A Common Space? Practical Rationality, the Public Sphere and the Dangers of Transhumanism

Transhumanism is nowadays, without any doubt, one of the most widely discussed topics, both in philosophical debates and beyond. As it is often the case with such important topics, several different phenomena are included under that label. In this paper I will argue that some of the features of transhumanism might threaten some of those forms of human relations which characterise a well-functioning society. After introducing a distinction between trans- and post-humanism, I will elaborate on the notion of public sphere (Öffentlichkeit), as defined by Jürgen Habermas: in contrast with the classical notion of civil society, the public sphere has a more dialogical-deliberative character. An analogy for this is sharing a language: while language may express a multiplicity of ideas, notions, and claims, which can be incompatible, the language speakers share the fundamental understanding of what is being said and how it can be said. Given this, transhumanism is not free of risks. According to a popular understanding of the history of humankind, human beings have a tendency for progressively expanding the boundaries of what is human, for example including under such label slaves, foreigners, women, and so on, over the course of time. But perhaps transhumanism will cause a much more substantial transformation: the very ontological identity of human beings may be called into question because of the potential differentiation of humanity into a real plurality of species