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I remember meeting a few transhumanists when I lived in Silicon Valley. Whenever they would go into their schpeal, I'd respond with: "Well, if you go to church

I remember meeting a few transhumanists when I lived in Silicon Valley. Whenever they would go into their schpeal, I'd respond with: "Well, if you go to church every Sunday and behave, you'll go to heaven." It would catch them off guard, and then I would point out that they have faith in transhumanism like Christians have faith in Jesus. There would be a quick "get it" facial expression, then we'd both laugh. The transhumanists who I encountered were opened-minded enough to realize the difference between faith and reason. I'd then point out that the Egyptians had similar beliefs, and say that if you freeze your body, or head, at death; most likely someone would use it for some strange science experiment in the future. That being said, if I was wealthy, I'd love to freeze my body. I'm sure it'll come in handy for someone at some point, just like Egyptian mummies did.

gjsman-1000 2y ago
Except Christianity would find transhumanism exceedingly bland, for being an unoriginal repeat of the Original Sin; the latest scheme of humanity to be a God. “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’? The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
- throw_m239339 2y ago
  > Except Christianity would find transhumanism exceedingly bland, for being an unoriginal repeat of the Original Sin; the latest scheme of humanity to be a God. Well God is an engineer and he gave us technology & curiosity as his greatest gift. Being aware of our own mortality both as individuals & as a species is what drives us to to try and beat it. To be fair, blame the serpent (or Prometheus).
  - simiones 2y ago
    For true Christian believers, of any sect, mortal life is just a temporary step on your way to an eternal life, hopefully one spent next to their god in heaven. Prolonging mortal life is not and cannot be a goal in itself for anyone who deeply and honestly believes that they have eternity in heaven to look forward to. Sure, technology can be seen as a gift from the Christian god, but using technology to prolong life is fundamentally unnecessary.
throw_m239339 2y ago
I think we will live longer, and even achieve suspended animation. But a brain deprived of oxygen is damaged way too fast be useful. But who knows, humanity in 10,000 years will be very different from now, if we survive that long as a species.
adleyjulian 2y ago
> I would point out that they have faith in transhumanism like Christians have faith in Jesus That's just wrong. Pacemakers are a form of transhumanism, improving the human condition through technology. When you comment on the difference between faith and reason, say transhumanism is based in faith, you're implying it's not reasonable. Even if you're talking specifically of those that support cryonics like Alcor, or hope for mind uploading your statement is still flawed. Most don't have an absolute belief these technologies will come about, but hope they do and work towards bringing about that future. Maybe the word you're looking for is hope. Transhumanists hope for a better future in the same way Christians hope they'll go to heaven.

gjsman-1000 2y ago

Except Christianity would find transhumanism exceedingly bland, for being an unoriginal repeat of the Original Sin; the latest scheme of humanity to be a God. “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’? The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

throw_m239339 2y ago
> Except Christianity would find transhumanism exceedingly bland, for being an unoriginal repeat of the Original Sin; the latest scheme of humanity to be a God. Well God is an engineer and he gave us technology & curiosity as his greatest gift. Being aware of our own mortality both as individuals & as a species is what drives us to to try and beat it. To be fair, blame the serpent (or Prometheus).
- simiones 2y ago
  For true Christian believers, of any sect, mortal life is just a temporary step on your way to an eternal life, hopefully one spent next to their god in heaven. Prolonging mortal life is not and cannot be a goal in itself for anyone who deeply and honestly believes that they have eternity in heaven to look forward to. Sure, technology can be seen as a gift from the Christian god, but using technology to prolong life is fundamentally unnecessary.

throw_m239339 2y ago

I think we will live longer, and even achieve suspended animation. But a brain deprived of oxygen is damaged way too fast be useful. But who knows, humanity in 10,000 years will be very different from now, if we survive that long as a species.

adleyjulian 2y ago

> I would point out that they have faith in transhumanism like Christians have faith in Jesus That's just wrong. Pacemakers are a form of transhumanism, improving the human condition through technology. When you comment on the difference between faith and reason, say transhumanism is based in faith, you're implying it's not reasonable. Even if you're talking specifically of those that support cryonics like Alcor, or hope for mind uploading your statement is still flawed. Most don't have an absolute belief these technologies will come about, but hope they do and work towards bringing about that future. Maybe the word you're looking for is hope. Transhumanists hope for a better future in the same way Christians hope they'll go to heaven.