Abelard, Peter 156
active shields (see nanotechnology)
Aesop 176
aliens 24–25, 27, 42, 45, 47, 49, 50, 55–56, 65, 67, 75, 80, 132, 139, 178, 181; assistance from 59; benevolence of 77–79; contact with 51–53, 55–60; immortality of 66; morals and ethics of 66; religion of 63; technological superiority of 61, 63-64, 77 (see also search for extraterrestrial intelligence [SETI])
anti-anthropocentrism 59, 62–63
aristocracy 35–37
artificial intelligence (AI) 82, 89, 93, 103–104, 108, 136, 211n; friendly AI and moral AI 139
assumption of mediocrity 24, 54–56, 59, 61–62, 65–66, 158
avatars 122–123
Bacon, Francis 6, 14, 19, 191n, 201n
Bellamy, Edward 143–144, 148, 185, 213n, 214n (see also Dr. Heidenhoff’s Process)
Bernal, J. D. 31–40, 42–44, 50, 73, 80, 93–95, 103, 119, 123, 133, 138, 193n, 195n (see also World, the Flesh and the Devil: An Inquiry into the Three Enemies of the Rational Soul, The)
Beyond Therapy (President’s Council on Bioethics) 142–143
Bible 5, 48, 56 (see also Job)
bioconservatives and bioluddites 128–129
bodies 33, 62, 137, 166; as contemptible 19–20; creation of 84; redesign of 93, 95–96, 119, 123–124, 127; and self-overcoming 32, 35, 42–43; separation from 43, 65, 69; virtual bodies 88, 135
Bostrom, Nick 37, 49–50, 83, 85, 130, 136, 159, 187n, 210n, 211n
brain 4, 29, 32–33, 36, 44, 80, 85, 95, 119, 143, 145, 151; and machine enhancement 93–94, 123, 126–127, 133–134, 142 (see also mind)
Brave New World (Huxley) 27
Bruegel, Pieter the Elder 168–178, 181
bush robot 133–134
de Caritat, Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas (see Condorcet, Marquis de)
Carnegie Mellon 123
Cat Man 123
Chesterton, G. K. 179
Childhood’s End (Clarke) 67, 70, 77–79, 139, 142 (see also Clarke, Arthur C.)
Clarke, Arthur C. 67, 70–71, 73, 75, 77–79, 200n, 201n (see also Childhood’s End)
Club of Rome (see Limits to Growth, The)
Cohen, Eric 8
colonization 24, 28–29, 35, 44, 50, 66, 85, 95, 197n, 211n
competition (see Darwinian competition)
Condorcet, Marquis de (Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas de Caritat) 12–15, 20, 37–40, 43, 50–53, 93, 125, 129, 163, 174–175
Contact (see Sagan, Carl)
converging technologies 3–4, 80
Copernican Principle (see assumption of mediocrity)
Copernicus, Nicolaus 54
creation, as divine act 18–19, 30, 54; as nature 17–18, 26, 40–41; as human act 19, 29–30, 35, 41, 136
Creation of Adam, The (painting by Michelangelo) 168
cryonic suspension 87, 94, 96 (see also life extension and nanotechnology)
Daedalus (mythical figure) 165, 170, 172–176
Daedalus and Icarus (painting by Landon) 166–168
Darwin, Charles 15, 24, 40–41, 50, 54, 91, 175–176
Darwinian competition 15, 62, 66, 77, 104, 128, 174
Darwinian evolution 16, 40–41, 79, 91, 128, 158–159, 175–176 (see also evolution)
Davies, Paul 63
Dawkins, Richard 91
death 5–6, 13, 22, 25–26, 33, 39–40, 66, 134–135, 160, 166, 168
Death of Icarus, The (painting by Heisig) 167–168, 171
Declaration of Independence, the 96
dehumanization 31, 36–37, 43–44, 80, 93, 107, 114, 116, 119, 123, 141, 159, 165, 179–180, 182
Descartes, René 6
Descent of Man, The (Darwin) 15, 41 (see also Darwin, Charles)
destiny (see humanity)
Diamond Age, The (Stephenson) 105–112, 116–118, 131, 206n, 207n (see also Stephenson, Neal)
diversity 27, 50, 59, 90–91, 93–107, 110, 128, 132, 205n
Dostoevsky, Fyodor 21
Dr. Heidenhoff’s Process (Bellamy) 143–150, 153–155, 157–158, 185, 213–214n
Drake, Frank 52, 55, 61, 63, 66, 79, 198–199n
Drexler, K. Eric 85–107, 110–111, 117–119, 125, 130–131, 133, 136, 174, 203n, 204n, 205n, 206n, 212n
