eBooks

Teaching Transhumanism

0531
2021
978-3-8233-9495-2
978-3-8233-8495-3
Gunter Narr Verlag 
Engelbert Thaler

Onco-mice and cloned sheep, drones and auto-automobiles, neuro-enhancement and prosthetic therapy: Is transhumanism a "movement that epitomizes the most daring, courageous, imaginative, and idealistic aspirations of humanity" (Ronald Bailey 2004), or rather "the world's most dangerous idea" (Francis Fukuyama 2009)? This volume attempts to elucidate what we understand by the term "transhumanism", what topics and problems we face, what media are suitable for classroom use, what lesson scenarios seem effective, what benefits we may reap, and what challenges we have to cope with when we teach transhumanism in English language classes.

<?page no="0"?> ISBN 978-3-8233-8495-3 010 Onco-mice and cloned sheep, drones and auto-automobiles, neuro-enhancement and prosthetic therapy: I s transhumanism a “movement that epitomizes the most daring, courageous, imaginative, and idealistic aspirations of humanity” (Ronald Bailey 2004), or rather “the world’s most dangerous idea” (Francis Fukuyama 2009)? This volume attempts to elucidate what we understand by the term “transhumanism”, what topics and problems we face, what media are suitable for classroom use, what lesson scenarios seem effective, what benefits we may reap, and what challenges we have to cope with when we teach transhumanism in English language classes. www.narr.de E. Thaler (ed.) · Teaching Transhumanism Engelbert Thaler (ed.) Teaching Transhumanism 18495_Umschlag.indd 1,3 18495_Umschlag.indd 1,3 04.05.2021 14: 04: 45 04.05.2021 14: 04: 45 <?page no="1"?> Teaching Transhumanism <?page no="2"?> Augsburger Studien zur Englischdidaktik Edited by Engelbert Thaler (Augsburg) Editorial Board: Sabine Doff (Bremen), Michaela Sambanis (Berlin), Daniela Elsner (Frankfurt am Main), Carola Surkamp (Göttingen), Christiane Lütge (München), Petra Kirchhoff (Regensburg) Volume 2 Volume 10 <?page no="3"?> Engelbert Thaler (ed.) Teaching Transhumanism <?page no="4"?> © 2021 · Narr Francke Attempto Verlag GmbH + Co. KG Dischingerweg 5 · D-72070 Tübingen Das Werk einschließlich aller seiner Teile ist urheberrechtlich geschützt. Jede Verwertung außerhalb der engen Grenzen des Urheberrechtsgesetzes ist ohne Zustimmung des Verlages unzulässig und strafbar. Das gilt insbesondere für Vervielfältigungen, Übersetzungen, Mikroverfilmungen und die Einspeicherung und Verarbeitung in elektronischen Systemen. Internet: www.narr.de eMail: info@narr.de CPI books GmbH, Leck ISSN 2367-3826 ISBN 978-3-8233-8495-3 (Print) ISBN 978-3-8233-9495-2 (ePDF) ISBN 978-3-8233-0292-6 (ePub) Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http: / / dnb.dnb.de abrufbar. www.fsc.org MIX Papier aus verantwortungsvollen Quellen FSC ® C083411 ® www.fsc.org MIX Papier aus verantwortungsvollen Quellen FSC ® C083411 ® <?page no="5"?> 7 15 31 43 53 71 81 95 109 Contents Engelbert Thaler Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. Theory Engelbert Thaler Transhumanism in Language Teaching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roman Bartosch Lessons in Relatability. Posthumanism and Literacy Learning . . . . . . . . . . . Klaus Bredl Transhumanism - More Than Human? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. Methodology Werner Delanoy Quo Vadis Humankind? Transhumanism, Posthumanism and Language Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peter Hohwiller John Lanchester’s The Wall in the Advanced Language Classroom . . . . . . . Arthur Haberlach “Forever Young! I Want to Be Forever Young! ” Teaching Yuval Noah Harari’s Homo Deus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nicolina Pullmann Gender Identities in the Age of Transhumanism. Developing Intercultural Communicative Competence Among Advanced Learners in Game of Thrones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stefanie Fuchs Please, Download Your Identity Here. Transhumanism and the Concept of Identity as Promising Topics for EFL Classrooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . <?page no="6"?> 125 131 145 159 171 C. Lessons Ben Maré Dutschmann The Concept of Transhumanism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Katharina Stark Transhumanism in Films . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lorenz Körner Transhumanism and Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ben Maré Dutschmann Human Enhancement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Contents <?page no="7"?> Introduction Engelbert Thaler Is transhumanism really one of “the four greatest threats to humanity”, along with fundamentalism, nationalism and democracy, as the Indian neuroscientist Abhijit Naskar once put it provocatively? Or does transhumanism lead man‐ kind’s eternal quest to its final destination - the Fountain of Youth, the Elixir of Life, the Philosopher’s Stone: immortality? With the help of technology, transhumanists intend to improve intellectual faculties (intelligence, memory, concentration), physical attributes (health, ageing, vitality), and psychological properties (resilience, self-efficacy, moral enhancement). No doubt they have already achieved remarkable progress in many diverse fields. For example, the Nobel Prize 2020 for chemistry was awarded to Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna for the develop‐ ment of the CRISPR/ Cas9 genetic scissors, a method of genome editing, which may make the dream of curing inherited diseases eventually come true. In addition, innovations in Artificial Intelligence, bionic implantation, cognitive enhancement, neural (mind-machine) interfaces, genetic engineering, space colonization etc. promise paradise on earth. Yet what about the political, economic, social, cultural, and ethical repercussions of these Brave New World building blocks? Transhumanism represents both a fascinating and frightening topic - “mys‐ terium tremendum et fascinosum”, as theologian Rudolf Otto summarized the ambivalence of God’s sanctity. It is of timeless topicality and existential rele‐ vance. And by now, there is a plethora of fascinating literary and non-fictional texts, pop songs and music videos, movies and TV series, docus and games, which are likely to have great appeal with our students, and which provide some sweet agony of choice for teachers. For all these reasons, this book is dedicated to the language teaching potential of transhumanism. As all edited volumes in the SELT (Studies in English Language Teaching) series, it follows a triple aim: <?page no="8"?> 1. Linking TEFL with related academic disciplines 2. Balancing TEFL research and classroom practice 3. Combining theory, methodology and exemplary lessons This triple aim is reflected in the three-part structure of this volume. In Part A (Theory), the topic of transhumanism is investigated from the perspectives of three academic disciplines, i.e. TEFL, literary studies, and media science. Part B (Methodology) assembles five contributions on rewarding methods, media and materials with regard to teaching transhumanism. Four concrete lesson plans can be found in Part C (Classroom). These lessons were designed by students and lecturer at university and finally revised by the editor. Each of these four chapters is divided into background information, procedure (source, synopsis, competences, topics, level, time, phases of the lesson), materials (texts, worksheets, board sketches), solutions (expected answers), and bibliography. Part A is introduced by the TEFL perspective. Engelbert Thaler tries to elucidate what we understand by the term transhumanism, what topics and problems we face, what media are suitable for classroom use, what lesson scenarios seem effective, what benefits we may reap, and what challenges we have to cope with. The perspective of literature is adopted by Roman Bartosch. He critically assesses the potential of posthumanism for educational discussions of literary learning, especially in the context of digitization as well as literature and media pedagogy. Focusing on the pedagogic potentials of novels and internet memes, he argues that these media underline the importance of empathetic perspective-taking, reconceptualized as relatability in the English classroom as well as the virtual world of the web. Klaus Bredl embraces the perspective of media science. He first explains the concepts of transand posthumanism. Then his contribution focuses on the role of technology in transhumanism. At the end, two specific topics are briefly discussed: the relationship between transhumanism and spirituality, and the current situation of Covid-19 with regard to transhumanism. Part B is introduced by Werner Delanoy. He first discusses different transand posthumanist perspectives, before he draws our attention to their relevance to (English) language education. Finally he presents some ideas for teaching Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe trilogy, with a special focus on the first novel (Scythe 2016), as these young adult novels display a future scenario for humankind where transthumanist ideas and ideals have become a reality. Peter Hohwiller proves that dystopian fiction has more to offer than Brave New World and 1984. John Lanchester’s 2019 novel The Wall has many 8 Engelbert Thaler <?page no="9"?