White and Black Posthumanism: After Consciousness and the Unconscious (TRACE Transmission in Rhetorics, Arts and Cultural Evolution)

At present, the posthuman is normally understood as a being which will arise out of man by means of drastic physical or just functional modifications and which due to these changes will seem no longer to be justifiably termed human (see chapters 1 and 2. ). It is generally assumed that the alterations required for this will, (1) not occur naturally but rather by human interven­ tion using newly acquired technology, or at least by human in­ fluence and (2. ) result in an entitythat will not only be different, but capable ofgreater efficiency and sentience and thus 'better' than present human beings. In addition one may suppose that the posthumans will then replace humans as the dominant life­ form on our planet. Although such a definition of posthumanity is not beyond dispute, I will nevertheless for simplicity's sake, take it as astartingpointbecause it is this definitionwhich domi­ natesthe currentdiscussion on posthumanity. ' Posthumanisticthoughtlikesto fallback on evolutionarymodels. Is the posthuman not simply man's next developmental stage? We assume nowadays that man as an organism is the product of biological evolution. We have also learnt that evolution shapes not only individual organisms but likewise their cognitive abili­ ties in the interaction with their environment, especially with Itwould also be possible to discuss a posthumanityarising from natural evo­ lution, a process thatwould be correspondinglyslower. Or alternatively, one coulddefine theposthuman targetcharacteristics differently, i. e. notbigger, morebeautifulandstrongerthanman (seechapter 2. At present, the posthuman is normally understood as a being which will arise out of man by means of drastic physical or just functional modifications and which due to these changes will seem no longer to be justifiably termed human (see chapters 1 and 2. ). It is generally assumed that the alterations required for this will, (1) not occur naturally but rather by human intervention using newly acquired technology, or at least by human influence and (2. ) result in an entity that will not only be different, but capable of greater efficiency and sentience and thus 'better' than present human beings. In addition one may suppose that the posthumans will then replace humans as the dominant life­form on our planet. Although such a definition of posthumanity is not beyond dispute, I will nevertheless for simplicity's sake, take it as a starting point because it is this definition which dominates the current discussion on posthumanity. ' Posthumanistic thought likes to fallback on evolutionary models. Is the posthuman not simply man's next developmental stage? We assume nowadays that man as an organism is the product of biological evolution. We have also learnt that evolution shapes not only individual organisms but likewise their cognitive abilities in the interaction with their environment, especially with It would also be possible to discuss a posthumanity arising from natural evolution, a process that would be correspondingly slower. Or alternatively, one could define the posthuman target characteristics differently, i. e. not bigger, more beautiful and stronger than man (see chapter 2) "Computer technology, pharmacology, genetics, and neurosciences promise people the possibility of making fundamental technical changes to themselves. According to post-humanist theory, from the modifications humans perform on the human organism a post-human being will result which is supposed to have a massively broader spectrum of bodily and cognitive capabilities compared to humans. On the other hand, some essentially human characteristics will be dispensable for the post-human. For example, it has been assumed that such beings would not even require consciousness, since conscious experience might be more of a hindrance to the smooth functionality of action that will be needed in the future. This would mean that an almost unimaginable transformation would occur, and the oft-anticipated 'end of man' could become a reality in an unforeseen way. This book considers the post-humanist scenario from the perspectives of philosophy, psychoanalysis, and cognitive science."--Jacket Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 6 Foreword 7 1. No Answer to the Question: What is (Post-)human? 13 2. The Good Posthuman from California 16 3. The Non-human Interfaces of the Real, Symbolic and Imaginary 23 4. From the Nether Regions into Positivity 29 4.1 The Ubiquitous Loss of the Nexus 29 4.2 The Illusion of the Illusion 45 4.3 Under the "Shroud of the Hidden Sense" 47 4.4 Positive Signs 57 4.5 The Rectified Drive of the Puppets 65 5. Forwards to Nature 75 5.1 The Tertiary Nature 75 5.2 The Possibility of Natural Intelligence 82 5.3 No more Need for Bodies? 93 5.4 Black Posthumanism 101 6. Consciousness and the Unconscious - A Package Deal 104 6.1 Consciousness that comes to be ... 104 6.2 ... deserves to perish wretchedly 116 6.3 A Last Subject 127 6.4 Objective Enjoyment 133 7. Hermetics as a Medium 141 References 151 About the Author 165 Front Matter....Pages I-6 No Answer to the Question: What is (Post-)human?....Pages 7-10 The Good Posthuman from California....Pages 10-17 The Non-human Interfaces of the Real, Symbolic and Imaginary....Pages 17-22 From the Nether Regions into Positivity....Pages 23-69 Forwards to Nature....Pages 69-98 Consciousness and the Unconscious — A Package Deal....Pages 98-134 Hermetics as a Medium....Pages 135-144 Back Matter....Pages 145-159