The SuperHumanist Manifesto (Short Form) 

Long Form

We are like Ferraris struggling in off-road conditions.

 

So far technologies humanity created brought tremendous progress but they didn’t come for free. We paid the price by contorting ourselves to fit environments and systems incompatible with our nature and needs.

 

Now, artificial intelligence enters the scene… 

 

Humanity already suffers from this mismatch between our nature and the world we created for ourselves. So what happens when we recklessly change our environments further with unprecedented speed? 

 

Emerging technologies like AI have immense potential for benefit or harm and the trajectory will depend on how we choose to integrate them into our systems and lives. Current incentives and values, prioritizing productivity and economic growth over human needs, increases the risk of new technologies further objectifying and diminishing humanity.

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But for the first time in history, we have an opportunity to take a different path. Emerging technologies may provide us with the knowledge and resources we need to liberate ourselves from being cogs in the economic machine and therefore objectification and standardization.

 

We stand at a critical juncture, with the responsibility to steer these technologies to fuel, rather than hinder, our quest for a fully flourished human existence. Therefore, we propose the philosophy of Superhumanism - becoming more/fully human by purposefully designing conditions to actualize human potential and dignity. Like a track that is designed to showcase a race car's potential, we can build a world to support our basic and growth needs.

 

In the past literature, the term superhuman has commonly been used to mean beyond human but we chose to use it to mean to a high degree. When we use the term to mean beyond human, there is a presupposition of the inferiority of being human. The aspirational term leads us to strive to go beyond it, not towards it. We, on the other hand, propose to attribute superness to the actualization of who we are and put the value back into being human. 

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But prevailing winds blow in another direction. Current values and incentives do not align with superhumanism's human-centric philosophy.  If we continue pursuing indiscriminate progress and profits at all costs, we may end up far from the superhumanistic vision.  In the iconic words of Lao Tzu, 

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'If you don’t change direction, you may end up where you are going.'

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We believe it's crucial to change direction now before the tsunami of change hits us. We must rethink our values, incentives, and systems to elevate rather than destroy our humanity. This is no small undertaking. But the potential rewards are immense: dignified lives for our descendants and advancement of the human condition beyond imagination.

 

Thus, we invite you to join us on an extraordinary journey to imagine humanity's future by creating a Superhuman Society—a collective dedicated to exploring and enabling human flourishing amid rapid technological advancements.

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Together, we can shape a future where technology liberates rather than dominates.

 

Let us begin. 

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With hope and determination,

Superhuman Society