Abstract :
Humanodes in a global superorganism: Are we entering the dawn of the post-human era? Thanks to prodigious levels of technological progress, by the early portion of the 21st century, humans have reached a crucial stage in their evolutionary path. The outlook includes a wide spectrum of possibilities for the future of the species. This spectrum has two groups, the Apocalyptics and the Transhumanists, at its extremes. Both include very prominent thinkers who claim to have strong evidence to support their views for the emergence of a world without humans within few generations. The Apocalyptics see humans as a megalomaniac species destined to self-destruct as a result of selfish choices fed by lack of foresight and courage. The Trans-humanists believe that humans in their traditional organic form are just a transitional phase along their evolutionary path towards a post-human era. They believe that humans soon will be able to create intelligent machines with which they could fully blend. The future, however, is well known for its ability to defy predictions. Maybe there are more exciting scenarios in store for the human species. Maybe, once again, humans will manage to survive against all odds, at least for a little longer than expected. Maybe, one day, humans will use the massive levels of interconnectivity that began so early in the 21st century to develop a global network of augmented human minds, willing to promote their mutual enlightenment and secure their collective survival, together, as a species. Maybe we are doomed. Maybe we are not.
