The Expanded Self: The Past, Present, and Future of Being You
Transhumanists seek to survive and thrive into the indefinite future, and to enhance and expand themselves. But what is this “self” that we aim to preserve and develop? Does it exist? Or is it largely an illusion? I will argue that selfhood is much less real and substantial than commonly believed (even among sophisticated transhumanists). The human self is a kludge, a clumsy, accidental conglomeration of cognitive, emotional, and perceptual functions that is poorly and loosely integrated. The 15 billion year history of the universe is one of expanding awareness and self-awareness. We can, perhaps, catch glimpses of our posthuman selves as unprecedented beings of improved integration and integrity, greater virtue, and deeper meta-awareness, enabled by increasingly subtle and deep infusions of technology into our neural and biological substrate.