The Disinformation Encyclopedia of Transhumanism and the Singularity Transcendence

by R.U. Sirius

“A deceptively light treatment of mind-blowing technologies and their cultural, social and political impact. This book will put your mind on fire.”—Giulio Prisco, Hacked.com Transhumanism is an international movement that advocates the use of science and technology to overcome the natural limitations experienced by humanity, through such developments Some of this is happening now. Some it is still in the minds of dreamers. In nearly ninety A-Z entries, Transcendence provides a multilayered look at the accelerating advances in artificial intelligence, cognitive science, genomics, information technology, nanotechnology, neuroscience, space exploration, synthetic biology, robotics, and virtual worlds that are making transhumanism a reality. Entries range from Cloning and Cyborg Feminism to Designer Babies and Memory-Editing Drugs. In addition, the book notes historical predecessors and personalities, both in mythology and history—ranging from Timothy Leary to Michael Jackson to Ray Kurzweil. It also introduces the culture around Transhumanism, covering all the geeky obsessions of the Transhumanist movement. “A new book deciphering the surreal truths, questionable fictions, and high weirdness of the Singularity . . . Infotaining, irreverent, and frequent piss-taking paperback.”— Boing Boing“RU Sirius and Jay Cornell present us with their own psychedelic guide to the galaxy in this adventurous idea-rich book, bootstrapping on emerging technologies that beckon us to take control of our evolutionary destiny and lead humanity towards radical new landscapes of mind, of dream, of cosmos, of possibility.”—Jason SilvaTranshumanism is an international movement that advocates the use of science and technology to overcome the natural limitations experienced by humanity, through such developments Singularitythe creation of machine intelligences that exceed the capacities of our biological brainsthe ability to replicate individual minds and put them into solid-state bodies or virtual environmentsindividual control over mental and emotional states for enhancing functionalities and/or ecstasiesSome of this is happening now. Some it is still in the minds of dreamers. In nearly ninety A-Z entries,Transcendenceprovides a multilayered look at the accelerating advances in artificial intelligence, cognitive science, genomics, information technology, nanotechnology, neuroscience, space exploration, synthetic biology, robotics, and virtual worlds that are making transhumanism a reality. Entries range from Cloning and Cyborg Feminism to Designer Babies and Memory-Editing Drugs. In addition, the book notes historical predecessors and personalities, both in mythology and historyranging from Timothy Leary to Michael Jackson to Ray Kurzweil. It also introduces the culture around Transhumanism, covering all the geeky obsessions of the Transhumanist movement.

Genres: Science, Philosophy, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Thomm Quackenbush · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neither objective (or thorough) enough to be called an encyclopedia nor fleshed out enough to sustain the idle reader. If one knows the details of transhumanist thought, this is the literary equivalent of the appetizers platter at a hipster restaurant: you have had some familiar tastes, but you are far from full.
If one is not already knowledgeable about transhumanism, this book comes off as scattered to the point of being incomplete. The format would work well as a website, which is the espoused origin point of most of the essays, but it is lackluster as a proper book. I don't think it would convince the reader not already planning his or her implant to pursue an interest in the subject any farther. More than likely, they would turn away, confused and frustrated.
It gets three stars because I genuinely do like the appetizer platter, but only because I've already had a few dozen proper meals to appreciate them in miniature.

(Full disclosure: The publisher sent me a copy of the book in hopes I would review it.)

[D.L. Morrese · Rating 3 out of 5]

What is Transhumanism? That's what I asked myself when I saw this book at the library. I only had a vague understanding of it from books and articles I'd read before. Now, I know a bit more.

What I came away with was that transhumanism is an umbrella term that includes different people with different focuses, but all seem to embrace a line from the old TV show The Six Million Dollar Man. 'We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better, stronger, faster.' Transhumanists are looking for miracles in chemistry, biology, and technology that previous generations looked for by falling to their knees before altars. The details of their search aren't clear from this book, but some seem to be going about it rather scientifically. Others seem about as credulous as their ancestors with sore knees.

I suppose we all share the transhumanist vision to some extent. Who wouldn't want to find ways to cure diseases, repair injuries, extend lifespans? But there are also those who dream of adding abilities, either through technological or biologically engineered enhancements. There are some who envision people becoming completely digital and 'living' in virtual worlds. None of these ideas bother me, as such, but they all seem highly speculative for the moment. That doesn't mean the ideas shouldn't be explored, but whereas overcoming disease, injury, and the devastating effects of aging are (I think) achievable in this century, the ability to upload a mind into a virtual world needs a much better understanding of several things first, not least of which is what a 'mind' is.

Transcendence is more of a dictionary than it is an encyclopedia. The alphabetically arranged entries are long enough to provide definitions but not really detailed enough to provide much understanding. It is, however, a pretty good guide to future reading on the subject, if you're interested.

[Kernel Panic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Calling this a mind-opening read would be an understatement. You may have never heard of transhumanism and you may or may not espouse the transhumanist cause, but no matter your prior knowledge and opinion your idea of the future won't stay untouched after going through this. The author makes great efforts at introducing complex concepts in the lightest, most colloquial way possible, presenting both pros and cons for each controversial topic. If you're wondering about the missing fifth star that's because I would have appreciated a detailed bibliography at the end of each entry. Overall a straight-to-the-point, pleasantly hilarious starting point thanks to which I now finally know what a "Hayflick limit" is.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a first read. It's a really good overview of transhumanism. It provides a good look at the research currently taking place and the directions we're heading in the future. It also raises a lot of interesting philosophical questions about how much we should use science and technology to change the natural order of things - how much pain we experience, designer babies, artificial intelligence, remembrance or erasing of memories, extending life, eliminating death, facial recognition, cloning, cryonics, tracking implants, etc. It also raises issues about safety, ethics, and privacy. As many pitfalls as exist there are also a lot of exciting developments that can improve life - curing diseases, creating renewable energy, assisting the disabled, etc. Then there are the political and socio-economic implications that arise - what will governments regulate and who will get access to the technological advances? This book will leave you uneasy as you realize just how close science fiction is to becoming science fact.