Analysis Of Transhumanism By Francis Fukuyama

In Francis Fukuyama’s “Transhumanism”, he discusses the many complexities and contradictions surrounding transhumanism. He persuades his audience through logic and reason to convey the factual side of human nature, and as to why human nature is too fragile to alter. There is a certain balance to the human body and mental functions, and the temptations of transhumanism incredibly endanger this important harmony. Fukuyama goes on to discuss human character, emotion, and morality to show why transhumanism is counterproductive. Every human develops certain character traits throughout their lives that make them who they are. These traits can be very defining within a person’s life, and through biological transhumanism they can be tampered with and entirely change someone’s character. As human beings, we contain numerous traits, one example being aggression. Aggression in today’s society has earned a very negative connotation, and with prescribed medications, aggression becomes smothered into near extinction. Fukuyama cleverly counters these methods by stating, “If we weren’t violent and aggressive we wouldn’t be able to defend ourselves (Fukuyama 449)”. He brings a new side of logic into the circumstance when he conveys that

Humans are a very complex, and intelligent species. Certain aspects such as character, emotions, and morality help to contribute and to build upon these intricacies. Fukuyama uses the appeal of logos to bring reason into the aspect that human nature is a fragile balance, and when unnecessarily toiled with, it can entirely unravel a person’s demeanor. He supports his arguments by giving numerous examples as to how positive and negative aspects of our personalities directly link up, and by trying when trying to correct the negative side, we disrupt the positive side as well and become entirely off