# Transhumanism Transhumanism is a futurist movement focused on using technology, biotech, and computing to push human physical and mental limits past their biological ceiling. Rooted in Nietzsche's 19th century Übermensch concept and shaped by Julian Huxley and philosopher Max More, it grew into a loose online subculture that treats mind uploading, cryonics, and genetic engineering as serious goals. ## Origin The word "transhuman" traces back to Friedrich Nietzsche's 1883 book Thus Spoke Zarathustra and its Übermensch, a figure who throws off slave morality to chase personal growth and self-overcoming[2]. Biologist Julian Huxley later used the exact word "transhumanism" in his 1927 book Religion Without Revelation, framing it as humanity remaining human but transcending itself through new possibilities[1]. The modern movement was defined in 1990, when philosopher Max More published the essay "Transhumanism: Toward a Futurist Philosophy," which most sources treat as the foundation of contemporary transhumanist thought[3]. The original piece laid out principles like perpetual progress, self-transformation, and rational thinking[4]. That same year the first gene therapy trial was run on a four-year-old girl with ADA deficiency, and the first web page went live, giving the movement both a technical touchstone and a place to gather[6]. - **Platform:** Print philosophy (origin) / early web (viral spread) - **Creator:** Max More (modern formulation); term coined by Julian Huxley - **Date:** 1990 ## Overview Online transhumanism covers a bundle of ideas, cryonics, radical life extension, cybernetic implants, uploaded consciousness, AI alignment, and genetic engineering, all tied together by the belief that biology is a problem to be engineered around[1]. Supporters often shorten the label to H+ and treat milestones like the September 1990 ADA gene therapy trial as early proof the project is working[5]. The subculture pulls heavily from science fiction and overlaps with rationalist, biohacker, and futurist communities on the open web[3]. Rather than a single meme format, transhumanism is a shared vocabulary, Übermensch, singularity, substrate independence, that circulates through essays, YouTube lectures, and forum debates[8]. ## How to Use Transhumanism is used less as a template and more as an identity tag. People typically self-describe as transhumanist or H+ on bios, drop the Übermensch reference in debates about AI and longevity, or build memes around mind uploading, cryo pods, and brain-chip jokes[7]. Esoteric offshoots like Esoh+ (Esoteric Transhumanism) mix the core tech-enhancement pitch with spiritual or divinial framing[9]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Transhumanism? Transhumanism is a futurist movement focused on using technology to push human physical and mental ability past biological limits, with goals like life extension, cybernetic implants, and mind uploading[1]. ### Where did Transhumanism come from? The idea traces back to Nietzsche's 1883 Übermensch, got its name from Julian Huxley in 1927, and was defined in modern form by philosopher Max More in a 1990 essay[2][4]. ### What does Transhumanism mean? It means the belief that humans should and will use science and technology to transcend current biological constraints, often shortened to H+ online[3]. ### How do you use Transhumanism? People use the word as an identity or ideology label in bios, essays, and videos, and build memes around uploading minds, cryonics, and bio-enhancement[7]. ### Is Transhumanism still popular? The subculture is still active online across YouTube, Substack, and futurist forums, and overlaps with modern AI, longevity, and biohacking communities[5][10]. ## References 1. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transhumanism]() 2. [https://nickbostrom.com/papers/history.pdf]() 3. [https://philosophynow.org/issues/93/Nietzsches_Ubermensch_A_Hero_of_Our_Time]() 4. [https://web.archive.org/web/20051029125153/http://www.maxmore.com:80/transhum.htm]() 5. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/transhumanism]() 6. [https://webfoundation.org/about/vision/history-of-the-web/]() 7. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_uploading]() 8. [https://www.explainingthefuture.com/transhumanism.html]() 9. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Transhumanism]() 10. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTMS9y8OVuY]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/transhumanism Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library