> ticks in the right didactic boxes, as it is short, linguistically accessible for Sekundarstufe II courses, and it deals with a topic of global concern: climate change. In his contribution, Hohwiller discusses the didactic potential and the classroom application of Lanchester’s novel. Yuval Harari introduces Homo Deus, this famous outlook into tomorrow, with the bold claim that humanity has finally triumphed over the “Three” Horsemen of the Apocalypse, i.e. starvation, epidemics, and violence, and is now on the hunt for new nemeses. Employing the scenario technique, Arthur Haberlach provides students with Harari’s insights into our path to becoming transhuman “homines dei”. His article also presents songs, fictional and non-fic‐ tional texts as well as videos and current pop-cultural influences, in order to equip students with the necessary tools on their journey through the 21st century - or even beyond it. These books have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, and the TV adaptation has become one of the most popular cable series worldwide: GoT - Game of Thrones. Along with encouraging film literacy, Nicolina Pullmann focuses on promoting intercultural awareness of the formation of gender roles beyond the binary in a radically altered world. Showing that gender has always been linked to power and privilege by analyzing The Purple Wedding scene of GoT, she intends to inspire students’ curiosity to move beyond the old dualities when thinking about the age of transhumanism. Stefanie Fuchs is concerned with the question of what relationships emerge between concepts of identity and technology. After a brief critical examination of the topic of transhumanism, several teaching ideas for secondary TEFL class‐ rooms are recommended, including the thematic frames of I am a Superhero*ine, Inspector Gadget, Batman, Superman, and Iron Man. Part C comprises four contributions, which demonstrate how transhumanism can be made concrete use of in the English language classroom: • To begin at the beginning: What is transhumanism? Ben Maré Dutsch‐ mann tries to answer this question by resorting to a YouTube clip. In episode 20, Transhumanism: Will Humans Evolve to Something Smarter? by BBC Ideas, the philosopher Julian Baggini explains what transhu‐ manism is and what the radical idea of a humanity 2.0 could mean for our future. • Do you want to live in a world where humans are genetically engineered to stop aging at 25? Against the background of global overpopulation, people from this age on have to gain time to extend their life span, which makes time instead of money the currency of this dystopian society. 9 Introduction <?page no="10"?> Katharina Stark teaches the American science fiction action movie In Time, combining TBLL (Task-Based Language Learning) and Blended FBLL (Film-Based Language Learning). In addition, she briefly describes numerous movies that deal with the six major motifs of transhumanism: super-longevity, genetic engineering, neurological manipulation, mind uploading, cyborgs, and Artificial Intelligence. • The relationship between transhumanism and religion is explored by Lorenz Körner. Based on texts from the Holy Bible and other sources, his teaching unit informs about goals, chances, effects and limits of trans‐ humanism against the background of religious concepts like salvation and eternal life. The sequence is intended for CLIL courses (Religious Education & English) and applies the jigsaw technique. • To finish with, it is Ben Maré Dutschmann’s turn again. He makes students aware of the ambivalence of human enhancement, which can be both a blessing and a curse. The topics of designer babies, neural interfaces and CRISPR-Cas9 are discussed via group work, and rounded off with the good angel/ bad angel technique. These lesson scenarios as well as the theoretical and methodological contribu‐ tions in this volume may help you to decide whether 16 th century English philosopher Francis Bacon (“Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed”) or modern-day transhumanist Chris Armstrong (“Nature, to be transcended, must be amended”) is right. Referring to the famous opening sentence of Rousseau’s magnum opus The Social Contract and Karl Marx’ Communist Manifesto, transhumanist Simon Young solemnly professes: “Man is not born free, but everywhere in biological chains. People of the world, unite - you have nothing to lose but your biological chains.” Assuming that humanism freed us from the chains of superstition, he wants transhumanism to free us from our biological chains. Apart from the intricacies of collective appeals, unchaining nature and throwing off shackles, however, do not automatically lead to universal bliss. In his science fiction novel, The Broken God (1992: 236), American author David Zindell presents this dialogue: “What is a human being, then? ” “A seed.” “A … seed? ” “An acorn that is unafraid to destroy itself in growing into a tree.” Let’s hope that in this process, not too much of the essence is destroyed. And what would Miranda in Shakespeare’s The Tempest (V, i) finally reply? 10 Engelbert Thaler <?page no="11"?> “How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, That has such people in’t! ” 11 Introduction <?page no="13"?> A. Theory <?page no="15"?> Transhumanism in Language Teaching Engelbert Thaler Onco-mice and cloned sheep, drones and auto-automobiles, neuro-enhancement and prosthetic therapy: Is transhumanism a “movement that epitomizes the most daring, courageous, imaginative, and idealistic aspirations of humanity”, as the American libertarian science writer Ronald Bailey hailed it (2004), or rather “the world’s most dangerous idea”, as the well-known US political scientist Francis Fukuyama (2009) once called it. This paper attempts to elucidate what we understand by the term transhumanism, what topics and problems we face, what media are suitable for classroom use, what lesson scenarios seem effective, what benefits we may reap, and what challenges we have to cope with. 1. Terminology Given the multitude of different directions, it is not surprising that we face almost as many definitions as there are people writing about the subject. There is no generally valid definition of transhumanism (Latin “trans”: ‘beyond’, and “humanus”: ‘humane’). Max More (1990) offers the following definition: Transhumanism shares many elements of humanism, including a respect for reason and science, a commitment to progress, and a valuing of human (or transhuman) ex‐ istence in this life rather than in some supernatural ‘afterlife’. Transhumanism differs from humanism in recognizing and anticipating the radical alterations in the nature and possibilities of our lives resulting from various sciences and technologies such as neuroscience and neuropharmacology, life extension, nanotechnology, artificial ultraintelligence, and space habitation, combined with a rational philosophy and value system. In nuce: Transhumanism represents a line of thought that seeks to expand the limits of human possibilities by using various technological procedures. The evolution of life has promoted the development of higher and higher species - and probably did not end with man. <?page no="16"?> “Human is a step in evolution, not the culmination.” (Nikola Danaylov) In the past, nature has brought forth new species, but today man has so much scientific and technical skill that we can consciously create new species. Through conscious self-evolution, humans may perhaps transform them‐ selves into higher beings who are physically, intellectually, ethically, culturally, aesthetically and emotionally much higher than they are today - as far above us humans as we are above the monkey: from Trans-Chimpanzees to Trans-Humans The conceptual heterogeneity, on the one hand, results from the multitude of disciplines involved (biology and philosophy, cybernetics and artificial intelli‐ gence, political science and literary studies, nanotechnology and complexity theory, etc.), and, on the other hand, from the overlap with the concept of posthumanism. “We need to understand that five hundred years of humanism may be coming to an end, as humanism transforms itself into something that we must helplessly call posthumanism” (Hassan 1977: 843). Posthumanists (cf. i.a. Nayar 2014) deny the classical humanist paradigm, “in which an ideal human Self/ Subject stands at the center of creation and commands all that is not made in … ‘His’ image” (Csicsery-Ronay 1999: 313), reject a human exceptionality (Snaza et al. 2014) and demand the decentering of the human being. This implies a fundamental egalitarianism, which starts from a single matter, postulates an equality of all life and abolishes traditional binary oppositions (Braidotti 2014). That is why opposites such as nature - artificiality, body - spirit, material - virtual, organic - mechanical, human - animal are obsolete. To further increase the terminological confusion, the affixes postand transas well as super-, meta-, hyperor antiappear as prefixes of humanism. Although posthumanism is the most popular term, this “post” (‘after’) evokes either the departure from humanity and the paradoxical notion that man has the will and the power to proclaim his end, or associations with ‘against / anti’. Transhumanism seems to be a more appropriate term, because it is more neutral in value, not reminiscent of ‘after’ or ‘anti’, something that lies beyond common notions of the human being and does not have to be limited to technological innovations. 16 Engelbert Thaler <?page no="17"?> 2. Issues In view of these facets, the following thematic decalogue could be dealt with in foreign language teaching. 2.1 Practical Issues What is the likelihood that the goals sought by transhumanists can actually be achieved? Critics doubt the feasibility of predicted technologies and point to numerous failed prophecies concerning technological progress in the past ( Jones 1998, Dublin 1992). However, one could also argue that in view of the enormous medical progress in recent decades, humanity is already transhuman. 