Since the Ancient Greek legend of Icarus and Daedulus, humans have been fascinated by the potential of technology to transcend our biological limitations – to live longer, think smarter, and experience more. But what exactly could be achieved? Could we really do away with the nuisances of aging and death? Could our neural systems be put online, giving us the wealth of all human knowledge a thought away? Is this something we would even want? What are the dangers involved, and is it even possible to predict them? Are we in a position to even speculate about the effect of a transhumanist revolution would have on society, or is the uncertainty too great and risks too unpredictable? In this course, Fellow at Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute Anders Sandberg explains the history, motivations and goals of transhumanism, and offers predictions of what humanity might resemble in a trillion years.

By the end of the course, you will have learned:

• the reasons behind the unprecedented success of our species
• the classical and religious roots of modern transhumanist thinking
• the ways amateur transhumanists are modifying themselves today
• why we age, and whether we can stop doing so
• the dangers and costs of progress in genetic engineering
• where meaning might be found in a life where anything is possible

As part of the course, there are in-video quiz questions to consolidate your learning and discussion boards to have your say.

IAI Academy courses are designed to be challenging but accessible to the interested student. No specialist knowledge is required.