It is obvious transhumanism will be greeted with fear. I am a transhumanist so I don't agree with that. Apart from being a transhumanist I call myself a social transhumanist and a democratic transhumanist, the current leftist parts of the movement.
Transhumanism is a movement of optimism and enpowerment. It states that application of technology increases wealth and personal ability. That goes extremely well with kapitalism; in fact transhumanism has a good chance to repair many of the wrongs perpetuated by kapitalism.
The ability to repair and upgrade bodies, offered at market prices (and bought with state subsidy if needed) will allow less productive members of society to contribute. It ranges from giving the blind eyes to voluntarily increasing intelligence with appropriate means to make less blessed individuals into fully productive members of society.
But it doesn't end there. Transhumanism also states that it would be possible to add new attributes (giving certain people who want it eyes that can see in the dark), change the rules of the game and improve upon society itself (change the neurology of repeat offenders in a legally acceptable manner as to remove certain brain disorders so as to not make them repeat offenders) and finally - change the rules of the game altogether (provide nearly limitless life extension to all people: Google SENS and DeGrey).
This is the end of genetic selection. It then becomes the beginning of a wholly new type of selection; i.e. we use what works.
Parents can in all freedom select the genes for their children as to give them the best possible chances. People could change the genes they were born with. Or people born with whatever genes could just take whatever prosthetic devices to aquire qualities that just aren't possible with current terrestrial life (like brain computers).
I think it is EXTREMELY important that transhumanism develops in the most democratic society possible. One can easily understand that a transhuman future would look rather differently if it occurs in Europe/U.S. or in Stalinist Russia (or in Nazi Germany for that matter). You want the most democracy possible when it happens cause it is likely to magnify and existing corruption, differences in wealth/poverty, racial prejudice, envy etc. If transhuman technology and consumer options come around you'd damn make certain you improve the democracy of the U.S. for instance. I don't thing types like G.W. don't mix well with the liberties provided above.
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