Abstract

Philosophically, human enhancement is often discussed in terms of transhumanism: transcending the normal biological limits of human physical and cognitive abilities. Despite obvious advantages to transhuman enhancement in the form of longer lives, healthier immune systems, and enriched capacity for learning, many people foresee problematic consequences, too. Transhuman enhancement poses risks to personal identity and the ability of humans to live meaningful, autonomous lives – assuming that those who enhance themselves even remain human. This chapter will examine the way that transhumanism – the “cyber” in cyberpunk fiction – is portrayed in Cyberpunk 2077. Although the video game’s narrative and world do engage with the threat transhumanism poses to identity and living an authentic human life, this chapter’s author argues that the real danger of transhuman enhancement in Cyberpunk is how easily enhancement has been exploited to maintain corporate control over society. Yet, Cyberpunk mostly recommends against violent, revolutionary resistance. Curiously, the “punk” in Cyberpunk 2077 seems to be a call to reprioritize one’s life, pivoting away from self-interested consumerism towards spiritual health and communal relationships. To that end, this chapter reframes transhumanism in Cyberpunk as a social problem with a solution in interpersonal mysticism found in Buddhism and the philosophies of thinkers like Simone Weil and Martin Buber.