a free market economy is an economy...

Extropianism, an early school of transhumanist thought defined by philosopher Max More, used to include the promotion of a libertarian sociopolitical system, known as "spontaneous order", in its principles. Extropianism, also referred to as extropy is a philosophical viewpoint within transhumanism, and is defined by a set of principles developed by Dr. Max More: The Principles of Extropy. ... Max More (born January 1964, Bristol, England formerly known as Max OConnor) is a philosopher and futurist who writes, speaks, and consults on advanced decision making and foresight methods for handling the impact of emerging technologies. ... Spontaneous order is a term that describes the spontaneous emergence of order out of a seemingly chaotic context, as the result of a (temporary or permanent) balance of forces, or some sort of natural selection process. ...

Beliefs

Libertarian transhumanists believe that the principle of self-ownership is the most fundamental idea from which both libertarianism and transhumanism stem. As ethical egoists they embrace self-improvement, which they believe stems from the self-interested application of reason and will in the context of individual freedom. They extend this ethical egoism to advocate participant evolution. Self-ownership is the condition where an individual has the exclusive moral or legal right to control his or her own body and life. ... Libertarianism is a political philosophy[1] advocating that individuals should be free to do whatever they wish with their person or property, as long as they do not infringe on the same liberty of others. ... Natasha Vita-Mores Primo Posthuman Transhumanism (sometimes abbreviated >H or H+) is an international intellectual and cultural movement supporting the use of new sciences and technologies to enhance human physical and cognitive abilities and ameliorate what it regards as undesirable and unnecessary aspects of the human condition, such as... Ethical egoism is belief that one ought to do what is in ones own self-interest. ... Reason is a term used in philosophy and other human sciences to refer to the faculty of the human mind that creates and operates with abstract concepts. ... Will, in philosophy, refers to the conscious mental act that produces physical results. ... Participant evolution is a transhumanist term referring to a hypothetical process of redesigning a human body and brain by means of genetic engineering, nanotechnology, with the goal of removing biological limitations and creating a transhuman. ...

Believing in the sovereignty of the individual, libertarian transhumanists hold that any attempts to block the rights to life extension and human enhancement are a violation of individual liberties. However, as supporters of capitalists, they also reject ideas of government-provided human enhancements, which are advocated by followers of democratic transhumanism and transhumanist socialism. Sovereignty is the exclusive right to exercise supreme political (e. ... Life extension refers to an increase in maximum or average lifespan, especially in humans, by slowing down or reversing the processes of aging. ... Imtech (Implantable technology) Human enhancement describes any attempt (whether temporary or permanent) to overcome the current limitations of human cognitive and physical abilities, whether through natural or artificial means. ... Capitalism generally refers to in philosophy and politics, a social system based on the principle of individual rights, including property rights. ... Democratic transhumanism, a term coined by Dr. James Hughes in 2002, refers to the stance of transhumanists (humanists who support morphological freedom and the ethical use of human enhancement technologies) who espouse liberal, social or radical democratic political views. ... (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. ...

Libertarian transhumanists disagree with the common phrase, "nothing is certain except death and taxes," and would like to eliminate both. Death is the full cessation of vital functions in the biological life. ... -1...

Criticisms

Political scientist Klaus-Gerd Giesen is one forceful critic of libertarian transhumanism. While pointing out that the works of neoliberal theorist Friedrich von Hayek figure in practically all of their recommended reading lists, Giesen argues that libertarian transhumanists, convinced of the sole virtues of the free market, advocate a simplified inegalitarianism and implacable meritocracy which can be reduced to an ideology of biological determinism. He concludes that the despair of finding social and political solutions to today's sociopolitical problems incites libertarian transhumanists to reduce everything to the hereditary gene, as a fantasy of omnipotence to be found within the individual, even if it means transforming the subject (human) to a new draft (posthuman). The term neoliberalism is used to describe a political-economic philosophy that had major implications for government policies beginning in the 1970s – and increasingly prominent since 1980 – that de-emphasizes or rejects positive government intervention in the economy, focusing instead on achieving progress and even social justice by encouraging free... Friedrich von Hayek Friedrich August von Hayek (May 8, 1899 in Vienna – March 23, 1992 in Freiburg) was an economist and social scientist of the Austrian School, noted for his defense of liberal democracy and free-market capitalism against a rising tide of socialist and collectivist thought in the mid... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ... Categories: Biology stubs ... For the scientific journal Heredity see Heredity (journal) Heredity (the adjective is hereditary) is the transfer of characters from parent to offspring, either through their genes or through the social institution called inheritance (for example, a title of nobility is passed from individual to individual according to relevant customs and... This stylistic schematic diagram shows a gene in relation to the double helix structure of DNA and to a chromosome (right). ... Omnipotence (literally, all power) is power with no limits or inexhaustible, in other words, unlimited power. ... Trinomial name Homo sapiens sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Humans, or human beings, are bipedal primates belonging to the mammalian species Homo sapiens (Latin for wise man or knowing man) under the family Hominidae (the great apes). ... Posthuman Future by Michael Gibbs A posthuman or post-human is a hypothetical future being whose capabilities so radically exceed those of present humans as to be no longer human by current standards. ...

References

• Giesen, Klaus-Gerd (March-April, 2004). "Transhumanisme et génétique humaine". L'Observatoire de la Génétique, No 16.

See also

• Bioconservatism
• Bioluddism
• Gattaca argument

Bioconservatism is a stance of hesitancy about biotechnological development especially if it is perceived to threaten a social order. ... The Luddites were a group of English workers in the early 1800s who protested – often by destroying machines – against the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution that they felt threatened their jobs. ... Natasha Vita-Mores Primo Posthuman Transhumanism (sometimes abbreviated >H or H+) is an international intellectual and cultural movement supporting the use of new sciences and technologies to enhance human physical and cognitive abilities and ameliorate what it regards as undesirable and unnecessary aspects of the human condition, such as...

External links

• FightAging.org