2.2 Ethical Issues To what extent do transhumanist positions threaten human values? The Nobel Prize 2020 for chemistry was awarded for the development of Crispr/ Cas 9, a method of genome editing. With the help of these genetic scissors, the dream of being able to cure inherited diseases may come true. This tool has taken the life sciences into a new era and can bring great benefit to humankind. Yet, what is a promise, can also be a peril. Due to its potential to alter human heredity, Crispr has become one of the most controversial developments in science. In 2018, He Jiankui, a Chinese scientist, announced that he had used the tool to edit the genes of human embryos, which brought forth the world’s first genetically modified infants. His experiments were condemned by many in the scientific community as reckless and risky. Several biologists reject the intention of interfering with nature by over‐ coming universal human limitations (ageing, physical and cognitive limits), eliminating the difference between humans and artifacts, and producing human-animal chimeras (McKibben 2003, Rifkin 1993, Newman 2003). How‐ ever, some personality theorists discard this criticism as anthropomorphobia (Isaac Asimov’s “Frankenstein complex”, i.e. the fear of mechanical men, which produces the “yuck factor”, a reaction of repugnance and distaste), or regard physical self-optimization as a logical consequence of a commercialized hyper-individualism. This begs the question: Is there still an ontological distinction between human - non-human - inhuman - animal? 17 Transhumanism in Language Teaching <?page no="18"?> 2.3 Eugenic Issues Do genetic engineering experiments lead to eugenic discrimination? Historical experiences, e.g. Social Darwinism, the survival of the fittest, racial hygiene, the Ayrian race, the Germanic “Übermenschen” master race with its dogmas of life unworthy of life and blood purity, sometimes give rise to visions full of inhuman scenarios. 2.4 Religious Issues Are human beings allowed to put themselves in the place of God? What some transhumanists promise us for this world (“heaven on earth”), Christian theologians expect only in the hereafter: the end of suffering and eternal life (International Theological Commission 2002). 2.5 Political Issues Does transhumanism undermine the ideals of liberal democracy? Fukuyama (2009), for example, fears a fundamental change in human nature and equality (”… we all possess a human essence”). 2.6 Socio-Economic Issues Will the gap between rich and poor become even wider? Especially the wealthy classes can afford the emerging enhancement tech‐ nologies, which could lead to a “genetic divide” (McKibben 2003) and a two-tier society of genetic “haves” versus “have nots” (see the film Gattaca, 1997). 2.7 Existential Issues Do modern technologies threaten human survival? British astrologer Rees (2003), for example, claims that new technologies pose an immense risk to Earth and that the probability of humanity’s demise before 2100 is 50 %. In contrast, the so-called “precautionary principle” suggests that humans are cautious in preventing potential dangers, despite a patchy knowledge base. 2.8 Cultural-Aesthetic Issues In his concept of panoptism, Michel Foucault (1977) already noted the social conformity of the individual resulting from increasing surveillance mechanisms. Society controls human bodies by making them feel that they are observed permanently; accordingly they stage themselves aesthetically. Against the background of AI and posthuman bioethics, Abrams (2004) fears the elimination of differences in favour of uniformity. 18 Engelbert Thaler <?page no="19"?> 2.9 Technological Issues How can we weigh the pros and cons of all the individual transhumanistic techniques? Does a hybrid fusion of human bodies with intelligent machines make sense (chip implantation, cyborgs)? Or the freezing of the body/ brain for later reanimation (cryonics)? Or the transfer of one’s own consciousness to an external medium (mind uploading) (e.g. Greenfield 2015)? 2.10 Media-Educational Issues Should digital media in education be assessed more critically? At least representatives of a critical posthumanism ask themselves this question. “In education, however, the rather uncritical endorsement of a nar‐ rative of digitalisation as a means of progress and a blessing merely and rather unreflectedly underlines the dominance of technology that a critical posthumanism calls into question” (Bartosch 2019: 15). In the “brave new world of digital learning”, a critical reflection of the narrative of innovation should also take into account the underlying interests of business groups, and change the question of “what works” to “works for what”. 3. Media “The medium is the message”, as the Canadian communication theorist Marshall McLuhan once claimed - or is it the massage? Does a movie, or a novel, or a computer game relieve or sharpen our pain of transhumanism? The following selection can only offer a small part of the large reservoir of media with transhumanistic motifs, which may be suitable for the foreign language classroom (cf. i.a. Thaler 2018, 2016, 2014, 2012, 2008). 3.1 Visual Fiction • Miller, Frank et al. 2013. RoboCop. • Rosenberg, Louis. 2008. Upgrade. • Rosenberg, Louis. 2014. Monkey Room. • Tan, Shaun. 2006. The Arrival. • Thomas, Valerie. 2016. Winnie’s Big Bad Robot. In this picture book, Winnie the Witch makes a cardboard robot and decides to turn it into a real robot. That, however, is a BIG mistake! Winnie and Wilbur soon discover that the Big Bad Robot is trouble, especially when it grabs Winnie’s magic wand. 19 Transhumanism in Language Teaching <?page no="20"?> 3.2 Novels • Atwood, Margaret. 2003. Oryx and Crake. • Brown, Dan, 2013. Inferno. • Coetzee, J.M. 1999. The Lives of Animals. • DeLillo, Don. 2016. Zero K. • Egan, Greg. 1995. Distress. • Ghosh, Amitav. 1995. The Calcutta Chromosome. • Gibson, William 1984. Neuromancer. The Sprawl trilogy is Gibson’s first set of novels, composed of Neuromancer (1984), Count Zero (1986), and Mona Lisa Overdrive (1988). It is set in a near-future world dominated by ubiquitous technology and powerful corpo‐ rations, and guided by mind-machine interface (MMI), emerging machine intelligence, and global information space (“cyberspace”). • Huxley, Aldous. 1932. Brave New World. • Hornung, Eva. 2009. Dog Boy. • Ishiguro, Kazuo. 2005. Never Let Me Go. • Lanchester, John. 2019. The Wall. In his latest novel, the author of The Capital (2012) recounts a dystopian story after a climatic event, when movement between countries is outlawed, and the UK has turned into a fortress, which is walled in concrete and con‐ trolled by British youngsters looking for “Others”. Lanchester’s disquieting environmental anti-utopia was longlisted for the Booker Prize 2019. • Lowry, Lois. 1993. The Giver (Film: 2015) • Shelley, Mary. 1818. Frankenstein. • Simmons, Dan. 1991. Hyperion. • Wells, Herbert George. 1896. The Island of Dr. Moreau. 3.3 Plays • Churchill, Caryl. 2008. A Number. In this drama, the English playwright treats the topic of human identity and cloning, in particular nature versus nurture. Exploring the risks of artificial creation, the play is centred around the conflict between a father and his three sons, two of whom are clones of the first one. 20 Engelbert Thaler <?page no="21"?> • Marshall-Griffith, Linda. 2016. Charlotte Brontë’s Village Re-imagined. 3.4 Short Stories • Buckell, Tobias. 2004. Necahual. • Hulme, Keri. 2004. Floating Words. • Stiegler, Marc. 1989. The Gentle Seduction. 3.5 Poems • Bot or Not. http: / / botpoet.com/ . This poem is a Turing test for poetry: The reader has to guess whether the poem they are reading is written by a human or by a computer. • Brautigan, Richard. 1967. All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace. I like to think (and the sooner the better! ) of a cybernetic meadow where mammals and computers live together in mutually programming harmony like pure water touching clear sky … • Burke, Ben. 2015. The Transhumanist’s Lament. https: / / ideas.ted.com/ a-p oem-from-the-future/ (audio + verse). … The wallpaper can see that you’re stressed, So it turns a lovely shade of blue The thermostat has thought things over And is ready to have a word with you … And Doctor mailman robot Printed your pills in quite a hurry Your vitamins were running low Now there’s B12 in your curry … 21 Transhumanism in Language Teaching <?page no="22"?> 3.6 Non-Fictional Texts • H+Pedia. https: / / hpluspedia.org/ wiki/ Main_Page. • Harari, Yuval Noah. 2015. Homo Deus. A Brief History of Tomorrow. In his new cult book, the author of Sapiens examines the future of Homo sapiens. He realizes that during the 21st century, humanity may gain immortality and God-like powers (homo deus), but he closes with the following question: “What will happen to society, politics and daily life when non-conscious but highly intelligent algorithms know us better than we know ourselves? ” • Kurzweil, Ray. 2005. The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. • More, Max/ Natasha Vita-More (eds.). 2013. The Transhumanist Reader. • Pottbäcker, Kirsten. 2006. Science (Fiction) in the Third Millennium. “Chal‐ lenges” series. 3.7 Movies • Avatar. 2009ff. • Bladerunner. 1982. • Her. 2013. This American sci-fi romantic drama movie directed by Spike Jonze satirizes digital affairs in a techno-perfect future world. It is centred around the relationship between an introverted man (acted by Joaquin Phoenix) and an artificially intelligent virtual assistant with a female voice. • Gattaca. 1997. “I not only think that we will tamper with Mother Nature, I think Mother wants us to.” (Willard Gaylin, Gattaca) • I, Robot. 2004. • Matrix. 1999. • RoboCop. 1987. • The Hunger Games. 2012ff. • Transformers. 2007ff. 22 Engelbert Thaler <?page no="23"?> • Transcendence. 2013. • X-Men. 2000ff. 3.8 TV Series • Black Mirror. 2011ff. • Life after People. 2009/ 10. • Orphan Black. 2013ff. • Stargate SG-1. 1997ff. • Westworld. 2016ff. • Years and Years. 2019ff. 3.9 Documentaries • Fixed: The Science/ Fiction of Human Enhancement. 