The Transhumanist Anthropocene: From the climate crisis to upgrading humanity

Abstract

This paper identifies a significant shift in the current dynamics of the Anthropocene driven by transhumanism. While the Anthropocene has traditionally emphasized humanity’s impact on Earth’s systems, transhumanist visions now direct this transformative force toward the biological and cognitive constitution of the human. This has two main implications for the Anthropocene dynamics: first, it marks an expansion of human action toward the technical control of human biological and cognitive capacities; second, it generates unprecedented living conditions that redefine what it means to be human. To capture this development, we introduce the notion of the “Transhumanist Anthropocene.” With it, we point to a novel trajectory within the overall Anthropocene dynamics. This is characterized by a reinforced anthropocentrism, the rise of a techno-religion shaped by transhumanist thought, a reduction of the perceived urgency of the climate crisis, and an increasing reliance on techno-solutionist models of environmental governance. We argue that this significantly complicates efforts toward a sustainable future in the face of the climate crisis.