How scary is transhumanism?

Transhumanism is an extremely broad concept involving the modifications of the human body to make them as what the creator deems better. The range of the modifications being described seems endless, as there are so many possibilities for what could be done to the human body. Some perceived examples of these are technological singularity, or creating a superhuman intelligence, bionic implants, and cognitive enhancements. For more on the history transhumanism, see https://www.theverge.com/a/transhumanism-2015/history-of-transhumanism.

Transhumanism doesn’t just encompass these radical possibilities as since it so widely known it is bound to have radical ideas, however people seem to focus on these radical ideas and choose to ignore this concept completely. This should not be the case, as this concept is aligned with the medical world, and has very similar beliefs to it at its core.

In its current state, humanity is still extremely flawed when it comes to areas such as disease. Our bodies aren’t made to be constantly fighting off infections, which heavily decreases someone’s chances of survival in a poorer country. However, even “developed” countries of the past suffered from diseases that even poorer countries today never see. This is thanks to the technology of modern medicine, which is widely accepted and praised by most people today. The medicine used is not something natural to the body, it is transferred into the body and is utilized by the body to fight off the foreign entity.

By thinking about how medicine is not native to the human body, would someone from the past not view what we now have as a transhumanism concept? We are the same species as them, but we are using tools to modify the body in order to improve the human body, in this case in order to have a longer and healthier life span. Transhumanism at its core is not something to be scared about, as most of the ideas that are thrown around by people who study these concepts are most likely not possible with the current technology, so there is plenty of time to consider the morals of body modifications before they become a reality.