Transhumanism and Cognitive Science

Robert POCZOBUT

Zakład Epistemologii i Kognitywistyki, Uniwersytet w Białymstoku, Plac Uniwersytecki 1, 15-420 Białystok, Poland , Poland

Abstract

Works endorsing transhumanist ideas often appeal to various scientific disciplines, including cognitive science. A key transhumanist concept, that of cognitive enhancement, is closely linked with research conducted in such fields of cognitive science as artificial intelligence, cognitive robotics and the evolution of cognitive systems. This provokes the following questions: Do the research results of cognitive science really support the transhumanist vision of the future of mankind? What methodological differences and similarities are there between transhumanism and cognitive science? Is the conception of mind (cognition, intelligence) emerging from contemporary research in cognitive science compatible with the notion of mind adopted by the transhumanists? This paper provides answers to these questions. In the first part, I present the main transhumanist ideas associated with research in cognitive science. In the second, I discuss the main currents (paradigms) of research in cognitive science, focusing on the problems that have to do with transhumanism.

Keywords:

cognitive science, transhumanism, mind, cognition, cognitive enhancement, computational theory of mind