Du Bois, W. E. B. 15
Dyson sphere 211n
eco-egalitarianism 7
Einstein, Albert (epigraph), 165
Engines of Creation (Drexler) 85–89, 95, 101–102, 118, 205–206n
enhancement 124–125, 140, 146, 171, 209n, 210n; and concept of self 156–157; and memory 142; as personal choice 126–131
Enlightenment, the 12–13 (see also progress)
Essay on the Principle of Population (Malthus) 14
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Gondry) 143, 149, 154, 156, 160
ethics 23, 66, 97, 142, 164–165; science and 164–165; technology and 97
evil 16, 22, 31–32, 34, 97–100, 102, 153, 181
evolution 1–3, 15, 27, 33, 37, 40–42, 50, 58, 64–65, 75–76, 85, 90–93, 114, 125, 130–132, 137, 139, 157–158, 175–176 (see also Darwinian evolution and progress)
extended life (see life extension)
extraterrestrial life (see aliens)
fact forums 97
Fedorov, Nikolai Fedorovich 21–24, 26–27, 36, 38–42, 135, 179, 212n
Fermi, Enrico (see Fermi paradox)
Flammarion, Nicolas Camille 24–28, 31, 38, 40–42, 51, 54, 56, 75, 79
Foresight Institute, The 204n
freedom 35, 51, 65, 103, 128–129, 149, 156–157, 164, 180–181
Freedom League 70–71
From the Closed World to the Infinite Universe (Koyré) 55n
Future of Humanity Institute 37
genetic engineering 4, 44, 80, 125
genetics 4, 8, 27, 39, 80, 111, 120, 132
genie machines (see nanotechnology)
God 5–6, 18, 21–24, 71, 76, 118, 146, 168, 181, 201n
Google 3
“gray goo problem” (see nanotechnology)
group mind (see mind)
Haldane, J. B. S. 27–28, 30–31, 34, 37–43, 50–51, 63, 77, 119, 123, 138, 164, 215n (see also “Last Judgment, The”)
happiness 12, 20, 29–30, 38, 68, 72, 132, 141–142, 150, 154; pursuit of 96, 100
Harris, John 129–130, 161, 209n, 210n
hedonic imperative 142
Hobbes, Thomas 160
Homer 143
human condition (see humanity)
human extinction (see humanity)
human rights (see rights)
humanity, association and 107, 113; assumption of mediocrity and 54–56, 59, 62, 158–159; becoming aliens 47, 50; bodies of (see bodies); destiny of 26, 30, 41–42, 70, 123, 163; extended life and (see life extension); extinction of 1, 7, 9–11, 15, 37, 51, 58, 128, 131, 140; hubris of 2, 54–55, 63–64, 76, 144; human condition and 5–6, 63, 172; human rights and (see rights); immorality and 18, 198–199n; memory and (see memory); morality and 18, 23, 38, 55, 77–79, 90, 107, 112–113, 116–117, 119, 123, 129–30, 132, 139, 159, 163; perpetuation of 114–116, 118; suffering of (see suffering); transformation and 30, 33, 43, 74, 82, 139, 140, 157, 160, 187n (see also nanotechnology and progress)
Huxley, Aldous 27
hyperintelligence/superintelligence 38, 78, 83, 136–139, 142, 181, 211n, 212n
Icarus (mythical figure) 165–172, 174, 176
immortality 14, 39, 44, 93, 160, 177; attainment of 38, 61, 66; invention of 15, 18–19, 27; personal immortality 134–136
In the Shadow of Progress (Cohen) 8
infinite space 40
inhumanity 95, 114, 131, 141, 166
intellect 145–146
intelligence 1–2, 24, 37, 41–42, 73, 77, 134, 137–138, 157; alien intelligence 44–46, 48, 51–4, 63–66, 78–79, 139–140; human intelligence 3, 53, 58–59; nanotechnology and 92–93 (see also artificial intelligence and hyperintelligence/superintelligence)
Internet, the 65, 77, 105, 185
Job (Biblical figure and book) 5, 117 (see also Bible)
Kant, Immanuel 190n
Koyré, Alexandre 55n
Kurzweil, Ray 3, 38, 49–50, 84–85, 123, 131, 138–139, 159, 175, 209n, 212n
“L Factor” 57
Landon, Charles Paul 166–168, 171–173
Landscape with the Fall of Icarus (painting by Bruegel) 169–172
“Last Judgment, The” (Haldane) 27–31, 205n (see also Haldane, J. B. S.)
