We have for centuries in the West sought technological progress. But now some are making the radical claim that technology is the future of the human race. 'Effective accelerationists' have won high-profile Silicon Valley support and claim we should accelerate technology and ""usher in the next evolution of consciousness, creating unthinkable next-generation lifeforms."" Alongside, transhumanists such as Yuval Harari and Ray Kurzweil claim ""Homo sapiens is an obsolete algorithm"" and that soon ""there won't be a distinction between humans and technology.” Others go further arguing eternal life is an achievable, biological, scientific goal, and the creation of an artificial general intelligence, ""a digital God"", can solve human suffering. But critics fear this proposed future, calling transhumanism ""the world’s most dangerous idea”.
Is the future one where technology is not merely a source of innovation but the basis for a new account of what it is to be human and the ultimate goal of human endeavour? Does this new vision offer potential or disaster for the human race? Or are claims of eternal life and new forms of intelligence just fanciful nonsense?
