Nov 19, 2024

Transhumanism, the Death of God, and Eternal War

Todd Hayen

It seems that the idea of transhumanism as a major force in this current global debacle is often put on the back burner and is considered a bit too extreme to really be taken seriously.

But if I was cornered and asked what I thought the three most significant, and horrifying, elements of this present human challenge were, I would say transhumanism (the destruction of humanity as a group of naturally-made humans), the attempt to kill God, and the waging of eternal war in the world. The primary method used to accomplish all of this is global collectivism.

The assault that all three of these things illustrate essentially boils down to the same basic fundamental endeavour—good vs evil. Good is defined as God’s creation (and if you don’t believe in God, just say “nature’s creation”) and evil is defined as the annihilation of God’s creation (or nature’s creation).

All three of these things stated in the title of this article are activities, profoundly human activities, and are all disguised as some necessary element in sustaining the “good” life. Which is about as ironic as you can get.

Transhumanism is disguised as technological progress in the spirit of maintaining a suffer-less life and extending that life as long as possible—improving on a fundamentally faulty creation. The death of God (of course no one or thing can “kill” God, but you know what I mean) is necessary for self-preservation (physical life).

God restricts us, or so they say, and it is inhuman to be beholding to any sort of powerful entity (assuming that God actually fits that limited definition). So clearly God (or the concept of God) must be destroyed if man is to take His place creating medical advancement to avoid the single thing a material human fears the most—death.

Destroying God creates at the same time the notion that physical life is the end-all of existence and that without God we are free to be God and create technology that knows how to sustain life better than God ever did, or ever will.

Never-ending war is more of a current technicality than a philosophical necessity. War is presently necessary to keep the fear of death alive, which is necessary to keep the techno-medical wheels turning, which is necessary to keep the desperation for never-ending life and physical “safety” alive.

War can be a variety of things, it can be the old-fashioned sort of war where men and women run around in open fields and get shot at or blown up in a variety of ways, or it can be the war of disease through pandemics, cancers, poisons a person eats, drinks, is jabbed with, or breathes. War of these sorts creates fears, which creates efforts to stay alive and safe, which creates compliance to the World Order which is calling the shots—no pun intended.

See how smoothly all of this works?

Let me present a bit of detail on each of these three concepts.

Transhumanism: The Quest to Transcend Human Limitations

Transhumanism, a term popularized in the 20th century, traces its origins to the Renaissance humanist thinkers who believed in the perfectibility of human beings.

However, the modern transhumanist movement gained momentum during the mid-20th century with the advent of rapid technological advancement, particularly in fields like artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, nanotechnology and genetic manipulation. Pioneers like Julian Huxley envisioned a future where humans could transcend their biological limitations through technology.

In an article I wrote a while back I reviewed C.S. Lewis’ iconic work, That Hideous Strength where the evil faction in his story envisions a world with no nature, no insects, no plants, no animals, not even physical humans. Their leader is a human head that has been kept alive through technological wizardry.

Modern transhumanism advocates for the use of technology to enhance the human condition, potentially leading to a post-human future where individuals can radically extend their lifespans, enhance their cognitive abilities, and even merge with machines. According to modernist writer Noah Harari, the human being has been “hacked,” and the soul is long dead (if it ever even existed). Harari’s future world is about as dismal as you can imagine, but he shares this vision with a lot of people who think a transhuman world would be the cat’s meow.

Medical advancement is focused entirely on the prolonging of life and the mitigation of physical suffering. Life being the only thing of any value, as certainly there is no “heavenly” existence after the death of the body (nor is the meaning of life of much importance).

Isn’t this appealing? Most people think it is. I mean, what fool would not think medical technology wasn’t the greatest accomplishment of humanity? Saving all those lives. What could be better? If we were to abandon all of that and live the life God (or nature) intended—a limited amount of time on this earth, experiencing suffering as well as joy—which medical advancement would we give up first? One thing most people do not think about is that most afflictions medicine treats are things brought about by man’s advancements in other areas that create environmental toxins, wars, diseases, cancers, and machines that cause serious accidents.

Modern doctors never treat wounds inflicted by a tussle with a sabre-tooth tiger.