law of accelerating returns 131, 159
liberty 13, 90, 98–99, 157–158; vs. license 158
life extension 38–39, 87, 93, 124, 129 (see also cryonic suspension and nanotechnology)
Limits to Growth, The (Club of Rome) 101
Lizard Man 123
Looking Backward (see Bellamy)
love 16, 18, 72, 108, 112–117, 143–144, 149, 154–156, 185; of one’s own 112–117
Malthus, Thomas Robert 14, 23, 39, 45, 50–52, 102, 129, 158, 174–175, 195n
Malthusianism 15, 22, 39, 50–52, 62, 66, 77, 79, 104, 131, 158, 159, 174–176
Martyrdom of Man, The (Reade) 15, 20, 91, 189–190n, 190–191n (see also Reade, William Winwood)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 85
materialism (see mind)
memes 92
memory 142–143, 146–149, 151–155; alteration of 142–143, 146–150; erasure of 143–144, 148–150, 153–155; human identity and 146–149, 153–158; morality and 148–149, 156–158 (see also humanity)
memory erasure (see memory)
Michelangelo (see Creation of Adam, The)
Mind Children (Moravec) 133–135 (see also Moravec, Hans)
miniaturization 88
mind 4–5, 16–19, 29–30, 33–36, 42, 76, 114, 124, 137; group mind/hive mind 29, 33, 69–70, 110; machines and 119, 123, 133–135; materialism and 42, 79, 93–95, 147, 165, 176; pattern identity and 133, 138 (see also brain)
Montagu, Ashley 63
Moravec, Hans 123, 133–138, 160, 211n, 212n (see also Mind Children)
morality 98–99, 101, 165–166; of aliens 54–55; of humanity 18, 23, 38, 55, 77–79, 90, 107, 112–113, 116–117, 119, 123, 129–30, 132, 139, 159, 163; of memory erasure 143–148
Morrison, Philip 60–61
Naam, Ramez 157
“nanobots” (see nanotechnology)
nanomachines (see nanotechnology)
nanotechnology 3–4, 89, 102; active shields 97–99, 112–114, 116–117; current research on 84–85; development of 91–93, 96–98, 103; “gray goo problem” 89, 96; nanomachines/“nanobots” 84; nanoparticles 84–85; promise of 80, 83–85, 87, 90, 101, 119, 125; replicators /genie machines 89–92; smart dust 84, 144 (see also cryonic suspension and hyperintelligence/superintelligence)
National Nanotechnology Initiative (U.S.) 85, 87
natural rights 100
naturalism 16
nature 2–4, 7, 14, 16–23, 25, 34, 37–39, 41, 49, 53, 94, 124–125, 132, 146, 159, 170, 191n, 210n; as a force 21–22, 158, 190n; control/power over 77, 88, 124, 130, 158, 165; laws of 80, 90, 101, 138; manipulation of 3, 125 (see also progress)
nihilism (see transhumanism)
Orwell, George 15
Outlines of an Historical View of the Progress of the Human Mind (Condorcet) 12–14 (see also Condorcet, Marquis de)
Oxford University 37
pattern identity (see mind)
Pearce, David 37, 131–132, 142
perfection 17, 23, 30, 40, 164
perpetuation 114–116
personal immortality (see immortality)
Pope, Alexander 156
population competition 39, 90, 101, 158
posthumanism 1, 37–38, 41, 93, 130–132, 136, 138–40, 159, 178–179
posthumanity (see posthumanism)
President’s Council on Bioethics (see Beyond Therapy)
progress 13–14, 17, 29, 34, 67, 100, 124–125, 155, 169, 177, 186; accelerating progress 38, 131, 158; defined, 22, 37–38, 164–165, 174, 180; Enlightenment ideals of 12–14; evolution and 15, 40–41, 158; human condition and 172; human destiny and 163; human extinction and 1–2, 11; human identity and 136, 182; material progress 26–27, 39, 42, 50, 175; nanotechnology and 88, 103; paradox of 43; progress of dehumanization 31, 36–37, 43, 107, 159; science and 34, 160; space travel and 50; transhumanism and 36–38, 136, 142, 158–160, 163–166; vs. change 40, 42–43, 158, 180
