Transhumanism, biopolitics and contemporary reconfigurations of power relations
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Abstract
The article proposes a critical reading of the transhumanist discourse, anchored in the notion of biopolitics proposed by Michel Foucault. Considering that the predominant aspect in different segments of transhumanism is human enhancement, we can affirm that the elaborations of this discursive set are based on a biological definition of man and the defense of his transformation – through genetics, biomedicine and new technologies – in such a significant way in its extension and scope that it would lead to the disappearance of human beings as we know them. This discursive plot also mobilizes a biomedical system, promoted by large corporations, in which individuals are encouraged to design and improve their bodies in search of a productive ideal. Starting from these elements we investigate a new form of biopolitics that would be emerging, centered on the individual body and in line with contemporary reconfigurations of power relations.
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