Humanity + is the most organized transhumanist group that I am aware of at this time, with a worldwide membership of 5,000+.
The group is currently nominating people to join its board of directors. I was reading Humanity + board of directors candidate statements when I came across an interesting summary that sums up my own thoughts fairly succinctly.
We live in interesting times – facing an upcoming century of radical uncertainty, where any number of new technologies may dramatically alter the world. Probably for the better, but possibly for the worst.
It will be exciting time for humanity, and one in which we will see transhumanism make the same transition as personal computers and networks have in the past few decades. Transhumanism will go from a fringe area appealing to a small group of open-minded geeks to an integral part of our society, discussed daily in newspapers and television.
Here’s why the 21st century will be the most interesting one so far:
- People will live longer than ever – but only some people in some societies.
- Social disparity will continue to grow causing tension, conflict and strife around the world.
- Nanotechnology and biotechnology will change aging paradigms forever.
- The number of “limited” conflicts being fought simultaneously around the world will reach the highest levels in history.
- Expectations about privacy will continue to erode in the more technology oriented cultures and societies. People in these areas who value privacy will turn to disinformation seeding campaigns (I’ll be writing a lot more about this idea.)
- The UN will be replaced/morph into world government.
- Non-human sentience will occur.
- A human mind will be replicated in the lab.
I’ll share more predictions as they occur to me.
In the mean time, expect part of the social disparity of the current century to involve conflicts between emerging memes and groups like Humanity + versus well established but inevitably dying memes like Christianity and Islam. Also expect many mutations when people find ways to make mashups between transhumanism and religion as will inevitably happen. I’m interested in the mutations and permutations we can expect to see in world religions when the average human lifespan jumps drastically higher, let alone the changes and conflicts that will result from the transition to post humanity. Will we survive?