Transhumanism as a New Social Movement
Description
This book explores Technological Human Enhancement Advocacy through ethnographically inspired participant observation across a range of sites. James Michael MacFarlane argues that such advocacy is characterized by 'Techno-centrism,' a belief grounded in today's world while being also future-oriented and drawn from the imagination. This blurring of 'real' and 'imagined' futures borrows from the materialist grounding of the scientific worldview, while granting extended license to visions for technology as an enabler of forward-facing action, which include reviving humanist ideals associated with the modernization project. While Techno-centrism is arguably most pronounced in transhumanism-where it is acted-out in extreme, almost hyperbolic ways-it reflects more generally held, deep-seeded concerns around the future of science, technology and human self-identity in the new millennium. Far from being new, these emerging social forms capture unresolved ambivalences which have longcast a shadow over late-modern society and culture.
Reviews / Votes
"MacFarlane's volume is easy to read. . Transhumanism as a New Social Movement is able to draw on what is an undeniably large corpus of scholarship on the topic, filtering it through on the-ground ethnographic observations and surveys and interviews with citizens. . The volume positions itself as an ideal primer, not only for those unfamiliar with the topic, but also for researchers who may be interested in beginning their own observations with the state of the art." (Steven Umbrello, Metascience, February 26, 2021)
"A vital contribution to the nascent field of ethnographic work in NSMT, as this applies to THEA. As the first of its kind, it marks an important stepping stone in understanding both the kinds ofbeliefs and the ways in which those beliefs are formed in THEA groups. . MacFarlane has done a fine job in formalising the essential components of THEA, which will allow for greater conceptual clarity in understanding its past, present, and future." (Fabio Tollon, Metapsychology Online Reviews, metapsychology.net, Vol. 24 (39), 2020)
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James Michael MacFarlane received his PhD from the University of Warwick. His work focuses on the dissemination of expert/technical knowledge to non-expert audiences, public engagement and involvement with science, and the strengthening of science-public relations through enhanced communication and dialogue.
