Abstract
Human enhancement lies at the heart of Christianity, so much so that the idea of “Christian transhumanism” is justified. The word “transhumanism” first arises in a Christian context in Dante’s Paradiso, which speaks of “going beyond the human.” In addition, several biblical texts suggest that radical human transformation is the destiny of humanity. This chapter expounds on three central themes in “Christian transhumanism,” including moral and mental enhancement, individual immortality, and cosmic transformation. Each theme is compared briefly with secular counterparts, such as the cosmic transformation proposed by Ray Kurzweil. In a Christian transhumanist critique of secular transhumanism, the chapter ends by claiming that Christian transhuman is the more profound version because it renounces self-enhancement in order to serve God’s purposes in cosmic transformation.
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Cole-Turner, R. (2017). Christian Transhumanism. In: Trothen, T., Mercer, C. (eds) Religion and Human Enhancement. Palgrave Studies in the Future of Humanity and its Successors. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62488-4_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62488-4_3
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Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62487-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-62488-4
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