Tuesday 18 April 2017

Transhumanism and Spirituality

There's an article in the Guardian today about transhumanism. This is basically the idea that human beings can extend their lives and expand their consciousness (almost indefinitely in both cases) through technology. It is sometimes linked to spirituality either as a replacement for it or as a means to realise it. The predictions in the New Testament for a new humanity and a new Jerusalem have even been linked to it.

So it seems important to make the categorical statement that spirituality and technology are completely separate things. There is no possibility of technology ever aiding in the spiritual search. It belongs exclusively to the material world of form and quantity and has no relation, none whatsoever, with the spiritual world of consciousness and quality.

This is yet another attempt by satanic forces to tempt humanity to try to be gods on their own and without reference to a Creator. To a materialistic culture, which has made an idol of science, the idea certainly is tempting but the fact remains that proper spirituality is first and foremost a moral thing and depends entirely on love, love of the good, the beautiful and the true, all of which are effectively denied by the modern scientific mentality with its focus on technique and its rejection of anything beyond itself. Neither technique nor technology can ever bring about a genuine spiritual mindset or consciousness and to propose otherwise is, whether realised as such or not, frankly diabolical.

Technology works from the outside but this is the precise opposite of spirituality which works, or should do, from the inside since matter follows spirit not vice versa. There is no spirituality without prior purification of heart, mind, body and soul.  There is no spirituality without dedication to truth which is a transcendent thing not realisable by the rational mind. A technological enlightenment would be a nightmare because it would cut us off from the real spiritual world of love, beauty and goodness leaving us with ersatz imitations of these which, sooner or later, would become prisons.

Reject the false chimera of technological solutions to the problems of existence. Instead adopt the simple solution of remembering the Creator.

Note: This is filed under the labels of The Kali Yuga (or End Times) and The Material World because the attitude behind it is a perfect representation of our contemporary age when the hierarchical relationship between spirit and matter has been inverted.

4 comments:

Bruce Charlton said...

@WIlliam - Before I became a Christian, I was pretty much a transhumanist; so I can understand how it is a natural extension of ordinary, mainstream secular discourse.

We have a utilitarian public ethic in The West, which regards feelings as the bottom line - and from this persepctive it makes perfect sense to change human beings in order that they will suffer less and be happy more. Change them without limit, and until they stop being human; so long as they are happier...

For a non-deist utilitarian it is a case of 'Why not? Bring it on!'.

Indeed, since our attempts to shape society have failed, shaping the human body and mind is the only remaining possibility for materialist utopianism...

William Wildblood said...

Yes, and it shows that once you deny fundamental truths you find yourself on a slippery slope that takes you further and further downhill.

Unknown said...

We have to remember that for thousand of years we lived in harmony with nature.
All our problem started to arise with the rise of civilization and the rise of technology.
All the major problems humanity is facing today are derived from technology.
From nuclear bombs to unbreathable air and undrinkable water we owe it all to technology.
I 100 % agree with you. We don't need better technology we need better people.
Thank you!
BoH

William Wildblood said...

Thanks for your comment BoH. Technology has clearly solved some problems of a purely material nature but it has produced more and worse ones of its own. The computer revolution is just the latest example of that. Perhaps it's a phase we have to experience and go through in order to realise where true meaning and happiness lie.