The Problem of Transhumanism in the Context of Individual Freedom and Dignity: A Lesson from Slavoj Žižek

Piotr Szymaniec

doi:10.18778/0208-6069.113.05

Authors

Piotr Szymaniec Angelus Silesius University of Applied Sciences in Wałbrzych https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5415-9215

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/0208-6069.113.05

Keywords:

Slavoj Žižek, transhumanism, G.W.F. Hegel, human dignity, freedom, philosophy of law

Abstract

In his book Hegel in a Wired Brain, Slavoj Žižek uses the approach of G.W.F. Hegel because he considers that this approach can be used to describe the reality of people immersed in technology, but above all to analyze the situation of connecting people and computers into one network. Simultaneously, the interpretations of Hegel’s concepts presented by Žižek must be considered plausible. For instance, the Slovenian philosopher correctly understood Hegel’s concept of abolition: Aufhebung. Žižek asks a fundamental question, namely how the phenomenon of the “wired brain” can affect the human experience and the status of human beings as free individuals. Žižek also considers the socio-political implications of connecting brains, which is written about by transhumanists such as Ray Kurzweil and Elon Musk. He ponders how this new situation may affect power relations and forms of freedom. Žižek uses Hegel’s critique of J.G. Fichte’s concept of the “police state” to undermine Kurzweil’s and Musk’s positions. The problem analyzed in the article is whether Žižek’s Hegelian analyses contribute something fresh to the understanding of freedom and human dignity on the ground of contemporary philosophy of law. The author emphasizes that Žižek’s analyses human exceptionality are particularly interesting from the point of view of the philosophy of law.

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