Beyond Humanity: Exploring the Dual Meaning of Posthuman in the Context of Transhumanism and Posthumanism

17th International IDEA Conference: Studies in English, Elazığ, Türkiye, 7 - 09 Mayıs 2025, ss.43, (Özet Bildiri)

The concept of the posthuman plays a vital role in both transhumanist and posthumanist

discourses, yet every discourse gives different meanings to this concept. This paper aims to

uncover the double meaning of posthuman in the discourses mentioned above, underlining their

one-of-a-kind views on humanity’s evolution and future or destiny. In transhumanism, the

concept of posthuman is considered to be an enhanced form of humanity that would be carried

on through the implementation of enabling advanced technologies and biotechnology. It is a

vision that rejoices in the prospects of overcoming current physical and mental constraints and

ushers in an age of unprecedented capacities and extended life. While posthumanism clears the

anthropocentric borderlines by questioning the clear-cut distinctions between human, animal,

and machine, in such a context, the posthuman would refer to a state that has surmounted the

human condition of old, fostering an intertwined perspective that releases human identity from

its supremacism to involve more ecological and existential sentiments. Playing these

conceptions off each other, the article develops their philosophical and ethical implications,

particularly concerning understanding of human identity, dependence on technology, and social

organization for the future. The article underlines the divergences and crossings of the optimism

of transhumanism and the critique issued from posthumanism, showing how the divergent

frameworks are no doubt shaping present reflections about the potential and constraints of

human beings. This nuanced comparison also calls upon readers to reflect on deeper meanings

of progres