When googling some of Zindell's quotes in hope of finding other fansites, I long ago stumbled upon transhumanism(Anders' page first, actually), and found it to be a very intriguing and seemingly ambitious philosophy.
I later went on to writing a paper on transhumanism in order to see if it held water, so to speak. I really found it didn't.

The Wikipedia article on Transhumanism is as extensive as the prospect of amelioration is immediately feasible, but the part that under no circumstances should be left out in reading it, is the controversy part as a whole.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transhumanism

To me, transhumanism is an echo of earlier pseudo-predictions of the future, only this time even more pumped with the alluring prospects of self-improvement. Behind the philosophical cynicism of transhumanism rests a brilliant and shining lack of spirituality, with a looming pragmatical self-indulgent egoism delicately in its place.
It is a philosophical movement trying to infer something "wonderful", and though I myself believe their forecast to be realistic, I in no ways believe a group like this to be its vanguard. When the time finally comes, and those humans with the opportunity enhance themselves, transhumanists will say "See? Better late than never", but the world will say
"Pipe down. You were just a crazed sect of egoistical megalomaniacs hoping for living out your fantasies through the real world. Too bad the real world is far too complex for such to happen. At least your meandering doctrinal idiosyncrasy can be put in the stalls along with all the others."

Technological, social, spiritual and even biological evolution will never happen at a pace quicker than its own. Should we think to hurry it, it will only be in our fantasies. Should we succeed in hurrying it, it is only evolution who by itself has taken a step forward.

("DISCLAIMER!")I am usually not as vigorous concerning subjective philosophies as this, but the dissapointment in seeing Zindell's quotes used in the promotion of transhumanism still lingers(and Zindell himself would feel it also, I am certain).
Anyway, forgive me this highly biased outburst. Obviously, fans of Zindell are broad of mind as you said, Ryan, and will not take lightly on any singular philosophy.  

--Last edited by Zephon on 2008-04-06 08:58:48 --

I enjoyed the transhumanism site.  I also enjoy watching movies and eating steak. I only wanted people to notice the ideas that are put forth in the website and how they visualize the future. a future I feel should be measured in thousands of years from now. For example, downloading a person's brain into a computer. (as at least two of Zindell's characters have done)  A vain hope and only for the truly insane to consider.  "What could be saved!" some would cry, and to them I answer "What could be lost? What makes us human? And what is a human without it's beating heart?" (ahem, or beating pacemaker?)  

In many ways they are poor deluded souls grasping at straws in search of having a meaningful life, rushing towards a future they can but dimly see.  Transhumanistic thought reminds me of the cult of the "Scientists" in "The Broken God."  Interesting to read about but not something to embrace as a way of life.

I am a deeply spiritual person. Christian, if it matters, though at one time I was Wiccan.  I was a child once too, and I regret neither time of ignorance.  A person's spiritual life, like a rose, takes time to reach it's full maturity and bloom.

Hanuman, with his mastery of the cetic arts, is not a good role model by any means, but I think he exemplifies the best and the worst aspects of Transhumanism.  The god Danlo carved for Hanuman was beautifuly made but had a hidden flaw, so also with Hanuman, deeply flawed as a human being - yet cleverly concealed within the almost perfect facade of his public appearance. His "face" as it were.  Such hubris.

Well, as they say, whoever they may be, "The higher the pedestal, the harder the fall." I'm sure that if Hitler's Third Reich had not been crushed long before the rise of Transhumanism, young Nazis would be studying it today as an important tool and philosophy of Aryan superiority.

*Disclaimer* I am not a Nazi, and I don't believe in the "so called" Aryan superiority. A person should be judged on their own merits and not by some fluke chance of breeding, or birth, or nationality, or gender, or any combination of the above.  

--Last edited by Ryan Foster on 2008-04-24 06:52:41 --

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"What could be saved!" some would cry, and to them I answer "What could be lost? What makes us human? And what is a human without it's beating heart?" (ahem, or beating pacemaker?)   In many ways they are poor deluded souls grasping at straws in search of having a meaningful life, rushing towards a future they can but dimly see.  Transhumanistic thought reminds me of the cult of the "Scientists" in "The Broken God."  Interesting to read about but not something to embrace as a way of life.

Your post really were full of good points!  Yes, I agree, and also - perhaps most importantly - with ignorance and error being wholly natural, unavoidable and necessary elements of progress and development. Thus I could really never fell anything other than a mild, superficial dislike towards any transhumanist. They would be humans, and so I would ultimately love them as any other(or at least strive to) (of course, should said transhumanist have mutated into a ten metre tall femtotech caul filled with supercomputational intellect and weapons able to level a metropolis within seconds, perhaps my sentiment would differ somewhat )  

--Last edited by Zephon on 2008-04-26 10:20:17 --

Long time no talk, Ryan! I hope you're well  

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Transhumanistic thought reminds me of the cult of the "Scientists" in "The Broken God."  Interesting to read about but not something to embrace as a way of life.

Actually, I realized now that to me, they remind me of someone else from his universe. Mallory mentions during Neverness that there are societies where people wpend their entire lives living in containers, breathing recycled air, being fed nutrients, linked up to sense modules, to be able to live out any fantasy they want.  Hmm, it's been a while since I read Neverness and A Requiem, but I think it was something like that.. They're mentioned only briefly along with several examples.