I have extracted 28 preliminary questions/objections/reactions to transhumanism. In order to turn this into a good FAQ I suggest we do as follows. I list all the questions below so that people can suggest which questions should be added/modified/deleted. Replies to this messege should only deal with that or with issues of proceedure. I will then make four separate posts, spread out in time, with 7 questions each so that we can discuss in more detail how to answer each question.
Anybody can comment on any question they feel like. I would like to collect two types of answers:
(1) Full answer: perhaps two paragraphs long (or ideas for what
should be included in the full answer). This will form the basis for
the FAQ.
(2) One-liners. Short replies that witty, funny, pithy,
disarming or polemically hard to counter. These would be useful, for
example, in debates and interviews.
When everybody has had enough time to comment I suggest that three or four experienced transhumanists get together (virtually) and write up a draft that can then be sent back to the list for further revision.
What is a posthuman?
Won't new technologies only benefit the rich and powerful? What happens to the rest?
What kind of society would posthumans live in?
Isn't transhumanism tampering with nature?
Won't transhuman technologies make us inhuman?
So you think technology will solve all problems?
What evidence is there that it will happen?
What is nanotechnology?
These new technologies will be used in war and may cause our extinction.
How will superintelligent machines treat us humans?
Is transhumanism a cult/religion?
Oh well... (Person sort of agrees in an intellectual way but doesn't take it to heart)
How could I become a posthuman?
The possibility of success (in cryonics) is too small.
Will the people of the future be interested in restoring you?
What recent progress has been made towards transhumanist goals?