Books that talk about transhumanism

Books that talk about transhumanism: Transhumanism is the belief that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical and mental limitations and turn into a perfection. It can be viewed as an extension of humanism, which says that the individual matters, and that even if we are not perfect, we can strive to be better through knowledge, compassion and tolerance. Transhumanism says that while striving to be better, we should not be limited to traditional humanistic methods, such as education and cultural development, and that we can also use technological means that will eventually enable us to move beyond what some would think of as 'human'. This, according to many intellectuals, is problematic as the extension of what is human is unknown and can take us to a state that could be inhuman. Here are a few books that'll help you understand the many facets of transhumanism and will also warn you about the extent of the human knowledge and scientific practice.
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Cyborg by Martin Caidin: The novel was adapted into a 90-minute film for television titled The Six Million Dollar. The novel centres around an astronaut and a test pilot, Steve Austin, who experiences a catastrophic crash during a flight, leaving him alive with one limb destroyed, blind in one eye, and with other major injuries. Later, he is transformed into a cyborg with the help of Dr Rudi and the Office of Strategic Operations. Now the need to intact his soul into his metal body builds the core of the novel.
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Sapiens: A brief history of humanism by Yuval Noah Harari: Dr Yuval Noah Harari in this book tells us a history of the human kind and spans the whole of our anthropological history. From the very first humans to walk the earth to the radical breakthroughs of the Cognitive, Agricultural and Scientific Revolutions, Harrari delves deep to explain the human phenomena. He draws on insights from biology, anthropology, palaeontology and economics, and explores how the waves of history have shaped our human societies and even our personalities. Harrari's book also talks about the human impulse to produce more technology so he can step outside of his body and explore more, but he has also given the dangerous implications of such a proposition.
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Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka: It is the story of a young man who, transformed overnight into a giant beetle-like insect, became an object of disgrace to his family, an outsider in his own home and quintessentially, an alienated man. What makes the story interesting is whether the story is about a man who wakes up to find himself transformed into a beetle or if it’s about a schizophrenic individual with an unstable mind. Kafka left that open for the reader to decide.
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Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood: A novel dealing with extreme genetic engineering, Oryx and Crake revolves around the narrator Jimmy, aka Snowman and his genetically modified friend Crake. After the death of Crake, Jimmy embarks upon a journey with the green-eyed children of Crake to find answers related to the death of his friend and the beautiful and elusive Oryx. Atwood's brilliant tale at once shows us a world that is too familiar and one that is unimaginable.
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Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke: Aliens, known as Overlords have taken over the world and have set their base in New York. Intellectually, technologically, and militarily superior to humankind, the Overlords demand to unify earth, eliminate poverty, and end war. As human beings agreed to this utopian concept, a golden era begins but at a grave cost. As mankind doesn't have to contest for creative greatness, the Overlords' ulterior motives become clearer and earth soon seems to look like a hostile state for humans.
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Anukul by Satyajit Ray: Satyajit Ray’s short story is a brilliant take on how human beings manipulate everything according to their need. The novel centres around a simple school teacher who buys a robot for his daily needs, named Anukul. Written during the time when machines were replacing humans in factories and at different jobs, the story is a comment on rampant industrialization. But being a fan of science-fiction himself, Ray actually wanted to show how machines cannot be inherently evil and that they are only programmed to compute the way they behave. Ray wanted to highlight that the only species capable of conducting evil behaviour is man himself and if he doesn't check his actions, he is sure to face peril.
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The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells: This masterpiece of science fiction is the fascinating story of Griffin, a scientist who creates a serum that makes him invisible. We all have the desire to be invisible without realizing the consequences that come across with it. This novel is a perfect take on how everything has consequences and people need to use their conscience and scientific developments judiciously.
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Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan: The novel talks about a futuristic world where humans can be stored digitally and can be downloaded into another body called "sleeves". The novel is a narrative through the eyes of Ex-U.N. envoy Takeshi Kovacs who was murdered. He travels one hundred eighty light-years from his home and gets himself reincarnated into a sleeved body in Bay City to search for his murderer. The book overrules out the concept of death and portrays it as a mere blip on a screen.
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Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: With the clever use of technology, London is engineering citizens through artificial wombs and childhood indoctrination programs into predetermined classes (or castes) based on intelligence and labour. The main characters of the book take a holiday to a Reservation in New Mexico, where they observe for the first time natural-born people, witness the natural ageing process, encounter disease, other languages, and religious lifestyles. The book seeks to show how apparent technological progress may lead us to a dystopic situation and all we would yearn for is what's natural.
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Fledgeling by Octavia Butler: The book centres around Shori, a 53-year-old member of the Ina species who actually looks like a 10-year-old African-American girl. The novel starts with Shori waking up in a cave with critical injuries and is unaware of the fact who and where she is. The former part of the novel constitutes her struggle to find her identity. This gripping book lets you experience the different facets of human nature.
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To be a Machine by Mark O'Connell: To Be a Machine is a discovery of a journalist Mark O'Connell who explores the possibilities of moral dilemma that comes along when humans start thinking of their body as a device. He travels to various laboratories and conferences where he discovers new technologies like mind uploading, artificial superintelligence, cryonics, and device implants. The novel highlights the consequences of the human obsession with technology.
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Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: The novel follows researcher Victor Frankenstein unparallelled efforts to recreate a human from a dead body and his triumph as he reanimates a dead body, following his guilt for creating such a thing. Rejected and feared by mankind for its appearance and demeanour, the 'Frankenstein monster' seeks revenge on his creator's family to avenge his own sorrow. The novel highlights crucial issues like the use of knowledge for evil purposes, invasion of technology into modern life, and the restorative powers of nature in the face of unnatural events.
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