Better Humans: Enhancement and Life Extension

FutureImperative Blog provides a heads up for a fascinating online book on the topic of human enhancement.

Better Humans: The Politics of Human Enhancement and Life Extension has been made available by Demos.co.uk in the form of individual essays for downloading, in pdf format. Here are the essay/chapter titles:

01 - Stronger, longer, smarter, faster - Paul Miller and James Wilsdon
02 - Is it wrong to try to improve human nature? - Arthur Caplan
03 - Welcome to a world of exponential change - Nick Bostrom
04 - The mand who wants to live forever - Paul Miller and James Wilsdon
05 - The transhumanists as tribe - Greg Klerkx
06 - Brain gain - Steven Rose
07 - The cognition-enhanced classroom - Danielle Turner and Barbara Sahakian
08 - Better by design - Sarah Franklin
09 - More life - Jon Turney
10 - Nip/Tuck nation - Decca Aitkenhead
11 - The perfect crime - Rachel Hurst
12 - The unenhanced underclass - Gregor Wolbring
13 - Does smarter mean happier? - Raj Persaud

Always keep your "Luddite Detector" turned on, even when reading on futuristic topics. That is my only advice. There is much of interest and value in these essays, as well as some Luddisms.

All of the above links will take you to the downloads.

I intend to post more on individual essays as I have more time to look them over and evaluate them. Until then, enjoy.