Read Through the A-Z of Techno-Optimism in Transcendence

 Singularity  

The age of  the cyborg is fast approaching and the new book, "Transcendence" takes us on an exciting look of our possible future.

W ith nearly ninety A-Z entries, the new book, Transcendence: The Disinformation Encyclopedia of Transhumanism and the Singularity by R.U. Sirius and Jay Cornell provides a multilayered look at the accelerating advances in artificial intelligence, cognitive science, genomics, information technology, nanotechnology, neuroscience, space exploration, synthetic biology, robotics, and virtual worlds that are making transhumanism a reality.

In Transcendence, techno-positive entries range from Cloning and Cyborg Feminism to Designer Babies and Memory-Editing Drugs. In addition, the book notes historical predecessors and personalities, both in mythology and history—ranging from Timothy Leary to Michael Jackson to Ray Kurzweil. It also introduces the culture around transhumanism.

"Transcendence is a refreshingly pro-human report on transhumanism and the 'Rapture of the Nerds.'"

Written as a series of stylistically flashy short articles, this book reads much like a collection of blog posts. Essentially, much of its content was derived from work originally posted and published online. Sound bites from experts populate the ends of chapters—all clear, concise, and conceptual. In fact, the book generally avoids technical jargon, making it suitable for a wide range of readers.

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According to media futurist Jason Silva, “RU Sirius and Jay Cornell present us with their own psychedelic guide to the galaxy in this adventurous idea-rich book, bootstrapping on emerging technologies that beckon us to take control of our evolutionary destiny and lead humanity towards radical new landscapes of mind, of dream, of cosmos, of possibility. Metaphors for self-transcendence are ‘liberalized’ as we ‘timelapse’ our capacity to artfully remake the world and ourselves.”

Douglas Rushkoff, author of Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now says, "Transcendence is a refreshingly pro-human report on transhumanism and the 'Rapture of the Nerds.'"

Forward Reviews writes that, "There’s no need to convert to the transhuman way to get something out of Transcendence; creatives, circuitheads, and fans of science fiction will find plenty here to stimulate the mind."

R.U. Sirius (Ken Goffman) is a writer, editor and well-known digital iconoclast. He was co-publisher of the first popular digital culture magazine, MONDO 2000, from 1989-1993 and co-editor of the popular book, MONDO 2000: A User’s Guide to the New Edge. He has written about technology and culture for Wired, The Village Voice, www.Salon.com, www.BoingBoing.net, Time Magazine, S.F. Chronicle, Rolling Stone, and Esquire among other publications. Sirius/Goffman also lectures widely having appeared as part of the Reality Hacking series at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, at the TedX conference in Brussels, and at San Francisco’s popular Dorkbot event. Visit him at: www.StealThisSingularity.com.

Jay Cornell is the former managing editor of h+ Magazine, and senior web developer at Landkamer Partners. He is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Lifeboat Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to defending humanity from existential risks.

By 33rd Square

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