Vom Transhumanismus zum technischen Staat

Transhumanists propagate the possibility of physically and mentally 'enhancing' and 'overcoming' the human race by using technology and science. In doing so, they present a liberal self-conception that is supposedly compatible with democratic structures. In contrast to this line of thought, this thesis shows that transhumanist ideology inherently carries technocratic features. To this end, it draws on Helmut Schelsky's theories on the technical state. In 1961, Schelsky affirmatively diagnosed an emerging technocracy of the scientific civilization. According to this argument, the universalization of the scientific method transforms negotiable issues into undeniable constraints and thus gradually dissolves classical parliamentary democracy. This thesis shows that contrary to its liberal self-conception, contemporary transhumanism reproduces Schelsky's basic technocratic ideas.