Posthuman transformation in ancient Mediterranean thought : becoming angels and demons /
There is not just a desire but a profound human need for enhancement, the irrepressible yearning to become better than ourselves. Today, enhancement is often conceived of in terms of biotechnical intervention, genetic modification, prostheses, implants, drug therapy, even mind uploading. The theme o...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge ; New York :
Cambridge University Press,
2021.
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| Summary: | There is not just a desire but a profound human need for enhancement, the irrepressible yearning to become better than ourselves. Today, enhancement is often conceived of in terms of biotechnical intervention, genetic modification, prostheses, implants, drug therapy, even mind uploading. The theme of this book is an ancient form of enhancement, a physical upgrade that involves ethical practices of self-realization. It has been called 'angelification,' a transformation by which people become angels. The parallel process is 'daimonification,' or becoming daimones. Ranging in time from Hesiod and Empedocles through Plato and Origen to Plotinus and the gnostics, this book explores not only how these two forms of posthuman transformation are related, but also how they connect and chasten modern visions of transhumanist enhancement which generally lack a robust account of moral improvement. |
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| Physical Description: | ix, 195 pages ; 24 cm. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 166-192) and index. |
| ISBN: | 9781108843997 1108843999 9781108926058 1108926053 |