Abstract
In his novel The Transhumanist Wager, Zoltan Istvan recreates certain elements of Ayn Rand’s work, in order to advance an argument for transhumanism. Istvan sees the transhuman imperative—self-enhancement through advanced technology—as a logical extension of Rand’s promotion of individualism and capitalism. Murnane analyzes character and plot dynamics—as well as Istvan’s use of language, and his philosophical argument—in order to show how Wager can be seen as a creative amalgam of Rand’s The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, augmented with a new didactic premise. Istvan’s book thus exemplifies the implicit and evident links between Rand and the posthuman.
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Murnane, B. (2018). Howard Roark, John Galt, and The Transhumanist Wager. In: Ayn Rand and the Posthuman. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90853-3_6
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