According to Zoltan Istvan, a transhumanist activist who wrote the foreword for the book Super You, the Three Laws of Transhumanism are:
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A transhumanist must safeguard one’s own existence above all else.
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A transhumanist must strive to achieve omnipotence as expediently as possible—so long as one’s actions do not conflict with the First Law.
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A transhumanist must safeguard value in the universe—so long as one’s actions do not conflict with the First and Second Laws.
Istvan’s novel The Transhumanist Wager. features the laws.
Three Laws of Transhumanism Explained
Writing in Psychology Today (click here), Istvan explained the rationale for his three laws of transhumanism:
“In general, a human will is defined by its genes, the environment, and the psychological make-up of its brain. However, a sophisticated artificial intelligence will be able to upgrade its “will.” Its plasticity will know no bounds, as our brains do. In my philosophical novel The Transhumanist Wager, I put forth the idea that all humans desire to reach a state of perfect personal power–to be omnipotent in the universe. I call this a Will to Evolution. The idea is built into my Three Laws of Transhumanism.”
Istvan is a former National Geographic and New York Times correspondent. He is the author of the bestselling novel, The Transhumanist Wager and is the founder of The Transhumanist Party. He ran as “the science candidate” in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. You can learn more about Istvan on his web site.
Where to buy Super You: How Technology is Revolutionizing What it Means to Be Human
