The crucial question of our time is: How to preserve humanity, humanitas, in a world of radical and not so long ago practically unimaginable technological possibilities? The book addresses this issue through its treatment of transhumanism, a diverse movement the representatives of which promise and advocate for the enhancement of human being through modern science, technology, and pharmacology. Their views differ in the degree of extremity, and they contain many ambiguities, as well as pitfalls and dangers that require an answer from both ethical and religious points of view. The book deepens the understanding of transhumanism in an interdisciplinary way and thus helps to form the right attitude towards it that will truly benefit human flourishing. It offers a rich variety of views on transhumanism, ranging from its illumination in the light of contemporary research into happiness, through liberal eugenics and biopolitics, all the way to its considerations in terms of religions and manifestations in concrete works of art. Robert Petkovšek is Professor of Philosophy at the Faculty of Theology, University of Ljubljana. Professor Bojan Žalec is the Head of the Institute of Philosophy and Social Ethics at the Faculty of Theology, University of Ljubljana.

The crucial question of our time is: How to preserve humanity, humanitas, in a world of radical and not so long ago practically unimaginable technological possibilities? The book addresses this issue through its treatment of transhumanism, a diverse movement the representatives of which promise and advocate for the enhancement of human being through modern science, technology, and pharmacology. Their views differ in the degree of extremity, and they contain many ambiguities, as well as pitfalls and dangers that require an answer from both ethical and religious points of view. The book deepens the understanding of transhumanism in an interdisciplinary way and thus helps to form the right attitude towards it that will truly benefit human flourishing. It offers a rich variety of views on transhumanism, ranging from its illumination in the light of contemporary research into happiness, through liberal eugenics and biopolitics, all the way to its considerations in terms of religions and manifestations in concrete works of art.

The volume presents theological and religious research that explores women's voices and experiences in the fields of migration, culture and (eco)peacebuilding with the goal to discuss complex and dynamic questions of women's active participation and engagement in these challenges, mainly from the perspective of Central European authors. The chapters address these matters in order to rethink and search for theological and religious responses to the inequalities, prejudices, and conflicts that arise from these crises and look for new ethical paths to mitigate them through interreligious dialogue and religious (eco)peacebuilding

Resilience is one of the hottest terms in the modern humanities, social sciences and beyond. The reason for this is the current situation at various levels, from ecological, health, economical to political, which requires the formation of resilience from individuals, communities, countries, institutions and humanity as a whole. The term resilience refers to a new realistic paradigm in tackling the challenges required by the modern world, in which changes are happening faster and faster and are becoming less transparent and predictable. Therefore, the paradigm of stability and protection against disturbances is no longer realistic and has been replaced by the paradigm of resilience. People, natural and social systems can no longer be protected from ruptures, but must become as resilient as possible. This, in turn, raises a number of issues involving ethical questions and challenges for religions. This book addresses these issues in a holistic and interdisciplinary way that fits the multifaceted nature of resilience.

The timeless human desire to be more beautiful, intelligent, healthy, athletic, or young has given rise in our time to technologies of human enhancement. Athletes use drugs to increase their strength or stamina; cosmetic surgery is widely used to improve physical appearance; millions of men take drugs like Viagra to enhance sexual performance. And today researchers are exploring technologies such as cell regeneration and implantable devices that interact directly with the brain. Some condemn these developments as a new kind of cheating—not just in sports but in life itself—promising rewards without effort and depriving us most of all of what it means to be authentic human beings. “Transhumanists,” on the other hand, reject what they see as a rationalizing of human limits, as if being human means being content forever with underachieving bodies and brains. To be human, they insist, is to be restless with possibilities, always eager to transcend biological limits. As the debate grows in urgency, how should theology respond? Christian theologians recognize truth on both sides of the argument, pointing out how the yearnings of the transhumanists—if not their technological methods—find deep affinities in Christian belief. In this volume, Ronald Cole-Turner has joined seasoned scholars and younger, emerging voices together to bring fresh insight into the technologies that are already reshaping the future of Christian life and hope.

By taking a religiously and spiritually literature approach, this volume gets the heart of several emerging ethical issues crucial to both human identity and personhood beyond the human as technology advances in the areas of human enhancement and artificial intelligence (AI). Several significant questions are addressed by the contributors, such as: How far should we go in improving our biological selves? How long should we aspire to live? What are fair and just human enhancements? When will AIs become people? What does AI spirituality consist of? Can AIs do more than project humour and emotions? What are the religious undertones of these high technology quests for better AI and improved human existence? Established and emerging voices explore these questions, and more, in Spiritualities, ethics, and implications of human enhancement and artificial intelligence. This volume will be of interest to university students and researchers absorbed by issues surrounding spiritualities, human enhancement, and artificial intelligence; while also providing points for reflection for the wider public as these topics become increasingly important to our common future.

Transhumanism is an international movement which anticipates humans developing posthuman capacities in the near future.This work provides an introduction to transhumanism and the ethical and philosophical issues raised by radical human enhancement. The book investigates these questions in a way that is timely and accessible to the non-specialist.

Hope and trust are key problems of the present world and should therefore be at the centre of interest of science and society. Climate change, pandemics, dangerous global and social polarization, people's distrust of politics and institutions, social isolation and the rise of mental problems in developed countries of material prosperity are problems that we will only be able to cope with if we know how to cultivate hope and trust. The authors deal with them from various aspects of the humanities: philosophy, theology, religious studies, intellectual history, cognitive science, psychology and psychotherapy. This gives the book an interdisciplinary character.

Transhumanism is often understood by scientific and technological enthusiasts as an expression of the innate human desire to excel, to develop one’s faculties and abilities to become better adapted to face adversities of the outside environment. On the other hand, it may also be perceived as a potentially proud attempt on the side of fragile humans to become more independent, invulnerable, and even immortal. Our book discusses both the unique opportunities as well as unprecedented challenges of transhumanism, using the expertise of international scholars from diverse cultural and academic backgrounds.