"We must call this out for what it is: pro-extinctionism. The biological transhumanism of Thiel and the digital eugenics of Altman, Faggella, Yudkowsky, and the others—all of these views aim to supplant the human species with some kind of successors, which would then proceed (on the most popular view) to plunder Earth’s remaining resources and launch itself into space to conquer the universe. This is overtly pro-extinctionist, and given that some of the most powerful people in one of the most powerful centers of society—Silicon Valley—accept it, we must conclude that pro-extinctionism is not a fringe ideology, but closer to the mainstream.

Even worse, these pro-extinctionists promote their ideology by claiming that, in fact, they oppose human extinction. This relies on two linguistic tricks: first, many define “humanity” in an idiosyncratic way that diverges from the definition that most of us intuitively accept. We tend to equate humanity with Homo sapiens, our species, whereas these people define “humanity” as including whatever posthuman descendants we might have. Hence, as I’ve highlighted elsewhere, our species could die out next year without “human extinction” having happened—so long as we’re replaced by posthumans, then “humanity” will live on. When they talk about avoiding “human extinction,” they aren’t talking about the extinction of our species. To the contrary, our extinction wouldn’t matter one bit once posthumanity arrives."

https://www.techpolicy.press/digital-eugenics-and-the-extinction-of-humanity/

#Transhumanism #DigitalEugenics #HumanExtinction #ProExtinctionism

Digital Eugenics and the Extinction of Humanity

If we are to combat the AI industry’s push to build digital gods, we have to understand the ideology of the antihumanist project, writes Dr. Émile P. Torres.

Tech Policy Press

@remixtures If I want to alter my own body and become something beyond human, that is my right. I have the right to alter my own genome if it becomes possible, and I have the right to use cybernetics within my body if it becomes possible.

I am more than my body or my genome. Being human is more than species. Humanity won't cease to exist just because it evolves into something new, and those humans will be better stewards of the planet than our present forms are capable of.