马克思主义哲学视域下的超人类主义研究

On Transhumanism,from the Perspective of Marxist Philosophy

超人类主义是一种向“后人类”社会过渡的状态,这一转变主要通过技术手段实现,即把对进化过程的控制从自然选择转变为有意识的改造进程。在西方社会,超人类主义者广泛存在于各个政治派别之中,他们往往兼具自然科学背景,并愈益表现出参与社会政治实践的愿望。当前,超人类主义已经显现出与马克思主义重新结合的趋势。表面看,超人类主义和马克思主义有着某种理论的关联性,如两者都重视物质条件,在人性观和自然观上看法相近,尤其强调技术进步对社会变革的重要性;但实际上,两者在关于人的社会性、资本主义生产方式等关键问题上观点相悖。立足马克思主义哲学研究超人类主义,需要厘清两个理论前提:一方面,超人类主义需要借鉴马克思主义关于社会性、人性和自然观的深刻见解,通过汲取马克思主义的思想养分进而拓展自己的理论深度;另一方面,马克思主义具有鲜明的时代性和与时俱进的理论品格,也需要将超人类主义作为其创新素材。马克思主义者应当积极探寻两者之间的理论联系,以期运用马克思主义哲学的立场、观点和方法引导超人类主义更加稳健地发展。

“Transhumanism” describes a state of post-humanistic society. It is realized mainly by technical means that alter the evolutionary process from natural selection to conscious transformation. In Western societies,transhumanists exist in various political factions. They often have a natural science background and increasingly show their desire to participate in social and political practice. Currently, the trends of transhumanism are being recombined with Marxism. On the surface,transhumanism and Marxism share a certain theoretical relevance,for instance,they both attach importance to material conditions,and they have similar views on humanity and nature that emphasize the importance of technological progress in social reform.At the same time,they have different views on key issues such as the social nature of human beings and the capitalist mode of production. To explore transhumanism on the basis of Marxist philosophy,two premises need to be clarified. First,transhumanism needs to learn more clearly the profound Marxist views on sociality,humanity and nature,and to expand its theoretical depth by more deeply absorbing Marxist notions. Second,Marxism has the characteristics of advancing with the times,which means transhumanism supplies important materials for its pursuit of innovation. Marxists should explore the theoretical connection between transhumanism and Marxism in order to guide transhumanism into a more stable position that is in alignment with the standpoints,viewpoints,and methods of Marxist philosophy.This essay hopes to promote communication between transhumanism and Marxism,with special attention to the issue of socialization. The history of Marxist thought shows that if we want to correctly reflect the interests of the whole society,then the whole society should participate in the process of using and developing advanced technology to shape nature,which is particularly important in view of the threats to human existence posed by advanced technology. Transhumanism should learn and absorb the correct Marxist understanding of humanity and nature,and be highly vigilant against the motivations of various elite enterprises to reshape the natural world. On the one hand,if the fundamental control of nature is given over to the interests of corporate business mainly motivated by profit,it may lead to unpredictable disaster. On the other hand,if technological advances cannot contribute to human self-determination,but rather returns people to the alienation brought by the capitalist mode of production,then the technological revolution will not lead to constructive social revolution. Transhumanists should also be constantly aware that nature is a process,and to understand and control it means that we must rely on the social power of people. We must also be aware of the risks of alienation posed by the new technological revolution and be ready to systematically respond to them by expanding our theoretical vision and constructing a new form of Marxist philosophy more in line with the particular features of the era. Realizing people’s liberation and their free and all-round development in the construction of contemporary society and advanced civilization is the attitude that contemporary Chinese Marxists should cultivate.