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Copyright © 2021 Gideon Ip Kei Lee All Rights Reserved. the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Has Permission to Reproduce A Copyright © 2021 Gideon Ip Kei Lee All rights reserved. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has permission to reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen by the Seminary, including, without limitation, preservation or instruction. BORN HUMAN AGAIN: A CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO TRANSHUMANISM BASED ON THE APOLOGETIC APPROACH OF FRANCIS SCHAEFFER __________________ A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary __________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy __________________ by Gideon Ip Kei Lee May 2021 APPROVAL SHEET BORN HUMAN AGAIN: A CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO TRANSHUMANISM BASED ON THE APOLOGETIC APPROACH OF FRANCIS SCHAEFFER Gideon Ip Kei Lee Read and Approved by: __________________________________________ James Parker III (Chair) __________________________________________ Timothy K. Beougher __________________________________________ Timothy Paul Jones Date______________________________ This dissertation is dedicated to my father, Rev. Wai Chi Lee, who taught me the first principle of theology: This is my Father’s world: O let me ne’er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................. x PREFACE .......................................................................................................................... xi Chapter WORLDVIEW APOLOGETICS AND TRANSHUMANISM .................................1 Introduction .........................................................................................................1 Worldview Apologetics ............................................................................. 5 Rethinking Traditional Evangelism ......................................................... 10 Escape from Reason ................................................................................ 11 The Worldview Apologetics of Schaeffer ............................................... 18 True Truth ................................................................................................ 26 A Worldview Apologetic Engagement .................................................... 28 A Contest of World Visions .................................................................... 31 A Y-Juncture Engagement ....................................................................... 33 The Organization of This Study .............................................................. 41 A Historical Overview of Transhumanism .......................................................45 Key Sub-movements of Transhumanism ................................................. 62 Key Ideas of Transhumanism .................................................................. 83 Transhumanist Forerunners ..................................................................... 95 Leading Advocates of Transhumanism ................................................... 97 Ideologies Related to Transhumanism ............................................................113 Humanism .............................................................................................. 113 Humanism and Transhumanism ............................................................ 116 iv Chapter Page Marxism and Transhumanism ............................................................... 119 Existentialism and Transhumanism ....................................................... 120 Anti-humanism ...................................................................................... 121 Nietzsche and Transhumanism .............................................................. 122 Posthumanism ........................................................................................ 126 Posthumanism and Transhumanism ...................................................... 128 Transhumanism as Secularist Faith ....................................................... 129 Radical Feminism .................................................................................. 132 Postgenderism ........................................................................................ 133 Objections to Transhumanism.........................................................................136 Religious Objections .............................................................................. 136 Ethical Objections .................................................................................. 140 Scientific Objections .............................................................................. 149 Christian Engagements with Transhumanism .................................................150 Materialist Bias ...................................................................................... 151 Criteria of Love ...................................................................................... 151 Transhumanism as a Christian Concept ................................................ 153 Posthumanism in the Bible .................................................................... 155 Feminist Posthumanism ......................................................................... 155 Ethics of Technology ............................................................................. 156 Anthropocentric Preoccupation ............................................................. 157 Systemic Transformation ....................................................................... 157 Metaphysical Questions ......................................................................... 158 Summary .........................................................................................................159 A WORLDVIEW ANALYSIS OF TRANSHUMANISM .....................................162 v Chapter Page Introduction to Chapter 2 ................................................................................162 The Transhumanist Moral Perspective............................................................163 Morphological Freedom ........................................................................ 164 Hedonistic Imperative ............................................................................ 166 A Utilitarian Case for Enhancement ...................................................... 171 Sin as Deficiency of Genetic Virtue ...................................................... 175 Posthuman Dignity ................................................................................ 176 Existential Risks .................................................................................... 178 The Transhumanist Epistemological Perspective ...........................................180 Pragmatism ............................................................................................ 180 Pancritical Rationalism .......................................................................... 184 Anthropic Bias ....................................................................................... 187 Status Quo Bias...................................................................................... 191 The Transhumanist Metaphysical Perspective ................................................195 Multiple Realizability ............................................................................ 195 Personal Identity .................................................................................... 198 Simulation Hypothesis ........................................................................... 201 The Transhumanist Eschatological Perspective ..............................................205 Techno-millennialism ............................................................................ 206 Technological Singularity ...................................................................... 209 Cosmological Awakening ...................................................................... 214 Summary .........................................................................................................217 ARGUMENTS AGAINST TRANSHUMANISM .................................................219 Introduction to Chapter 3 ................................................................................219 Arguments from Moral Philosophy ................................................................221 Multiple Human Classes ........................................................................ 221 vi Chapter Page Inconsistent Moral Values ..................................................................... 223 Commoditization of Body Parts ............................................................ 226 Posthuman Values ................................................................................. 226 Scientific Materialism ............................................................................ 228 Hypomania ............................................................................................. 230 Pride and Ingratitude .............................................................................. 231 Arguments from Science and Epistemology ...................................................235 The Implausibility of Life Extension ..................................................... 235 The Misnomer of Directed Evolution .................................................... 243 Depreciating Motherhood ...................................................................... 245 Unnatural Birth .....................................................................................
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