Virtual Immortality - God, Evolution, and the Singularity in Post- and Transhumanism / / Oliver Krüger.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter DG Plus PP Package 2021 Part 2
• Funder: Übersetzung: The Faculty of Humanities (Fribourg University)
• VerfasserIn: Krüger, Oliver,
• MitwirkendeR: Jones, Ali,; Knight, Paul,
• Author: Übersetzung: The Faculty of Humanities (Fribourg University)
• Place / Publishing House: Bielefeld : : transcript Verlag, , [2021]; ©2021
• Year of Publication: 2021
• Language: English
• Series: Kulturen der Gesellschaft ; 41
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (356 p.)

In recent years, ideas of post- and transhumanism have been popularized by novels, TV series and Hollywood movies. According to this radical perspective, humankind and all biological life have become obsolete. Traditional forms of life are inefficient to process information and too inept at crossing the high frontier: outer space. While humankind can expect to be replaced by their own artificial progeny, post-humanists assume that they will become an immortal part of a transcendent superintelligence. Kruger's award-winning study examines the historical and philosophical context of these futuristic promises by Ray Kurzweil, Nick Bostrom, Frank Tipler, and other posthumanist thinkers.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Foreword to the English Edition -- A Who is Who? of Post- and Transhumanism -- 1. Virtuality, Media, and Immortality. An Introduction -- Part I Humans and Media -- 2. Virtuality -- Introduction -- 2.1 Virtuality and Time -- 2.2 Virtuality and Space -- 2.3 Virtuality and Corporeality -- 2.4 Virtuality, Reality, and the Imaginary -- 3. Promethean Shame -- 3.1 Human Beings and Technology in the Work of Günther Anders -- 3.2 Virtuality and Death -- Part II Technological Posthumanism -- 4. Transhumanism -- 4.1 Post- and Transhumanism -- 4.2 Intellectual Predecessors and the Transhuman -- 4.3 Early Transhumanism: Ettinger, FM-2030, Leary -- 4.4 The Extropy Institute and the (Vita-)Mores -- 4.5 The World Transhumanist Association / humanity+ -- 4.6 Other Actors and Institutions -- 4.7 Religious and Spiritual Transhumanism -- 4.8 Conclusion -- 5. Technological Posthumanism -- Introduction -- 5.1 The Posthuman and Posthumanism -- 5.2 The Face of Posthumanism -- 5.3 Posthumanism and Art -- 6. A History of Technological Posthumanism -- 6.1 Writing the “History of the Future” -- 6.2 How We Became Posthuman -- 6.3 Annihilation or Infinite Progress -- 6.4 Singularities -- 6.5 Immortality -- 6.6 The Transcendental Superintelligence -- 6.7 Omega -- 7. Virtuality. Immortality in the Age of Digital Media -- Introduction -- 7.1 Economy -- 7.2 Control and Contingency -- 7.3 Secular Progress and Christian Salvation History -- 7.4 The End of the Affronts -- Appendix -- List of Abbreviations -- Bibliography -- Index of Names