CFP: “Transhumanism- entering an era of bodyhacking and radical human modification”

Humanness is in flux as human bodies are being hacked and altered in their quest for super wellness, super intelligence, super longevity and radical otherness. Now is the time to discuss how best to think about morphologically different humans and dealing with bodies that have been hacked. Presently medicine is in the business of health spanning – attempting to cheat death while ideally providing the best quality of life until inevitable death. Transhumanism is based on the premise of blasting away the limitations of the present state of our bodies. According to ideological transhumanists, early adopting biohackers and risk-tolerant cyborgs, the very nature of human evolution must be usurped. In dealing with uncertainty and risk, people seek to “control” that uncertainty. Enter the advent of transhumanism to take uncertainty by the horns. According to transhumanists, death is unnecessary and medical conventions undermine the possibility to radically evolve. To biohackers, there is no need to wait to explore the risks that conventional medicine dares not.

This book project will explore the emerging complexity of how human as we know it is changing. This edited volume will explore how transhumanism, posthumanism and bio- & bodyhacking are affecting the ethical and biological nature of what it means to be human. It will build on discussions in other recent books, Max More/Natasha Vita-More’s collection The Transhumanist Readerand Transhumanism - Engineering the Human Condition: History, Philosophy and Current Status (Springer Praxis Books) by Roberto Manzocco.

The book will be an interdisciplinary volume. Proposals are therefore welcomed from philosophy, religion, bioethics, science and technology, public health, medicine, anthropology, sociology, law and cultural studies. The possibilities, problematics and futures these activities raise will be explored and analyzed through scholarly work from across the broad spectrum of studies engaging in this area of inquiry. Contributions will include a diverse range of geographic locations and perspectives.

Chapters might consider:

·         How do we code the tacit experience of what it is to be human?

·         How do we decide what the benchmark of “humanness” is in order to go posthuman?

·         Can it be a personal delimiter of human or must it be collectively agreed upon?

·         What are the ethical implications of bodyhacking and morphological freedom?

·         Are we already cyborgs?

·         How will transhumanism affect the futures of superwellness, superintelligence and superlongevity?

·         Is there a chance we will no longer be human after cyborgism?

·         How should medicine react to the advent of posthumanism?

·         How will research ethics be maintained or evolve?

·         What safety issues at the micro and macro scale need to be considered?

·         What effects does the democratization of self-modification and therefore possible self-actualization have on society and current hierarchies?

·         As with other disruptive technologies in the past, how might current hegemonic structures use these practices and bring them under control to maintain current power relations?

Alternately, chapters may well present issues not listed here as long an ethical connection can be made.

The book will be published in English. There are no funds for translation services. The project encourages collaboration, and those hoping to connect with a collaborator should contact the editor.

Proposals should be submitted to the editor by 10th February. Decisions will be made on a rolling basis with all decisions made no later than 1st March 2020.

Please submit your proposal by email as a single Word document to [email protected]  

The proposal should include the proposed title; author’s full name as it will appear in the author’s list; abstract of 300-500 words explaining what the chapter will do and what it will add to the book as a whole; 50-100 word biographical note setting out your expertise in this area; and full contact information (email, phone and postal address, Skype handle).

Proposals from emerging scholars are encouraged. Theoretical (normative) and empirical chapters are acceptable. The chapter can be previously published if the chapter suits the requirement of the publisher. For proposals, write ‘proposal’ and your surname in the subject line. For questions, write ‘questions’ in the subject line.

For accepted proposals, first drafts (5,000-7,000 words) will be due by the end of 1st August 2020, although the editors encourage earlier submission where possible. Chapter reviews will occur promptly from time of submission and authors will be asked to make any revisions required to chapters within a 4-6week timeframe of receiving feedback.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Emma Tumilty (corresponding editor)       

Deakin University, Australia                       

[email protected]     

Michele Battle-Fisher (editor)   

Wright State University (US)

[email protected]