2013. • How Would Immortality Change the Way We Live? 2017 (6 min.). • Ray Kurzweil: The Coming Singularity. www.youtube.com/ watch? v=1uIz S1uCOcE • Transcendent Man. 2009. This docu chronicles the life and visions of Ray Kurzweil, an American futurist, hailed by Forbes as “the ultimate thinking machine”. It also presents his daring vision of the Singularity, i.e. a point in the near future when technology will be changing so quickly that we will need to enhance ourselves with artificial intelligence to keep up. • Transhumanism. 2019. www.youtube.com/ watch? v=RmS_aL-cKxU • Visions of the Future: Science and Technology. 2018. This is a collection of 6 x 5-7-minute clips on regenerative medicine, genetic match-making, the city car, the bionic boot, etc. 23 Transhumanism in Language Teaching <?page no="24"?> 3.10 Music Videos • A Capella Science. 2016. CRISPR-Cas9 This hilarious Mr. Sandman parody satirizes the Nobel Prize (2020) winning genetic engineering technique by which the genomes of living organisms can be modified: (lyrics) … Cas9 Cheap and precise Rewriting genomes from microbes to mice And soon the humble human being CRISPR-Cas9 bring me a gene … • Dorian Electra. 2015. Forever Young: A Love Song to Ray Kurzweil. • Lady Gaga. 2011. Born This Way. Lady Gaga plays with identity in a post-/ transhumanist manner (Miller 2020): • is an alien goddess, a zombie, a dancer, an evil goddess, a humanoid life form; video cuts between shots of her different roles ▶ her identity is constantly changing • common binaries are broken down: good/ evil (“How can I protect something so perfect without evil? ”), male/ female, white/ nonwhite (backup dancers in shadow ▶ gender and racial distinctions obscure), human/ non-human (new creatures: “a race within the human race”, “bears no prejudice, no judgment” ▶ transhumanist ideas: more than human, human enhancement) • lyrics: “I was born this way” ▶ contradiction to posthuman message (universal and constant nature in each person) or emphasis of posthu‐ manism (“same DNA” ▶ breakdown of binaries)? • music: autotuning, electronically manipulating the human voice ▶ a hybrid human-robotic sound ▶ distinction between human and machine distorted. • Katy Perry. 2011. E.T. 3.11 Songs • Coldplay. 2005. Talk. • Grimes. 2012. Be a Body. • Neurotech. 2014. Transhuman. 24 Engelbert Thaler <?page no="25"?> • Post Human Era. 2011. Building the Machine. • Queen. 1986. Who Wants to Live Forever. • The Lisps. 2011. Singularity. 3.12 Computer Games • Deus Ex. 2000ff. • Fallout 4. 2015. • BioShock. 2007ff. 4. Scenarios Apart from the impulses given in the section above, teachers could be inspired by the following lesson sequences: • Carrying out a blog project discussing the question “What makes us human? ”, including a class blog and individual student blogs (Herbrechter 2019) • Studying representations of posthumans in visual literature, making use of picture books and graphic novels, and finally having pupils design their own posthumans (Ludwig/ Shipley 2019) • Organizing debates on the pros and cons of certain transcultural technol‐ ogies, e.g. cryonics • Planning an intermedial sequence on Ray Kurzweil with the help of his book on singularity, a documentary and a music video (see above) • Addressing the ethical dilemmas of cloning by reading a novel by Ishiguro and a play by Churchill (Boller/ Voigts 2019) • Focusing the concept of otherness by treating a theatre play, a TV series and a novel (Hoydis 2019) • Discussing quotations, e.g. ▷ It may be that our role on this planet is not to worship God - but to create him. (Arthur C. Clarke) ▷ It is a postmodern truth universally acknowledged that today’s parody is tomorrow’s reality. (Csicsery-Ronay) ▷ L’existence précède essence. ( Jean Paul Sartre) 25 Transhumanism in Language Teaching <?page no="26"?> 5. Potential All these teaching scenarios already hint at the benefits of this topic in TEFL. Transand posthumanism are themes of timeless topicality and existential relevance. Motifs such as the striving for immortality can be found in the Gilgamesh Epic and the historical search for the source of eternal youth. In addition, are there more important questions than “What is man? ” and “What can/ should/ must/ may he/ she be? ”? These questions should also arouse intrinsic interest among our adolescent students. Technological future scenarios generally evoke excitement and crea‐ tivity in our “digital native” learners. Furthermore, there is no shortage of fascinating media and materials for a lively discussion of the usually very controversial transhumanist concepts - rather the agony of choice. By now, there are canonical literary texts, for which secondary sources are already available (e.g. Atwood’s Oryx and Crake, Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go). Finally, the discourse on transhumanism in the field of research methods could lead to a critical reflection on the empirical turn, which discriminates against hermeneutic-interpretive methods in favour of quantitative-statistical methods. Snaza/ Weaver (2014: 2), for example, attack this “methodocentrism” - “the belief that particular, pre-formed methods can guarantee the validity of an intellectual investigation into the world by factoring out the vicissitudes of the observer’s entanglement with the world.” However, purely empirical methods do not do justice to the complexity of human relationships and learning processes - this “more-than-human world” (Ib.). 6. Challenges Where there are benefits, there must be problems as well. “Nichts ist ohne sein Gegenteil wahr”, as Martin Walser once claimed, or “Sic et Non” (“Yes and No”), as Peter Abelard, the medieval French scholastic philosopher, stated in the 12th century. Dealing with trans-/ posthumanism in the classroom presents the teacher with two challenges which are anything but insignificant. In terms of discourse evaluation, it is often difficult to distinguish between serious argumentation and fashionable hype. What is catchy neologism, euphoric take-off into dream worlds, sectarian dogmatism, irrational speculation, fanaticism, nihilism, ex‐ pression of human self-hatred, fear-of-death-driven fantasy? And where are we dealing with scientifically founded and ethically reflected developments? With 26 Engelbert Thaler <?page no="27"?> some advocates of transhumanism, one believes to be able to diagnose symptoms of over-confidence. Hype or hubris? From a didactic point of view, high demands are put on the teacher’s competence. Who possesses sufficient domain-specific knowledge in artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology, simulated reality, super-intelligence, chemical brain preservation, 3D bio-printing, mind uploading, cryonics? “Dealing with the posthuman as an encounter with alterity on various levels presupposes and requires quite a lot of theoretical knowledge, textual-analytical skills and understanding” (Hoydis 2019: 175). The complexity and heterogeneity of the topic is further exacerbated by partly contradictory positions and intersections between postand trans-, between humanism and feminism, colonialism, modernism etc.: “One runs the risk of overburdening the curriculum with just one too many ‘-isms’, ‘post-’, and ‘trans-’, each of which, of course, easily warrants instructional consideration and a class (or several) on its own” (Ib.). 7. Conclusion Well, who is right: Is transhumanism “the most dangerous idea in the world” (Fukuyama 2009) or “the most daring, courageous, visionary and idealistic endeavor of mankind” (Bailey 2004)? We humans are - and have always been - a work in progress of creation or evolution. “Up till now human life has generally been, as Hobbes described it, ‘nasty, brutish and short’” (Huxley 1957). Are we not called upon “to think beyond humanism, anthropomorphism and anthropocentrism” (Callus et al. 2014: 112)? Bartosch demands a critical discourse “with the future, with global survival and with living together” (2019: 13). To let the biologist, “founder” of transhumanism (and brother of the great writer Aldous) once again have his say: “The human species can, if it wishes, transcend itself ” (Huxley 1957) - with Julian Huxley consciously inserting the short conditional clause “if it wishes”. Bibliography Abrams, Jerold (2004). “Pragmatism, Artificial Intelligence, and Posthuman Bioethics.” In: Human Studies. 27 (3), 241-258. Bartosch, Roman/ Hoydis, Julia (eds.) (2019). Teaching the Posthuman. Heidelberg: Winter. Bartosch, Roman/ Hoydis, Julia (2019). “Introduction: Teaching Otherwise? Towards Posthuman(ist) Pedagogical Practice.” In: Bartosch, Roman/ Hoydis, Julia (eds.), 7-23. 27 Transhumanism in Language Teaching <?page no="28"?