What does it mean to be human today? The answer to this question, which is as old as the human species itself, is becoming less and less certain. Current technological developments increasingly erode our traditional humanist reflexes: consciousness, emotion, language, intelligence, morality, humour, mortality - all these no longer demonstrate the unique character and value of human existence. Instead, the spectre of the 'posthuman' is now being widely invoked as the 'inevitable' next evolutionary stage that humans are facing. Who comes after the human? This is the question that posthumanists are taking as their starting point. This critical introduction understands posthumanism as a discourse, which, in principle, includes everything that has been and is being said about the figure of the 'posthuman'. It outlines the genealogy of the various posthuman 'scenarios' in circulation and engages with their theoretical and philosophical assumptions and social and political implications. It does so by connecting the philosophical debate about the future of humanity with a range of texts, including examples from new media, popular culture, science and the media.
Stefan Herbrechter Boeken
Stefan Herbrechter is de auteur en redacteur van talrijke bundels, artikelen en bijdragen gericht op literatuur, kritische en culturele theorie, en cultuurstudies. Zijn werk duikt diep in het posthumanistische perspectief en onderzoekt hedendaagse sociale en culturele verschijnselen door de lens van deze ontwikkelende intellectuele traditie. Herbrechters aanpak kenmerkt zich door zijn interdisciplinaire reikwijdte, waarbij theoretische concepten worden verbonden met actuele culturele discoursen. Lezers kunnen een scherpzinnige analyse verwachten van belangrijke thema's in de hedendaagse cultuur.
