The World’s Most Dangerous Idea? Transhumanism in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Climate Change, and Existential Risk: Some Comments on Stefan Lorenz Sorgner’s On Transhumanism

Abstract

In his book On Transhumanism, Stefan Lorenz Sorgner defends a particular version of transhumanism, which is inspired both by the English tradition of philosophy, including Mill’s utilitarianism, and Nietzsche’s philosophy. Sorgner rejects the idea of universally valid moral principles, and argues that we should be pluralists about what it might mean to live a good human life. Everyone ought to enjoy negative freedom of a form whereby they are not being hindered from using science and developments in modern technology in their quest to live a good life according to their own conceptions of the good. Nobody, however, ought to be forced to undergo a program of moral enhancement of the sort that Ingmar Persson and Julian Savulescu argue that we need in order to help us deal with the existential risks we are facing, which our evolved human psychology has not prepared us to deal with. In this commentary, I argue that while Sorgner’s techno-optimistic outlook is inspiring, we should not ignore issues related to existential risks created by modern technologies of the sorts that Persson and Savulescu discuss. Artificial intelligence and other developing technologies pose great risks, including that of contributing to climate change, and so transhumanists should concern themselves with the existential risks related to modern technology, and not only the potential benefits of these technologies. In addition to articulating that point, I also discuss Sorgner’s metaethical assumptions, his claims about value, and the comparison between Nietzsche and Nick Bostrom that Sorgner makes in the book.