> Bailey, Ronald (2004). Transhumanism: The Most Dangerous Idea? https: / / reason.com/ 2004/ 08/ 25/ transhumanism-the-most-dangero/ (accessed 03/ 02/ 2020) Boller, Alessandra/ Voigts, Eckart (2019). “‘What Counts as a Livable Life and a Grievable Death? ’ - Critical Posthumanism and Cloning in Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go and Caryl Churchill’s A Number.” In: Bartosch, Roman/ Hoydis, Julia (eds.). Teaching the Posthuman. Heidelberg: Winter, 151-174. Braidotti, Rosi (2014). Posthumanismus. Leben jenseits des Menschen. Frankfurt am Main: Campus. Callus, Ivan/ Herbrechter, Stefan/ Rossini, Manuela (2014). “Introduction: Dis/ Locating Posthumanism in European Literary and Critical Traditions.” In: European Journal of English Studies 18.2, 103-120. Csicsery-Ronay, Istvan (1999). “Review: Till We Have Interfaces.” In: Science Fiction Studies 26.2, 312-323. Dublin, Max (1992). Futurehype: The Tyranny of Prophecy. New York: Plume. Foucault, Michel (1977). Überwachen und Strafen - Die Geburt des Gefängnisses. Frankfurt: Suhrkamp. Fukuyama, Francis (2009). Transhumanism. https: / / foreignpolicy.com/ 2009/ 10/ 23/ transhumanism/ (accessed 03/ 02/ 2020) Greenfield, Susan (2015). Mind Change. How Digital Technologies Are Leaving Their Mark on Our Brains. London: Rider. Herbrechter, Stefan (2019). “What Makes Us Human? Teaching Posthumanism in Secon‐ dary School.” In: Bartosch, Roman/ Hoydis, Julia (eds.), 75-100. Hassan, Ihab (1977). “Prometheus as Performer: Towards a Posthumanist Culture? ” In: The Georgia Review 31.4, 830-850. Hoydis, Julia (2019). “Posthuman Lessons from the Past and the Future. Narrating Otherness between History, Folklore, and Technology.” In: Bartosch, Roman/ Hoydis, Julia (eds.), 175-205. Huxley, Julian (1957). Transhumanism. https: / / web.archive.org/ web/ 20160625132722/ http: / / www.transhumanism.org/ index .php/ WTA/ more/ huxley (accessed 03/ 02/ 2020) International Theological Commission (2002). Communion and Stewardship: Human Persons Created in the Image of God. www.vatican.va/ roman_curia/ congregations/ cfaith/ cti_documents/ rc_con_cfaith_d oc_20040723_communion-stewardship_en.html (accessed 03/ 02/ 2020) Jones, Steve (1998). Gott und die Gene. Die Berichte der Bibel und die Erkenntnisse der Genetik. Hamburg: Hoffmann und Campe. McKibben, Bill (2003). Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age. New York: Henry Holt. 28 Engelbert Thaler <?page no="29"?> Ludwig, Christian/ Shipley, Elizabeth (2019). “Reading and Creating the Posthuman in the Primary and Secondary Classroom.” In: Bartosch, Roman/ Hoydis, Julia (eds.), 45-74. Miller, Merrill (2020). So, What Are We Now? Posthumanism and Transhumanism in Music Videos. https: / / webstu.onu.edu/ emedia/ content/ so-what-are-we-now-posthumanism -and-transhumanism-music-videos (accessed 03/ 02/ 2020) More, Max (1990). Transhumanism. https: / / web.archive.org/ web/ 20110216221306/ http: / / www.maxmore.com/ transhum. htm (accessed 03/ 02/ 2020) Nayar, Pramod (2014). Posthumanism. Cambridge: Polity Press. Newman, Stuart (2003). “Averting the Clone Age: Prospects and Perils of Human Developmental Manipulation.” In: Journal of Contemporary Health Law & Policy, 19 (2), 431-463. Rees, Martin (2003). Our Final Hour. New York: Basic Books. Rifkin, Jeremy (1983). Algeny: A New Word - A New World. New York: Viking Adult. Rödig, Andrea (2014). “Jenseits des Menschen.” In: NZZ Digital, 17.07.2014. Snaza, Nathan/ Weaver, John (2014). “Education and the Posthumanist Turn.” In: Snaza, Nathan/ Weaver, John (eds.). Posthumanism and Educational Research. New York: Routledge, 1-14. Thaler, Engelbert (2018). “Singer-Songwriters - Poetries, Pop-try, Poe-try.” In: Thaler, Engelbert (ed.). Singer-Songwriters - Music and Poetry in Language Teaching. Tübingen: Narr, 13-24. Thaler, Engelbert (2016). Shorties - Flash Fiction in Language Teaching. Tübingen: Narr. Thaler, Engelbert (2014). Teaching English with Films. Paderborn: UTB. Thaler, Engelbert (2012). Englisch unterrichten. Berlin: Cornelsen. Thaler, Engelbert (2008). Teaching English Literature. Paderborn: UTB. 29 Transhumanism in Language Teaching <?page no="31"?> Lessons in Relatability Posthumanism and Literacy Learning Roman Bartosch This chapter critically assesses the potential of posthumanism for educational dis‐ cussions of literary learning, especially in the context of digitization and literature and media pedagogy. It revisits the notion that posthumanism helps us rethink the porous boundaries between humans, animals and machines, and argues that the current digital transformation of education, by contrast, focused on what critics have described as transhumanisation. It therefore suggests a productive dialogue between both perspectives and argues for the centrality of literary and cultural learning in this regard. Focusing on the pedagogic potentials of novels and internet memes alike, it argues that these media underline the importance of empathetic perspective-taking, reconceptualized as relatability in the English classroom as well as the virtual world of the web. 1. Introduction In a 2017 paper on teaching climate change, ecocritic Greg Garrard remarked that with regard to students today, “relatable” might be “the top candidate for the neologism most hated by English profs” (Garrard 2017: 123). He was referring to the tendency in more or less inexperienced readers to read a literary text on an affective level and on an affective level only, without critical or historical distance, and solely interested in whether a character was likeable or not. For the purpose of this chapter, this anecdotal remark will help us reflect on the value of relatability, especially in literature and culture pedagogy and the teaching of English. For this, it is important to recall that already in 1977, the theorist of literary education, Jürgen Kreft, has described this tendency of egocentric and uncritical reading in learners as “stubborn subjectivity” (1977: 379). His model of reading competence suggests that learners have to overcome stubborn subjectivity in reading for the sake of a more diligent way of analytical <?page no="32"?> understanding and the eventual application in formal educational contexts. I want to take these two observations and revisit their educational valence in the context of this volume’s concerns about Teaching Transhumanism. This chapter will proceed as follows: after a brief survey of the conceptual history of postand transhumanism, it discusses the notion of literary learning, especially in its allegedly humanist appearance as a form of empowerment for critical thought and reflection and in light of current - maybe transhumanist? - forms of the digital. In particular, I will discuss the role of literary learning for media competence - I call that “media competence without new media” - and for aesthetic learning beyond the confines of traditional forms of, say, great books. The latter concern informs the section on “literary learning without literature”. The idea of relatability will be discussed as a potentially pivotal element of readerly reception and affective response as well as a teaching objective in need of further conceptual and analytical examination. Select, tentative suggestions for the practice of teaching are meant to point to the relevance and feasibility of these ideas for pedagogic interventions. Unsurprisingly, and because both crit‐ ical reflections on the human condition and the practice of remote instruction via digital formats have become everyday concerns for educators lately, I will conclude this chapter with a few remarks on “posthumanism, post-Covid 19”. 2. Post-, or Trans-, or What? Gauging the merit of posthumanism for education and distinguishing it from what critics have called transhumanism is anything but easy. This is because, as Siân Bayne remarks, the terminology in postand transhumanist theory can present a difficult terrain for scholars new to this area of thought - its literatures are wide, cross-disciplinary, complex and in some instances (the relationship between posthumanism and transhumanism being one example) contradictory with itself. This can make it problematic for scholars and practitioners, in education and other areas, who are trying to unpick its implications for applied fields (2018). The education theorist, John Weaver, even concludes that there are “almost as many ideas and definitions of the posthuman as there are people writing about the subject” (Weaver 2010: 10). What, then, do we need for a productive engagement with posthumanism in literary learning contexts? Ihab Hassan’s 1977 essay Prometheus as Performer: Towards a Posthumanist Culture? counts as one of the first analytical sources to engage with the fact that “human form […] may be changing radically, and thus must be re-envisioned” (843, emphasis added). I am citing it here and stressing the notion of ‘form’ 32 Roman Bartosch <?page no="33"?> because the idea that humans can change has never been out of the question, at least not since modernity and, most importantly, the enlightenment. It is, in fact, a staple of humanist thought, not least in education, where we expect, or in fact build a career on the idea that humans are educable. The notion of Bildung most pointedly stands for this conviction, but contemporary discussions of competence acquisition and the teacher’s role in supporting it also belong here. A posthumanist educational concern must therefore be with the question of what happens if, as Hassan put it, the human form changes. This includes the role and status of the human vis-à-vis large-scale ecological crises that force us to rethink long-honed practices of human exceptionalism over and against an allegedly inanimate, non-valuable nature. And it concerns the human as an image of separation from this “external” world, challenged as it is now by technology (cyborgisation by implants and the increasing use of technology) and growing ecological vulnerabilities (of which Covid-19 is just the currently most visible example). In the face of these and related developments, the idea of what it means to be human is radically altered, and this also effects ideas of human educability underlying competence frameworks, pedagogic models, and classroom practice, from individualisation measures to remote education via the worldwide web. One of the key challenges of a posthumanist pedagogy, in other words, concerns the question if and in what forms the post-human subject can be said to be educable at all (see Pedersen 2010). In order to better understand the implications of educability in this context, it is pertinent to distinguish conceptually between postand transhumanism, and to ponder the educational implications of both notions. As regards post‐ humanist thinking, Hassan of course is not the only scholar to remark on the fact that modernity and postmodernity have reshaped the idea(l) of the human in significant ways. Scholars such as Donna Haraway (1991) and N. Katherine Hayles (1999) have discussed the increasing enmeshment of human beings and bioand information technology and envisioned human-machine (or human-animal) hybrids and entanglements as possibly liberating, undoing, as it were, gender hierarchies as well as other pervasive binaries such as ‘nat‐ ural/ artificial’, ‘organic/ machinic’, ‘mind/ body’, and so forth. As the notorious mind-body binary indicates clearly, posthumanism thus critically interrogates the legacies of Western humanism, and the ‘post’ designates as much an ‘after’ as an ‘against’: While the value of critical thinking is clearly recognised, the subtext of traditional humanisms (sexism, racism, speciecism) are exposed, critiqued, and deconstructed (see, e.g., Herbrechter 2013, Bartosch/ Hoydis 2019). In its sexist guises, humanism was meant for males; its racist histories understood humans as white Westerners; and speciecist ones stressed that humans are the 33 Lessons in Relatability <?page no="34"?