Techno-progressivism

Last updated

Techno-progressivism or tech-progressivism [1] is a stance of active support for the convergence of technological change and social change. Techno-progressives argue that technological developments can be profoundly empowering and emancipatory when they are regulated by legitimate democratic and accountable authorities to ensure that their costs, risks and benefits are all fairly shared by the actual stakeholders to those developments. [2] [3] [ self-published source? ] One of the first mentions of techno-progressivism appeared within extropian jargon in 1999 as the removal of "all political, cultural, biological, and psychological limits to self-actualization and self-realization". [4]

Contents

Stance

Techno-progressivism maintains that accounts of progress should focus on scientific and technical dimensions, as well as ethical and social ones. For most techno-progressive perspectives, then, the growth of scientific knowledge or the accumulation of technological powers will not represent the achievement of proper progress unless and until it is accompanied by a just distribution of the costs, risks, and benefits of these new knowledges and capacities. At the same time, for most techno-progressive critics and advocates, the achievement of better democracy, greater fairness, less violence, and a wider rights culture are all desirable, but inadequate in themselves to confront the quandaries of contemporary technological societies unless and until they are accompanied by progress in science and technology to support and implement these values. [3] [ self-published source? ]

Strong techno-progressive positions include support for the civil right of a person to either maintain or modify his or her own mind and body, on his or her own terms, through informed, consensual recourse to, or refusal of, available therapeutic or enabling biomedical technology. [5] [ better source needed ]

During the November 2014 Transvision Conference, many of the leading transhumanist organizations signed the Technoprogressive Declaration. The Declaration stated the values of technoprogressivism. [6]

Contrasting stance

Bioconservatism (a portmanteau word combining "biology" and "conservatism") is a stance of hesitancy about technological development especially if it is perceived to threaten a given social order. Strong bioconservative positions include opposition to genetic modification of food crops, the cloning and genetic engineering of livestock and pets, and, most prominently, rejection of the genetic, prosthetic, and cognitive modification of human beings to overcome what are broadly perceived as current human biological and cultural limitations. [2] [3] [ self-published source? ]

Bioconservatives range in political perspective from right-leaning religious and cultural conservatives to left-leaning environmentalists and technology critics. What unifies bioconservatives is skepticism about medical and other biotechnological transformations of the living world. [7] [8] [9] [10] Typically less sweeping as a critique of technological society than bioluddism, the bioconservative perspective is characterized by its defense of the natural, deployed as a moral category. [2] [3]

Although techno-progressivism is the stance which contrasts with bioconservatism in the biopolitical spectrum, both techno-progressivism and bioconservatism, in their more moderate expressions, share an opposition to unsafe, unfair, undemocratic forms of technological development, and both recognize that such developmental modes can facilitate unacceptable recklessness and exploitation, exacerbate injustice and incubate dangerous social discontent. [2] [3] [ self-published source? ]

List of notable techno-progressive social critics

Controversy

Technocritic Dale Carrico, who has used "techno-progressive" as a shorthand to describe progressive politics that emphasize technoscientific issues, [20] has expressed concern that some "transhumanists" are using the term to describe themselves, with the consequence of possibly misleading the public regarding their actual cultural, social and political views, which may or may not be compatible with critical techno-progressivism. [21] [ self-published source? ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transhumanism</span> Philosophical movement

Transhumanism is a philosophical and intellectual movement which advocates the enhancement of the human condition by developing and making widely available sophisticated technologies that can greatly enhance longevity and cognition.

The Viridian Design Movement was an aesthetic movement focused on concepts from bright green environmentalism. The name was chosen to refer to a shade of green that does not quite look natural, indicating that the movement was about innovative design and technology, in contrast with the "leaf green" of traditional environmentalism. The movement tied together environmental design, techno-progressivism, and global citizenship. It was founded in 1998 by Bruce Sterling, a postcyberpunk science fiction author. Sterling always remained the central figure in the movement, with Alex Steffen perhaps the next best-known. Steffen, Jamais Cascio, and Jon Lebkowsky, along with some other frequent contributors to Sterling's Viridian notes, formed the Worldchanging blog. Sterling wrote the introduction to Worldchanging's book, which is considered the definitive volume on bright green thinking. Sterling formally closed the Viridian movement in 2008, saying there was no need to continue its work now that bright green environmentalism had emerged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extropianism</span> Stance favoring continuous technological evolution and longer lifespans

Extropianism, also referred to as the philosophy of extropy, is an "evolving framework of values and standards for continuously improving the human condition". Extropians believe that advances in science and technology will some day let people live indefinitely. An extropian may wish to contribute to this goal, e.g. by doing research and development or by volunteering to test new technology.

