Description - Posthuman Transformation in Ancient Mediterranean Thought: Becoming Angels and Demons by M. David Litwa
There is not just a desire but a profound human need for enhancement - the irrepressible yearning to become better than ourselves. Today, enhancement is often conceived of in terms of biotechnical intervention: genetic modification, prostheses, implants, drug therapy - even mind uploading. The theme of this book is an ancient form of enhancement: a physical upgrade that involves ethical practices of self-realization. It has been called 'angelification' - a transformation by which people become angels. The parallel process is 'daimonification', or becoming daimones. Ranging in time from Hesiod and Empedocles through Plato and Origen to Plotinus and Christian gnostics, this book explores not only how these two forms of posthuman transformation are related, but also how they connect and chasten modern visions of transhumanist enhancement which generally lack a robust account of moral improvement.
Buy Posthuman Transformation in Ancient Mediterranean Thought: Becoming Angels and Demons by M. David Litwa from Australia's Online Independent Bookstore, BooksDirect.
Other Editions - Posthuman Transformation in Ancient Mediterranean Thought: Becoming Angels and Demons by M. David Litwa
A Preview for this title is currently not available.
Print on Demand, Firm Sale, 4-6 weeks for delivery.
How the Gospels Became History: Jesus and Mediterranean Myths
Carpocrates, Marcellina, and Epiphanes: Three Early Christian Teachers of Alexandria and Rome
Hermetica II: The Excerpts of Stobaeus, Papyrus Fragments, and Ancient Testimonies in an English Translation with Notes and Introduction