And then we have figures like Ray Kurzweil, who predicts the coming of a “Singularity” where AI surpasses human intelligence, and have brought these ideas to the forefront. Kurzweil’s vision of merging with AI to achieve immortality is an example of the kind of radical future transhumanists imagine. Harari’s “hacked human” future, maybe a future even Elon Musk envisions with his Neuralink technology.

We have to question whether we should allow ourselves to alter fundamental aspects of our humanity. Many of us fear that transhumanism could exacerbate social inequalities by granting the wealthy greater access to life-extending technologies—duh—another point for the elite. Additionally, philosophers like Francis Fukuyama argue that meddling with human nature in such a fundamental way could have unforeseen consequences that undermine the very fabric of what it means to be human—ya think??

The Death of God: The Crisis of Faith in the Modern World

The concept of “the death of God” was introduced by 19th-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, most notably in his work The Gay Science. Nietzsche proclaimed, “God is dead,” which was less a celebration of atheism than an observation about the decline of religious belief in the face of scientific and philosophical progress. In Nietzsche’s view, the death of God heralded the collapse of absolute moral values and the rise of nihilism, a dangerous vacuum where traditional meaning-making systems no longer hold sway.

In the 21st century, Nietzsche’s observation remains relevant as secularism continues to rise, particularly in the West. Modern philosophers like Charles Taylor and Slavoj Žižek have examined the consequences of a post-God society, asking how individuals and cultures construct meaning in a world where religious structures no longer provide the dominant narrative.

Some thinkers argue that secular humanism, which places human welfare and ethical behavior at the center of meaning, offers an alternative to traditional religious belief. Others, like Jordan Peterson, suggest that the symbolic framework of religion continues to provide deep psychological and societal benefits, even if the literal belief in God has waned.

I’m with Peterson on this one. As a psychologist, and Jungian psychologist at that, the belief in God is tantamount to psychological, spiritual, and physical health. And it is not just a “belief” in God, as if God itself was not real and needed to be believed to make Him real. God is unquestionably real. It’s too deep of a concept to give it justice in a few sentences.

Yes, most of us (well, maybe not most, but many) have some issues with the traditional organized religions that describe God in a very specific way. But God, and the unifying principle of soul, is the very thing that keeps humanity together—the vitality of life. Without it, there is not much of anything left.

Never-Ending War: The Permanence of Conflict in the Modern Era

The idea of “never-ending war” is often tied to the works of political theorists such as George Orwell, whose novel 1984 depicted a dystopian society where perpetual war was used as a tool of social control. In the post-World War II period, particularly during the Cold War, the fear of never-ending global conflict became a reality. While the Cold War never escalated into a full-scale global war, it maintained a continuous state of tension between world powers.

Philosopher Giorgio Agamben argues that we now live in a “state of exception,” where governments use the threat of terrorism and instability to justify indefinite states of emergency and military action. In his view, this erodes civil liberties and normalizes war as part of the political landscape. Need I say more?

Eternal war is of course a monetary necessity since many countries are dependent on the war machine to keep their economies going.

The concepts of transhumanism, the death of God, and never-ending war are interconnected in subtle ways. The transhumanist desire to transcend human limitations may, in some sense, represent a modern attempt to fill the void left by the death of God, offering technology as the new source of meaning and transcendence.

Meanwhile, the persistence of war in the modern era highlights humanity’s struggle with violence and power, despite advances in technology and philosophical thought—as well as keeping the power of fear in the hands of those who run the whole shebang.

The irony of all of this is evident in the fact that whatever forces are behind these three major concepts is not benevolent. Transhumanism will not end in sublime health and eternal life, but actually the opposite—the end of the human race and likely the end of all life on earth. This will not be an unforeseen by-product of the effort but is actually at the heart of its intention.

Needless to say, the death of God is required to usher in transhumanism, as is never-ending war. War is merely a vehicle for fear, and fear is a vehicle for ultimate control. Ultimate control is a vehicle for the death of God and the death of the soul which will come to be as we advance further and further into transhumanism.

We can’t let this happen. God have mercy upon us.

Todd Hayen PhD is a registered psychotherapist practicing in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He holds a PhD in depth psychotherapy and an MA in Consciousness Studies. He specializes in Jungian, archetypal, psychology. Todd also writes for his own substack, which you can read here