Technological utopianism is any ideology based on the premise that advances in science and technology could and should bring about a utopia, or at least help to fulfill one or another utopian ideal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humanity+</span> International non-profit organization

Humanity+ is a non-profit international educational organization that advocates the ethical use of technologies and evidence-based science to improve the human condition. This condition includes the health of physiological and neurological functions affected by aging and disease, the ecological health and well-being for all life forms, and the future advancements for a more human humanity. Its work includes:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Hughes (sociologist)</span> American sociologist and bioethicist

James J. Hughes is an American sociologist and bioethicist. He is the Executive Director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies and is the associate provost for institutional research, assessment, and planning at UMass Boston. He is the author of Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future and is currently writing a book about moral bioenhancement tentatively titled Cyborg Buddha: Using Neurotechnology to Become Better People.

Morphological freedom refers to an alleged or proposed civil right of a human person either to maintain or modify their own body, on his own terms, through informed, consensual recourse to, or refusal of, available therapeutic or enabling medical technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies</span> Technoprogressive think tank

The Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET) is a technoprogressive think tank that seeks to "promote ideas about how technological progress can increase freedom, happiness, and human flourishing in democratic societies." It was incorporated in the United States in 2004, as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, by philosopher Nick Bostrom and bioethicist James Hughes.

Technocriticism is a branch of critical theory devoted to the study of technological change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transhumanism in fiction</span> Overview of the role of transhumanism in fiction

Many of the tropes of science fiction can be viewed as similar to the goals of transhumanism. Science fiction literature contains many positive depictions of technologically enhanced human life, occasionally set in utopian societies. However, science fiction's depictions of technologically enhanced humans or other posthuman beings frequently come with a cautionary twist. The more pessimistic scenarios include many dystopian tales of human bioengineering gone wrong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Postgenderism</span> Social, political and cultural movement advocating for the elimination of gender in humans

Postgenderism is a social, political and cultural movement which arose from the eroding of the cultural, psychological, and social role of gender, and an argument for why the erosion of binary gender will be liberatory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giulio Prisco</span> Italian computer scientist

Giulio Prisco is an Italian information technology virtual reality consultant; as well as a writer, futurist, transhumanist, and cosmist. He is an advocate of cryonics and contributes to the science and technology online magazine Tendencias21. He produced teleXLR8, an online talk program using virtual reality and video conferencing, and focused on highly imaginative science and technology. He writes and speaks on a wide range of topics, including science, information technology, emerging technologies, virtual worlds, space exploration and futurology.

Body hacking is the application of the hacker ethic in pursuit of enhancement or change to the body's functions through technological means, such as do-it-yourself cybernetic devices or by introducing biochemicals.

Posthuman or post-human is a concept originating in the fields of science fiction, futurology, contemporary art, and philosophy that means a person or entity that exists in a state beyond being human. The concept aims at addressing a variety of questions, including ethics and justice, language and trans-species communication, social systems, and the intellectual aspirations of interdisciplinarity.

Arse Elektronika is an annual conference organized by the Austrian arts and philosophy collective monochrom, focused on sex and technology. The festival presents talks, workshops, machines, presentations and films. The festival's curator is Johannes Grenzfurthner. Between 2007 and 2015, the event was held in San Francisco, but is now a traveling event in different countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyborg anthropology</span>

Cyborg anthropology is a discipline that studies the interaction between humanity and technology from an anthropological perspective. The discipline offers novel insights on new technological advances and their effect on culture and society.