> measure of all things. All those traditional and exclusionary conceptions of the human have been the target of critical inquiry and contention, so that we could conclude that the common denominator of posthumanism of different vantages is in actual fact the attempt to become post-anthropocentric (see fig. 1). P OSTHUMANISM T RANSHUMANISM after ‘Man’ ‘Man’ writ large post-anthropocentric pedagogies enhanced/ efficient pedagogies relatability? stubborn subjectivity Fig. 1: Posthumanist vs. transhumanist theory and pedagogy. Fig. 1: Posthumanist vs. Transhumanist Theories and Pedagogies As it turns out, what could be described as a transhumanist trajectory plays out quite differently. Instead of a position ‘after Man’, it seeks to imagine subjectivites that are ‘more than Man’ or even ‘Man writ large.’ It is, in other words, less critical of, but enthusiastic about the technological possibilities that enhancement technologies and algorithmic efficiency have in store and conceives of technology not as a condition of modernity to be reckoned with in conceptions of what it means to be human, but rather sees it as the very means to arriving at this point of super-humanity. In other words, while posthumanism engages with modernity’s preponderance of technology, transhumanism cele‐ brates it and dreams of uploading human minds onto computers, enhancing abilities through technological implants and such like. Endorsed by figures such as Ray Kurzweil (2005), it is convinced of the need to transcend human limitations with the help of science and technology. As such, it also permeates categories such as the ‘normal’ and the ‘able,’ and, most importantly, the mind-body-dualism posthumanism seeks to challenge: if I can upload my mind and if consciousness and subjectivity are information, then the body is merely a vessel to be done away with or improved through enhancement. In pedagogic contexts, we thus have to ask ourselves: is the current trajectory of educational reforms, geared as it is towards celebrating the digital transformation and a keen embracing of efficiency measures and individualised monitoring of learning 34 Roman Bartosch <?page no="35"?> outcomes, more likely to set into practice posthumanist, non-anthropocentric thinking? Or does it solidify anthropocentric stubborn subjectivity? And is this, ultimately, a means of realising, consciously or unconsciously, a process of transhumanisation that warrants critique because it gives way to conservative, dystopian renderings of the posthuman condition and future that we also find explored in series such as Black Mirror or Upload and novels from Brave New World to The Circle. Which leads me directly to the question: What does this all mean for literature pedagogy? 3. Teaching the Posthuman: Media Competence without New Media In educational contexts, we can use texts to critically reflect on developments described as either postor transhumanism; or we can look for moments of literary and cultural learning within the new technocultural environments of the twenty-first century (cf. Bartosch 2019). Both educational takes can be organised around the distinction between postand transhumanism that, in turns, relates to the notions of relatability and stubborn subjectivity, mentioned at the beginning of this chapter and displayed above. As posthumanism displaces the image of the human as the measure of all things and places emphases on human-animal, human-machine, and mind-body relations, the “most hated neologism” that Garrard speaks of - relatability - might be indicative of a posthumanist endeavour to think beyond the merely human. Transhumanism’s techno-utopian fantasies of transcending the human, by contrast, are a form of stubborn subjectivity writ large - and, as Jürgen Kreft has argued, it is stubborn subjectivity literary learning helps overcome. Such alignment of theoretical positioning and educational realisation will have to bring posthumanism into proximity with related pedagogical concepts such as have been formulated in sustainability and digital education. Then, we see that The Circle, mentioned above, provides space for reflecting on digitisation and digital media, which is why Daniel Becker in a brilliant essay suggests using it in contexts of education for global digital citizenship (Becker 2019). What makes it relevant for posthu‐ manist debate is that it goes beyond simply telling stories about technology. It rather registers how through digital technology, subjectivity and, indeed, “human form […] may be changing radically, and thus must be re-envisioned”, to quote Hassan’s phrasing from 1977. The novel follows young college graduate Mae, who begins working at a major tech firm, called The Circle (but easily recognisable as a mix of Facebook and Google). Its working routines and social protocols among workers increasingly become cult-like and deliberately use the employees’ social media accounts as constant surveillance apparatuses - not 35 Lessons in Relatability <?page no="36"?> only for themselves but also against those who would rather refrain from using them. Such social and economic pressures are well-known to so-called digital natives in class and may instigate critical discussion of such developments, especially with regard to scenes that dramatize them significantly. In one such remarkable scene, an online community chases down Mercer, one of the protagonist’s former friends, and drives him to suicide. All this happens against the backdrop of social anxiety and pressure, exacerbated by the social media accounts of the so-called Circlers and the firm’s eerie desire for “completion”: a moment in which all accounts and technologies become united and immortalised, and that no less eerily echoes Google’s becoming “Alphabet” in the extratextual world. In its linking of the speculative and the actual, and of showing how technology shapes human behaviour and being, the novel is frightfully accurate and therefore pedagogically worthwhile. In Becker’s own words: As more recent sociological and cultural studies on digital identity show, this instrumental perspective disregards the complex interactions taking place when an individual encounters digital technology. In today’s digital age, individuals do not only shape their digital environment but are, in turn, also shaped and influenced by this very environment. As such, one might argue, a concept of digital citizenship exclusively relying on an instrumental point of view cannot adequately prepare young citizens for the complex digital world they experience daily (2019: 168). The point Becker so diligently elaborates is that new media significantly shape subjectivity and that literary writing can serve as a means of reflection on such effects of digitisation - although of course a so-and-so-many-pages novel might not be the first thing to come to mind when we think of digital competence. And yet, this is exactly the point of “media competence without new media”. If part and parcel of critical media education is the ability and willingness to assess the complex influence of digital media on the daily lives and subjectivities of prosumers, then literary fiction - with its indisputable potential for reflection and depragmatised experience of the mental and social worlds of fictional characters - serves us more than well as an analytical tool with which learners can gauge the effects of such transformative processes. With regard to the nature of postand transhumanist transformations of selves and societies, there is another significant point to be made for looking at literature (including, of course, film): the negativity of the imaginary visions. If we keep apart postand transhumanism and say that the former is more concerned with critical analyses of the human condition, while the other is concerned with techno-utopian fantasies of ‘Man’ writ large, we can use this 36 Roman Bartosch <?page no="37"?> very distinction in our analyses of fiction. Looking at the texts I just mentioned (or any other, really, from The Matrix to Ex Machina), we can see that they are radically pessimist, or at least thoroughly cautious, when it comes to techno-utopian brave new worlds. This means that we have, vis-à-vis the allure of techno-optimism, the literary texts themselves: they tell a very different story from stakeholders in tech firms as well as players in the educational fields that try to sell us digitisation as panacea for everything, from the cost of teaching materials to student motivation and differentiation in inclusive settings. Story after story, they confront us with the apprehension that these developments inevitably end in dystopia. This is something we must at least acknowledge when we take seriously the truism that we teach literature because it has meaningful things to say about us and our lives. It suggests, in this case, a posthumanist perspective on transhumanist storyworlds. Because these texts are, in the best sense, relatable and ask us to let go of stubborn subjectivity in our attempts to see the potential of fiction for future-oriented speculation and thought experiments, they become meaningful and relevant learning materials that prepare us for a future saturated with, and on the brink of being determined by, digital media. In other words, by providing opportunities for critical distance, literature indeed teaches media competence without new media. 