It depends. If a person loses an arm and gets a mechanical prosthesis to restore normal functioning, that isn’t transhumanist. If they get a prosthesis because they want to be super strong (or whatever), that is transhumanist.
That we have a word implies that transhumanists are looking ahead, and looking for things that not everyone has yet.
Transhumanism isn’t about any technology, it specifically refers to augmentation of humans themselves.
If it functions normally then it’s a little bit transhumanist, because there might be advantages to having limbs you can detach if you want to. Also, mechanical limbs are more easily replaced and wouldn’t require food to maintain.
This is reminding me of Manny’s assortment of arms for different purposes in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress—they aren’t the center of the story, they’re almost a cool background detail.
And then there’s the waldos in Heinlein’s “Waldo”—arms of various sizes which mimic the movements of the user. I’m a bit surprised that they don’t exist already, but a casual search suggests that they don’t.
It depends. If a person loses an arm and gets a mechanical prosthesis to restore normal functioning, that isn’t transhumanist. If they get a prosthesis because they want to be super strong (or whatever), that is transhumanist.
Transhumanism isn’t about any technology, it specifically refers to augmentation of humans themselves.
If it functions normally then it’s a little bit transhumanist, because there might be advantages to having limbs you can detach if you want to. Also, mechanical limbs are more easily replaced and wouldn’t require food to maintain.
This is reminding me of Manny’s assortment of arms for different purposes in The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress—they aren’t the center of the story, they’re almost a cool background detail.
And then there’s the waldos in Heinlein’s “Waldo”—arms of various sizes which mimic the movements of the user. I’m a bit surprised that they don’t exist already, but a casual search suggests that they don’t.