The Transhumanist Party is a political party in the United States. The party's platform is based on the ideas and principles of transhumanist politics, e.g., human enhancement, human rights, science, life extension, and technological progress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transhumanist politics</span> Political ideology

Transhumanist politics constitutes a group of political ideologies that generally express the belief in improving human individuals through science and technology.

Deakin University Lecturer in Health Ethics and Professionalism Tamara Kayali Browne and University of Oxford Senior Research Fellow Steve Clarke understand Bioconservatism as "a term that is often used to describe those who wish to conserve humanity as it is, and so oppose human enhancement."

Posthumanization comprises "those processes by which a society comes to include members other than 'natural' biological human beings who, in one way or another, contribute to the structures, dynamics, or meaning of the society." Posthumanization is one of the key phenomena studied by those academic disciplines and methodologies that identify themselves as "posthumanist", including critical, cultural, and philosophical posthumanism. Its processes can be divided into forms of non-technological and technological posthumanization.

References

  1. ↑ Leijten, Jos (January 2019). "Science, technology and innovation diplomacy: a way forward for Europe. Institute for European Studies Policy Brief Issue 2019/15". www.ies.be. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Carrico, Dale (2004). "The Trouble with "Transhumanism": Part Two". Archived from the original on 2016-09-08. Retrieved 2007-01-28.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Carrico, Dale (2005). "Technoprogressivism Beyond Technophilia and Technophobia". Archived from the original on 2016-09-08. Retrieved 2007-01-28.
  4. ↑ Sikora, Tomasz (2003). The Cultural Dimension of Waste: a Critique of the Ethos of Technology. Economic and Environmental Studies. p. 103-112.
  5. ↑ Carrico, Dale (2006). "The Politics of Morphological Freedom" . Retrieved 2007-01-28.
  6. ↑ "Technoprogressive Declaration - Transvision 2014, Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies". Archived from the original on 2017-02-03. Retrieved 2014-12-19.
  7. ↑ Huesemann, Michael H., and Joyce A. Huesemann (2011). Technofix: Why Technology Won’t Save Us or the Environment, New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, British Columbia, Canada, ISBN   0865717044, 464 pp.
  8. ↑ Mander, Jerry (1991). In the Absence of the Sacred: The Failure of Technology and the Survival of the Indian Nations, Sierra Club Books, San Francisco, California.
  9. ↑ Rifkin, Jeremy (1998). The Biotech Century: Harnessing the Gene and Remaking the World, Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, New York, New York.
  10. ↑ Shiva, Vandana (2000). Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply, South End Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
  11. ↑ Haraway, Donna (1991). "A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century". Archived from the original on 2012-02-14. Retrieved 2007-01-28.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  12. ↑ ""Open Source Reality": Douglas Rushkoff Examines the Effects of Open Source | EDUCAUSE". Educause.edu. 2008-07-01. Archived from the original on 2016-05-16. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
  13. ↑ Dery, Mark (1994). Flame Wars: The Discourse of Cyberculture . Duke University Press. ISBN   0-8223-1540-8.
  14. ↑ Mooney, Chris (2005). The Republican War on Science . Basic Books. ISBN   0-465-04676-2.
  15. ↑ Sterling, Bruce (2001). "Viridian: The Manifesto of January 3, 2000" . Retrieved 2007-01-28.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  16. ↑ Steffen, Alex (2006). Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century . Harry N. Abrams, Inc. ISBN   0-8109-3095-1.
  17. ↑ Newitz, Annalee (2001). "Biopunk". Archived from the original on 2002-12-20. Retrieved 2007-01-26.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  18. ↑ Newitz, Annalee (2002). "Genome Liberation". Archived from the original on 2006-07-06. Retrieved 2007-01-26.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  19. ↑ Hughes, James (2004). Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future. Westview Press. ISBN   0-8133-4198-1.
  20. ↑ Jose (2006). "Dale Carrico on Technoprogressive Politics". Archived from the original on 2007-12-25. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
  21. ↑ Carrico, Dale (2008). ""Technoprogressive": What's In A Name?" . Retrieved 2008-04-16.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.