Patriarch Kirill preaches against transhumanism
It has become a tradition for the Head of Russian Orthodox Church to oppose transhumanism. Yesterday at Russian Orthodox Council Archbishop Cyril showed disregard for anything connected to progress: democracy, human rights, freedom, education, happiness, biotechnologies, Artificial Intelligence and aspiration for immortality. Transhumanism was the main fright Archbishop used to scare his audience. He said the technology will be available only for the rich. Here I actually agree with him, of course, transhumanism should be available to anyone and we are working on it work. Unification of people towards radical life extension is precisely what we consider a possible trigger for a tectonic change in our society.
The main complaint of the Church leader is changes in human nature. Here’s a thing. It is natural for humans to change our nature. Ever since our ancestors climbed down from the trees, all we do is changing ourselves and everything around around. People try to live better and feel better. People at large don’t like to die and it is absolutely normal that we invent ways how to prevent that from happening.
Religious people increasingly allege that it is ok to heal people but it is not ok to touch genes. Such reverence towards Deoxyribonucleic acid lies in the ignorance towards biology. The genome is already changing, mutating and often in a bad way. Errors in DNA build up and we die. Aging is a DNA disease. The main objective of transhumanism is to defeat this disease. And that is why we need gene therapy.
To oppose “changes in human nature” is to advocate for the death of all living people. Our religious opponents like to rant about the loss of morality. Such discussions is nothing else but an attempt to shift the blame. It is religion, which in all ages bore pain, suffering and death, while transhumanism is pursues the victory over disease and death. Isn’t that the best thing imaginable?
Transhumanism is against perversion, usurpation and selfish interpretation of the term “morality”. We praise the value of human life placing it above governmental, religious and family interests.
You must not kill anyone, you must not just stand looking at how people die and doing nothing. Inaction is crime. Traditions, rituals, faith in the “Golden century” is a highway to grave. Right this second millions of people are shrieking in pain. Pain caused by various disease. Only medical technologies can save them. To stand in the way of progress is to increase the pain of this world.
The idea of Superman is the idea of superhumanism, an increase of humanity in humans. The concept of Posthuman is the creation of a more humane beings. Changeability is an inherent feature of biological evolution. Posthuman is an inevitable result of the evolution of culture, evolution of memes. It is not the question whether a Posthuman will emerge or not. If our civilisation does not perish in religious wars, progress will inevitably create one. The questions are: when will this happen? How many people will manage to live long enough to see the technologies of immortality and transformation?
Meanwhile transhumanism does not insist on changes in people who do not want to change. Look, it’s your business whether you want it or not. Have your own wedding, we’ll have ours.