Reade, William Winwood 15–22, 24, 26, 36, 40–41, 49, 91, 131, 164, 179 (see also Martyrdom of Man, The)
reductionism 17
religion 16–19, 22, 30–31, 35, 63, 68, 71–72, 76–77, 144–146, 176
replicators (see nanotechnology)
reproduction, human 14, 22, 74, 210n
resources 14, 50–52, 65, 86, 88, 100, 158, 206n; competition for 15, 40, 107, 123, 134, 174–175; exhaustion of 22–23, 101–102, 197n; scarcity of 14–15, 39–40, 62, 83, 101–102, 104, 107, 110, 112, 123, 134, 174–175
resurrection 22–23, 44, 211n, 212n
rights 100, 158; expansion of 100; human rights 96, 100; natural rights 100;
Roco, Mihail 85
Rousseau, Jean–Jacques 38, 149
Sagan, Carl 24, 55, 59–61, 65, 78, 198n
science courts 97
science fiction 4, 9, 11, 24, 27, 30, 34, 52, 136, 139, 142, 197n, 198n, 206n, 211n; cyberpunk 207n; postcyberpunk 207n
scientists 36, 45, 58–59, 64, 85, 87, 164, 184, 197n; non–scientists and 36
Scylla and Charybdis 175
search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) 45, 46, 52, 54–57, 59–66, 77–80, 138, 181, 184, 197n, 199n, 200n (see also aliens)
selective memory obliteration (see memory)
self-replication 117
Shostak, Seth 54, 55, 64, 197n
Singularity, the 3, 136–140, 156–161, 165, 178, 188n, 196n, 199n, 208n, 209n, 210n, 211n, 212n; discontinuity and 140 (see also transhumanism)
Singularity University 3
smart dust (see nanotechnology)
society 8, 23, 35, 48, 73, 82, 96, 99, 107, 110, 114–115, 117–118, 149, 204–205n
soul 18, 23, 31, 94, 155, 175, 186
space colonies 24, 28–29, 35, 44, 50, 66, 85, 95, 197n, 211n
space exploration 23, 28, 44, 49, 50, 66, 194n
Stephenson, Neal 105–108, 116–119, 206–207n
suffering 6, 20, 132, 146, 186; alleviation of, 186; eradication of 132
supercivilization 137
superintelligence (see hyperintelligence/superintelligence)
techno-libertarianism (see libertarianism)
technological utopianism (see utopianism)
technology 1–4, 11–12, 24, 49, 56, 69, 83–84, 88, 103, 105, 108, 110, 114, 116–117, 135, 142, 161, 179, 180–181, 204–205n; choice and 127, 156; communication with aliens and 52–53, 55; converging technologies (see converging technologies); development of 62, 91–92; ethics of progress and 163–166; evolution and 92, 125; history of 92; life-extension technology 87; nanotechnology (see nanotechnology); of aliens (see aliens); responsibility and 118; technology race 90–92 (see also enhancement, life extension, nanotechnology, progress, and transhumanism)
theodicy 181
Tower of Babel 167
transformation (see humanity) (see also progress)
transhumanism, bodily alteration and 123–124; definition of 1–3, 187n; dehumanization and 123, 159; enhancement and 124, 165, 209n, 210n; extended life and 124; human extinction and 131, 140; immortality and 160; “might makes right” and 158; moral vision of 7, 9–10, 11, 37; nihilism and 159, 161, 165; superintelligence and 38; the Singularity and 136, 165, 199n; transformation and 38, 45, 83, 142, 174–175 (see also progress)
Treaty of Versailles 62
Tsiolkovsky, Konstantin 21
United Nations 67
universe 18, 19, 23, 24–27, 30–31, 35, 38, 39–42, 49, 51, 53–56, 64–65, 69, 74, 76, 78–79, 138–139, 146, 181
utopianism 27, 68, 71–73, 99, 100, 106, 143, 156, 180, 204–205n, 207n; technological utopianism 7, 106–108
World, the Flesh and the Devil: An Inquiry into the Three Enemies of the Rational Soul, The (Bernal) 31 (see also Bernal, J. D.)