The idea of cognitive enhancement refers to multifaceted and interdisciplinary approach aimed at improving human mental processes. Cognitive enhancement is the amplification or extension of core mind capacities through improvement or augmentation of either internal or external information processing systems. This includes improvements of intelligence and attention, reinforcement of creativity and memory, or extension of perception range. The main feature of cognitive enhancement is voluntariness of use for overcoming natural mental limitations. This article is a synthesis of current trends in (...) cognitive enhancement from the perspective of transhumanism. The article presents various definitions of cognitive enhancement, methods of cognitive enhancement (biotechnological methods, non-pharmacological methods, IT methods) as well as challenges and questions concerning improving human mental processes. (shrink)

The authors studied the problem of techno-humanitarian balance. A difference was found in approaches to the study of technological progress and its impact on the development of society. The ideas of transhumanism, existential risk, etc. suggested by Nick Bostrom, David Pearce, etc. provided a utilitarian attitude towards new technologies. The representatives of transhumanism proceeded from the idea that any technology is part of human nature and expanded its presence in life. Nazaretyan’s ideas were based on the opposite premise. Namely, man (...) and technology have a different nature of origin. Hence, the need arises to adapt to a non-native environment and create certain restraining mechanisms. The societies that failed to adapt to the exponential spread of information and communication technologies in time undermined the natural and/or geopolitical foundations of their existence. In turn, the societies that have adapted to new technologies have achieved sustainable development and prosperity. The authors used the comparative method of research, as well as methods of modelling, analysis, and synthesis. The study resulted in the testing of two models of the relationship between society and technology, built on the Nazaretyan hypothesis and the Bostrom concept. The test results proved the effectiveness of the model, built on the concept of Bostrom. The model presents the general dynamic nature of man and technology. (shrink)

This paper analyses and deconstructs the transhumanist commitment to animal rights and the well-being of all sentient beings. Some transhumanists have argued that such a commitment entails a moral imperative to help non-human animals overcome their biological limitations by enhancing their cognitive abilities and generally “uplifting” them to a more human-like existence. I argue that the transhumanist approach to animal welfare ultimately aims at the destruction of the animal as an animal. By seeking to make animals more like us the (...) freedom to live their life as the kind of creature they are is being denied to them. It is an attempt to tame the beast, to make it less alien and more acceptable to us, thus reaffirming the myth of human superiority. (shrink)

Various authors have argued that in the future not only will it be technically feasible for human minds to be transferred to other substrates, but this will become, for most humans, the preferred option over the current biological limitations. It has even been claimed that such a scenario is inevitable in order to solve the challenging, but imperative, multi-agent value alignment problem. In all these considerations, it has been overlooked that, in order to create a suitable environment for a particular (...) mind – for example, a personal universe in a computational substrate – numerous other potentially sentient beings will have to be created. These range from non-player characters to subroutines. This article analyzes the additional suffering and mind crimes that these scenarios might entail. We offer a partial solution to reduce the suffering by imposing on the transferred mind the perception of indicators to measure potential suffering in non-player characters. This approach can be seen as implementing literal empathy through enhanced cognition. (shrink)