The Limits of Secular Transhumanism and the Christian Proposal for Authentic Transhumanism

Abstract

The article considers transhumanism as a new significant phenomenon in the life of modern society, which claims to realize the ancient plans of mankind about immortality and blissful existence. Modern technological advances and rapid technological progress give the impression that many futuristic ideas of transhumanists are close to implementation. Considering this phenomenon in an ethical aspect, in the context of its historical foundations — humanism and rationalism, the author comes to the conclusion that transhumanism reduces the share of “humanity” in this world and can, based on the logic of events, eventually lead to the construction of a world without people. The lack of real achievements for the realization of the goals of transhumanism is compensated by the construction of science fiction projects, the implementation of which, according to the author, will have a number of negative consequences. In comparison with Christian teaching, transhumanism looks like an attempt of the human race to make its fallen nature immortal, while Christianity looks at man more realistically, because its goal is not a radical restructuring of human nature, but its transformation, or ‘transfiguration’. As a full-fledged response to the challenge of transhumanism, the author offers the Christian teaching about the deification of man, about the transformation of human nature under the influence of Divine grace.