The Meaning Of Posthumanism

World History in Context, written by David Christian (2003), questions the context of world history as well as the complexity of human history and the societies with which they live. In Christian’s article he argues that looking at world history in its global context, rather than one specific moment in history, is the way it is intended to be interpreted and allows historians to recognize reoccurring patterns and themes. World history is meant to be an unbiased account of only one specific species, humans (Christian 2003, 437-438). Historians often struggle with this challenging topic and tend to produce works extremely biased, usually towards stable ‘western civilizations’ and

It is a process of dehistoricization and deresponsabilization. To abandon the critique to capitalism, when it is most needed, since its logic is the main cause of the imminent human catastrophe, is the major fault of contemporary social science, the failure to confront the historical momentum in a stubborn denial of the importance to engage critically with the reality of the environment. (The Ecological Rift, Foster, p. 31).

At some point in time we have all wondered what it means to human, and what we are supposed to do with our lives. Throughout the centuries, there have been gradual changes in what it means to be human. Through Pico della Mirandola we will how man became the measure and took the place of God, through Charles Darwin we will see how nature and science began to take the place of man, and through the art of Friedrich we can visually see all of these changes.

The Anthropocene, “the age of the human,” (Purdy, pg 1.), the age where humans started making an impact of the planet. The age in humans saying that the Earth is theirs instead of saying that we are just a part of this environment. There has been many definitions, different thoughts, and various implications to how this term should be viewed. With the readings from class and learning about the aspects that differ, I think that it should generally be used as a term or “slogan” for the drastic climate change that humans have created accumulated.

Human desire for affluence over the course of modern history has proven to be a driving force in the detriment of the natural world, demonstrating the apathetic outlook humans have towards our . Richard Louv’s Last Child argument describes the loosening of interest in our current generation; it has built a wall that one day may cut our ropes from earthly surroundings. Although this passage was written with incontrovertible accuracy about humans in the present, the author’s bias outlook, which reflects in the tone of his writing,makes this piece undeniably one sided, which not only takes credibility away from the author’s argument, but also creates this controversial idea of modern technology serving as an unhealthy focus in today’s society that only distracts humans away from the environment.

Anthropocentrism describes a human-centered view of our relationship with the environment. An anthropocentric denies or ignores the notion that nonhuman entities can have rights. In contrast biocentrism ascribes value to certain living things or to the biotic realm in general. In this perpective human life and non human life both have ethical standing. Ecocentrism judges actions in terms of their effects on whole ecological systems, which consist of living and nonliving elements and the relationships among them.

Anthropocene is a term used to describe earth’s history including when humans dominated a majority of natural processes globally. Anthropocence was a term used throughout the article to discuss the impact humankind had on the environment that caused many changes that had a negative impact over many years. Another term used was anthrones, the human footprint, which describes how much human kind has made lasting impassions on the earth. These terms have made me come to the realization anthropology operates at the crossroads of social and physical sciences, along with humanities to examine the diversity of humankind across many cultures and time.

The concept of “Post Racial” America is certainly a preposterous idea that does not exist. Different degrees of racism is seen throughout the U.S, however regardless of the intensity, racism has and will always exist. Americans belief that we live in a society where racism no longer exist is a serious impediment on the progression of America. The first problem with modern racism is living in a color blinded society where people believe in post racial America. The second is our humanistic nature to be predominant primates and finally, our unconscious bias towards racism as a result of racial stereotypes. As much as people would like to believe we are a nation where is not an issue, where race does not compete for supremacy, where the color of you skin or what your last name may be is the reason you don 't get hired, then we are obviously living in a color blinded society. Everyday, someone is faced with racial discrimination and racial prejudice. Statistically speaking, the biggest motive for hate crime is because of race. Racism comes in all kinds of form but racism is within all of us. Thus, everyone is a racist simply because we are human beings.

In Richard Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods written in 2008, he argues the separation between people and nature. As technology advances the less people are able to see of nature there is a boundary that is separated between the two. To convey his goal Louv uses rhetorical question, allusion, and anaphora to make the people understand the boundaries that are being set between people and nature. One of the rhetorical devices Louv uses in order to convey his goal is an allusion to advertisements.

To examine this possibility, Garreau interviewed Nick Bostrom, co-founder of the World Transhumanist Association. Bostrom shows his agreement with human transcendence by asserting that “Technological progress makes it harder for people to ignore the fact that we might actually change the human nature” (qtd. in Garreau, 242).

Transhumanism is the idea that the advancement of technology will better the human species into a more advanced social and political existence, or literally meaning beyond human. There are many ways that transhumanism can be achieved throughout the next thirty years, some of these being medical modifications to the human body, how the human body reacts to the aging process, and those who are included to have basic human rights. Although transhumanism may give the human species certain advantages in their social and political lives, they risk their dignity, and uniqueness.

Dehumanization is the act of stripping a human being, a person, of their individualism and their ability to become his or her authentic self. In the novel “A Brave New World”, written by Aldous Huxley, the tale of a “perfect utopia” is told. The problem of this “perfect utopia” is that it is everything but perfect. The society dehumanized and strips their people of any and all individualism they are entitled as humans. This dehumanization starts at a young age, as the society brainwashes the youth to love the “perfect utopia” which enables this society strive for years. In the real world today, society has seen more and more dehumanization examples, and could eventually turn into a real life “Brave New World”. My Jesuit education has helped me start to take a stand

The Anthropocene additionally enables us to rethink the connection amongst people and whatever is left of the normal world. Regardless of when it started, the idea of the Anthropocene is noteworthy. It features the size of our effect on Earth. By characterizing another epoch, we are announcing that the effect of our activities is worldwide and irreversible. It enables us to join various talks in regards to the condition of the planet, from environmental change to loss of biodiversity to natural degradation, by distinguishing the one thing they have in like manner; they have all been influenced by human impact.

According to the article “The Anthropocene: Can Humans Survive A Human Age?”, our society is now passing through a new geological age so called Anthropocene, characterized by a centralization of the human being in the society. However, looking at the humanity today, it does not seem to be so. I would rather say money is the center of the world nowadays; in fact, everything turns around it: it is a limitless loop that walks with us for our entire life. Because of the people’s careless toward the earth, our home, Anthropocene will be maybe remembered (if it will be even a way to be remembered) as the darkest era for the human species. In fact, the climate and the environment change take hold in this era and they are strictly linked to the bad

Since the beginning of the human race, the ocean has been a major source of food. People near the shores have been taking of advantage of the ocean’s rich and diverse source of nourishment for centuries, both as a source of food and a livelihood. However, since the dawn of the industrial age, humans have begun to take from the ocean more that it can give. As a result, the ocean can no longer provide the human race with the abundance that it once did. As technology rapidly advances, populations skyrocket, and global warming spreads havoc, the ocean’s biodiversity and once abundant supply of fish is dwindling, calling marine scientists and experts to race to find solutions that will restore the oceans health while battling world hunger.