Human Purpose and Transhuman Potential: A Cosmic Vision of Our Future Evolution [Hardcover]

For millennia, great thinkers have contemplated the meaning and purpose of human existence; but while most assumed that humanity was the end point of creation or the pinnacle of evolution, Ted Chu makes the provocative claim that the human race may in fact be a means rather than an end—that humankind will give rise to evolutionary successors. In this wide-ranging and authoritative work, Chu reexamines the question of human purpose in light of the extraordinary developments of science and technology. Arguing that a deep understanding of our place in the universe is required to navigate the magnitude of the choices that lie ahead, he surveys human wisdom from both East and West, traces the evolutionary trajectory that has led to this point, and explores the potentials emerging on the scientific frontier. The book addresses the legitimate fears and concerns of “playing God” but embraces the possibility of transcending biological forms and becoming or creating entirely new life-forms.“Ted Chu is a pioneering visionary whose futurist concern deserves close attention. He is keenly aware that technological expertise is on the brink of reshaping our world and humanity dramatically.” —from the Foreword by John Haught, professor Emeritus of Theology at Georgetown University, author,Deeper Than Darwin Ted Chu brings an astonishing breadth of philosophical, religious, and technological reflection to bear on the most important questions we could ask: where are we headed as a species? —James Hughes, Ph D., Executive Director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, bioethicist and sociologist at Trinity College, author,Citizen Cyborg