A Defense of Cis-Humanism: Humanism for the Anthropocene
This paper considers connections between discussions of transgender and transhumanism. Using concepts developed in discussions of transgender studies, the paper defines cis-humanism as affirming the human condition albeit with awareness of the complexity of the concept of humanity and humanism. Cis-humanism affirms mortality, finitude, and the natural givenness of life and world—in contrast with the transhuman aspiration to transform and overcome these limitations. The paper connects some of the problems of the Anthropocene to technological hubris and the quest for transcending the human and human nature in a way that is not grounded in the fact of human mortality.