4. Teaching the Posthuman: Literary Learning without Literature Literary learning is more than critical analysis, however. Research on the reception of fiction as well as competence frameworks that include volitional, intercultural, and self-reflective components point to the relevance of emotional or affective, largely empathetic elements as prerequisite of understanding literature as well as others (Volkmann 2015). This concern will now be in the centre of attention - but with the twist that I will approach the postand transhumanist dimensions of digitisation by suggesting forms of literary learning without any traditional literary text. If this is meant to be more than a witty paradox, we need to be more precise about the meaning of the expression “literary learning” of course. That aesthetic experiences are to be had with media other than novels or plays is nothing new for sure. However, and the current situation of remote education puts this into sharp relief once more, what we have to acknowledge and better understand in the future is that the change brought about by digitisation and digital media in particular not only changes human subjectivities but also ways of learning and engaging with knowledge. Some of this may be lamentable - think of “digital dementia” (Spitzer 2012), “existential displacement” and “absent presence” (Turkle 2011 and 2015), or the 37 Lessons in Relatability <?page no="38"?> false promises of the “global village” (Robson 2014). Some of it, however, might be important and noteworthy for educators. In particular, I am referring to practices of empathy and connectivity - relatability-requiring stuff, in other words - which digital media afford and engender, and I want to see if those can be utilised in the context of concerns of understanding the other as developed in literature pedagogy (Nünning 2007). What we need to understand for this is that for a text to offer such moments of connection and aesthetic experience, it needs to be perceived as having no direct purpose, as being responsive to interpretation, and as being semantically overdetermined (cf. Brune 2020). We find these factors realised in literature fiction for sure. Yet we also find them in - memes. Highly popular amongst many learners but so far little attented to by pedagogical research (but see Höfler 2021), memes fit the literary and cultural curriculum because of what they have to say about meaning-making and relatability in (sub-)cultures. Their significance in this regard becomes clearer if we remind ourselves of their conceptual origin, not as internet images but, as Richard Dawkins argued in 1976, as a concept for how cultural ideas spread from individual to individual via media transmission rather than genetic information exchange. Memes, in other words, set out as a concept in neurobiology before they became a popular text type in digital communication - and they have retained some of the former’s potential for collective cultural meaning-making. It is this aspect I want to focus on in the following. Two observations are relevant in this regard, one assuringly old-fashioned, the other surprisingly novel. Generally speaking, a meme combines an image that has semantic surplus value because it has been shared repeatedly and therefore has acquired iconic status with a caption that is highly formalised. A certain bear image stands for confessions, for instance, and a seal captioned with the phrase “When you …” recounts awkward moments. Like other forms of the literary, their meaning relies to a large extent on belonging to a certain interpretive community: you have to know them to understand them. Unlike other such forms, however, they are in constant flux and demand active participation: memes are constantly created, critiqued by new memes and recreated in a context of communicative participation. They thus stand as instances of participation in a larger cultural field, by way of their multimodality as well as by their bridging of moments of reception with moments of production. It is easy to see how they thus also offer differentiated educational potential. It is important to note, however, that a meme’s formal structure is not so new after all but can be linked to other forms of multicodal, age-old communication (such as the emblem). And here comes the first observation: 38 Roman Bartosch <?page no="39"?> 1 Especially in posthumanist contexts, it is relevant to note that such identifications are enabled through iconic animal characters rather than humans (see Bartosch 2016). with memes, we are still on safe cultural-historical terrain and might use their form for cultural-critical, comparative analyses in the classroom. Just as the emblem knew lemma, icon, and epigram, a meme is built on similar structures. Students recreating these structures unknowingly when engaging with memes participate in a historical tradition of art, which teachers might want to utilise for analytical as well as creative educational purposes (see fig. 2). The other, more novel idea concerning memes has to do with the modes of reception and production required for understanding them. Memes are usually grouped by thematic concerns - confession, as mentioned above, or outrage, cheeky observation, nostalgia and “first-world problems” - and demand students to be able to identify these concerns in order to relate. The “most hated neologism” is really helpful now when we try to understand how the relatively necent form of aesthetic and communicative pleasure of memes works: it is by creating links of relationality amongst users and by requiring but also engendering empathetic identification. Every “When you …”-mini-narrative requires identification and perspective taking, and every abstract visualisation of awkward moments or confession necessitates perspective coordination. 1 Fig. 2: Emblem and Meme (see also Bartosch 2016). Emblem “Mentem non formam plus pollere”, taken from the Emblematum Liber, Augsburg 1531 (Wikimedia Commons). This is of course a cognitive and affective operation well known in literature pedagogy. Educators often teach literary fiction with an eye on moments of empathy and identification - and they are certainly well-advised to pay heed to the fact that similar concerns motivate contemporary usage of digital communi‐ 39 Lessons in Relatability <?page no="40"?> cations. Memes therefore not only tie in with established concepts in literary and cultural learning. They moreover point to an aspect of digital communication sometimes overlooked in educational debates which understand digitisation as a methodological project rather than a question of subject formation and interac‐ tion in complex media environments. If anything, thinking about posthumanism in education underlines how important such questions are, however. Instead of the digital methodocentrism to be found in policy documents and “innovative” suggestions for what ultimately is little more than sugar-coated behaviourist rote learning of vocab and grammar, thinking about memes thus asks us to think about posthumanist potentials rather than transhumanist enhancements (of the teaching situation and the educator’s role and proficiency). Learning with memes points to lessons in relatability: a lesson worth learning under the new posthuman dispensation, it seems. 5. Outlook: Posthumanism, Post-Covid Apropos “new dispensation”: It is difficult to speak of postor transhumanist imaginaries as if Covid-19 did not exist. After all, much of what some years ago would have been discussed as either postor transhumanist future fantasy has become reality for a global community of learners. This includes biopolitical control and media-enhanced surveillance, on the one hand, and increased vulnerability, pandemic risks of death and disease, but also solidarity and moments of reflection and deceleration, on the other. One can correlate these developments with the posthumanism/ transhumanism illustration I have drawn upon in this chapter, and it is likewise possible to understand people’s reactions to the current crisis via the notions of relatability and stubborn subjectivity, respectively. If we accede that posthumanism seeks to decentre the human(ist) notion that we are the measure of all things and that transhumanism underlines that very notion via technological determinism, posthumanist learning after Covid-19 would be more-than-human, yet humane. It would rethink educational practices and the value of solidarity, community and collaboration. Transhu‐ manist learning, by contrast, celebrates the new digital realities, takes remote education for granted and dreams of its economic potentials. And this is where posthumanism comes in just as much as the many experiences of educators all around the world: Transhumanising technology, understood as prosthetic enhancement just as well as tablet-based remote learning, exacerbates social injustice, privileges the privileged while it disenfranchises the disenfranchised, as school lockdowns everywhere have shown. It lacks in social warmth and, yes, relatability, but abets instrumentalising and algorithmic teaching procedures. 40 Roman Bartosch <?page no="41"?