We Are the Species That Modifies Itself
Four billion years of biology was a process of variation and selection acting on organisms that had no idea they were variations of anything. The mutation happened. The environment killed
The Übermensch Is Not a Metaphor Anymore
Nietzsche introduced the Übermensch in 1883 as a figure who would come after the human. Not a different kind of human. Not a more virtuous human. Something that stood in
Self-Overcoming Is the Only Real Project
Self-overcoming is the German word Selbstüberwindung, and it shows up in Nietzsche's work more often than almost any other concept. It is what the Übermensch does for a
Nietzsche Predicted the Wellness Industry
In 1883, Nietzsche put a figure into Zarathustra called the Last Man. The Last Man is the opposite of the Übermensch. He is what the human becomes if the project
Your Body Is Yours. Modify It.
Morphological freedom is the position that the body you were born with belongs to you, that no institution has a superior claim to it, and that the decision to modify
Love the Genome You Got. Then Change It.
Amor fati is two Latin words that hold the hardest philosophical move Nietzsche ever made. Love of fate. Not tolerance of fate. Not endurance of fate. Not resigned acceptance of
Will to Power Is Not What You Think
Will to power is probably the most misread concept in Nietzsche's work, and the misreading has cost the culture a useful idea for a hundred years. The popular
We Have a Moral Duty to Choose Better Children
Julian Savulescu, in a 2001 paper in the journal Bioethics, proposed a principle he called procreative beneficence. The principle says that if prospective parents are in a position to select
Enhancement Is Not Optional. It Is a Duty.
The enhancement imperative is the moral claim that if you have the capacity to improve yourself and to improve the next generation, you are obligated to do it. Not permitted
The Wellness Industry Is Slave Morality
Nietzsche's sharpest diagnostic tool was the distinction between master morality and slave morality. Master morality, in his account, is the value system of beings who define good as
The Word Transhumanism Is Older Than You Think
In 1957, Julian Huxley published a book of essays called New Bottles for New Wine. The lead essay was titled Transhumanism. It was the first serious use of the word
Lifespan Is the Wrong Number
Lifespan is how long you are alive. Healthspan is how long you are functional. The two numbers diverge substantially in almost every developed country, and the divergence is the actual