Posthuman Transformation in Ancient Mediterranean Thought
eBook - PDF

Posthuman Transformation in Ancient Mediterranean Thought

Becoming Angels and Demons

  1. English
  2. PDF
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Posthuman Transformation in Ancient Mediterranean Thought

Becoming Angels and Demons

About this book

There is not just a desire but a profound human need for enhancement - the irrepressible yearning to become better than ourselves. Today, enhancement is often conceived of in terms of biotechnical intervention: genetic modification, prostheses, implants, drug therapy - even mind uploading. The theme of this book is an ancient form of enhancement: a physical upgrade that involves ethical practices of self-realization. It has been called 'angelification' - a transformation by which people become angels. The parallel process is 'daimonification', or becoming daimones. Ranging in time from Hesiod and Empedocles through Plato and Origen to Plotinus and Christian gnostics, this book explores not only how these two forms of posthuman transformation are related, but also how they connect and chasten modern visions of transhumanist enhancement which generally lack a robust account of moral improvement.

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Yes, you can access Posthuman Transformation in Ancient Mediterranean Thought by M. David Litwa in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Philosophy & Ancient & Classical Philosophy. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half-title
  3. Title page
  4. Copyright information
  5. Epigraph
  6. Dedication
  7. Contents
  8. Acknowledgments
  9. List of Abbreviations
  10. Introduction: Angels, Daimones, and the Modern Thirst for Transformation
  11. Chapter 1 Hesiod and Daimonification in the Archaic and Classical Periods
  12. Chapter 2 Empedocles as Daimon
  13. Chapter 3 Plato and the Moralization of Daimonification
  14. Chapter 4 Daimonification in Xenocrates, Plutarch, Apuleius, and Maximus of Tyre
  15. Chapter 5 Moses Angelified in Philo of Alexandria
  16. Chapter 6 Origen, Angelification, and the Angelified Jesus
  17. Chapter 7 Plotinus as a Living Daimon
  18. Chapter 8 The Angelification of Zostrianos
  19. Conclusion: Advent or Apocalypse?
  20. Select Bibliography
  21. Index