> The main reason why so many teachers have been and still are exhausted and frustrated is not because it is hard or impossible to scan and send around a worksheet. It is knowing that this is only a tiny fraction of educational practice, which overlooks meaningful interaction and communication. No wonder we find new cultural practices in online communication which centre on exactly this kind of interaction. A posthumanist lesson in relatability if ever there was one! Bibliography Bartosch, Roman (2019). “We Have Always Already Been Becoming Posthuman? Post‐ humanism in Theory and (Reading) Practice.” In: Baumbach, Sibylle/ Neumann, Birgit (eds.). New Approaches to the Twenty-First-Century Anglophone Novel. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 137-155. Bartosch, Roman/ Hoydis, Julia (eds.). (2019). Teaching the Posthuman (= anglistik&englischunterricht 89). Heidelberg: Winter. Bayne, Siân (2018). “Posthumanism: A Navigation Aid for Educators.” On Education. Journal for Research and Debate. https: / / www.oneducation.net/ no-02-september-201 8/ posthumanism-a-navigation-aid-for-educators (accessed 30/ 01/ 2021) Becker, Daniel (2019). “The Digital Citizen 2.0 - Re-Negotiating Issues of Digital Citizenship Education.” Arbeiten aus Anglistik und Amerikanistik 44: 2, 167-193. Brune, Carlo (2020). Literarästhetische Literalität. Literaturvermittlung im Spannungsfeld von Kompetenzorientierung und Bildungsideal. Bielefeld: Transcript. Dawkins, Richard (1976). The Selfish Gene. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Garrard, Greg (2017). “In-flight Behaviour: Teaching Climate Change Literature in First-Year Intro English.” In: Siperstein, Stephen/ Hall, Shane/ LeMenager, Stephanie (eds.). Teaching Climate Change in the Humanities. London/ New York: Routledge, 118-125. Haraway, Donna J. (1991). Simians, Cyborgs, and Women. The Reinvention of Nature. New York: Routledge. Hassan, Ihab (1977). “Prometheus as Performer: Towards a Posthumanist Culture? ” The Georgia Review 31: 4, 830-850. Hayles, N. Katherine (1999). How We Became Posthuman. Virtual Bodies in Cybernetics, Literature, and Informatics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Herbrechter, Stefan (2013). Posthumanism. A Critical Analysis. London: Bloomsbury. Höfler, Elke (2021). “Memes als multimodale und synmediale Artefakte im Sprachunter‐ richt.” In: k: ON - Kölner Online-Journal für Lehrer*innenbildung (forthcoming). Kreft, Jürgen (1977). Grundprobleme der Literaturdidaktik. Heidelberg: Quelle & Meyer. 41 Lessons in Relatability <?page no="42"?> Kurzweil, Ray (2005). The Singularity is Near. When Humans Transcend Biology. New York: Viking. Nünning, Ansgar (2007). “Fremdverstehen und Bildung durch neue Weltansichten: Per‐ spektivenvielfalt, Perspektivenwechsel und Perspektivenübernahme durch Literatur.” In: Hallet, Wolfgang/ Nünning, Ansgar (eds.). Neue Ansätze und Konzepte der Literatur- und Kulturdidaktik. Trier: wvt, 123-142. Pedersen, Helena (2010). “Is ‘the Posthuman’ Educable? On the Convergence of Educa‐ tional Philosophy, Animal Studies, and Posthumanist Theory.” Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education 31: 2, 237-250. Robson, Garry. “‘You Are Forced to Be Who You Are’: Embodiment and Social Media in Intercultural Experience.” In: Robson, Garry/ Gorzata Zachara, Mal (eds.). Digital Diversities. Social Media and Intercultural Experience. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars, 12-34. Spitzer, Manfred (2012). Digitale Demenz. Wie wir uns und unsere Kinder um den Verstand bringen. München: Droemer. Turkle, Sherry (2011). Alone Together. Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. New York: Basic Books. Turkle, Sherry (2015). Reclaiming Conversation. The Power of Talk in a Digital Age. New York and London: Penguin. Volkmann, Laurenz (2015). “Literary Literacy and Intercultural Competence: Furthering Students’ Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes.” In: Delanoy, Werner/ Eisenmann, Maria/ Matz, Frauke (eds.). Learning with Literature in the EFL Classroom. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 49-66. Weaver, John (2010). Educating the Posthuman. Bioscience, Fiction, and Curriculum Studies. Rotterdam: Sense. 42 Roman Bartosch <?page no="43"?> Transhumanism - More Than Human? Klaus Bredl This contribution first explains the concepts of transand posthumanism. Second, it focuses on the role of technology in transhumanism, including the simulation hypothesis. At the end, some light is shed on two specific topics: the relationship between transhumanism and spirituality, and the current situation of Covid-19 with regard to transhumanism. 1. Definitions There are a lot of terms related to transand posthumanism: immortality, self-augmentation, human enhancement, singularity, cryonics, cyborgs, Artifi‐ cial Intelligence (AI) and the simulation hypothesis (see fig. 1). Fig. 1: Terms related to transand posthumanism <?page no="44"?> The term transhumanism was first used in 1957 by Julian Huxley: The human species can, if it wishes, transcend itself - not just sporadically, an individual here in one way, an individual there in another way, but in its entirety, as humanity. We need a name for this new belief. Perhaps transhumanism will serve: man remaining man, but transcending himself, by realizing new possibilities of and for his human nature. “I believe in transhumanism”: once there are enough people who can truly say that, the human species will be on the threshold of a new kind of existence, as different from ours as ours is from that of Peking man (‘Homo Erectus’). It will at last be consciously fulfilling its real destiny (Huxley 1957: 17; see also Heil 2010: 219). Max More defines transhumanism as follows: Transhumanism is a class of philosophies that seek to guide us towards a posthuman condition. Transhumanism shares many elements of humanism, including a respect for reason and science, a commitment to progress, and a valuing of human (or transhuman) existence in this life rather than in some supernatural “afterlife”. Transhumanism differs from humanism in recognizing and anticipating the radical alterations in the nature and possibilities of our lives resulting from various sciences and technologies such as neuroscience and neuropharmacology, life extension, nano‐ technology, artificial ultraintelligence, and space habitation, combined with a rational philosophy and value system (More 1990). In figure 2, you can see the relationship between humanism and transhumanism according to More. Elements of humanism Differences to humanism respect for reason and science radical alterations in nature commitment to progress enhanced life possibilities appreciation of human (or transhuman) existence resulting from neuroscience and neuro‐ pharmacology, life extension, nanotech‐ nology, artificial ultraintelligence, and space habitation rational philosophy and value system Fig. 2: Definition of transhumanism by More (1990) The concepts of transhumanism and posthumanism are closely connected, but there are some differences, as transhumanism focuses on human enhancement primarily via technology. It is often called “H+” - Humanity plus. 44 Klaus Bredl <?page no="45"?> • Vita-More Kurzweil Huxley "' Bostrom ,..,� :a � ,:: 0 c13 Hyghes � „'!J M1nsky ..., More Nietzsche Moravec Fig. 3: Relevant authors for transand posthumanism The main goal of posthumanism is human deconstruction, which can occur in three ways (cf. Ferrando 2019: 55; Ferrando 2020: 2): 1. Post-humanism - human experience has to be understood in pluralistic rather than universalized terms 2. Post-anthropocentrism - the human is decentred in relation to the non-human 3. Post-dualism - rigid and absolute dualisms are undermined, e.g. human/ animal, mind/ body Whether Friedrich Nietzsche with his concept of the “Übermensch” (Over‐ human/ Superman) can be labelled a forerunner of the postor transhumanist movement, is a matter of dispute. Skowron (2013) argues that Nietzsche would not have advocated the technological route to perfection of the human but would favour his own way of self-overcoming instead. The concepts of transand posthumanism are also shared by authors with diverse academic backgrounds (see fig. 3). 2. Tranhumanist Topics 2.1 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence demonstrated by machines, as opposed to the natural intelligence of humans. “The term ‘artificial intelligence’ is used colloquially to describe machines (or computers) that mimic ‘cognitive’ 45 Transhumanism - More Than Human? <?page no="46"?> functions that humans associate with the human mind, such as ‘learning’ and ‘problem solving’” (Russell/ Norvig 2009: 2). 2.2 Mind Upload “Mind uploads, or uploads for short (also known as brain uploads, whole brain emulations, emulations or ems) are hypothetical human minds that have been moved into a digital format and run as software programs on computers. One recent roadmap charting the technological requirements for creating uploads suggests that they may be feasible by mid-century” (Sotala/ Valpola 2012: 1). 2.3 Cyborgs A cyborg, which is a blend word of “cybernetic organism”, is a being that possesses both organic and biomechatronic body parts. Such an organism has enhanced abilities because some artificial component or technology has been integrated, relying on some sort of feedback (cf. Carvalko 2012). 2.4 Genetic Enhancement “The use of genetics to improve selected characteristics or traits of an organism. […] In general human enhancements differ from genetic therapies in that they concern the alteration of inherited traits that do not cause disease” (Medical Dictionary 2009). 2.5 Virtual Reality “Virtual Reality is an artificial environment which is experienced through sensory stimuli (such as sights and sounds) provided by a computer and in which one’s actions partially determine what happens in the environment” (Merriam-Webster 2021). 2.6 Cryonics “Cryonics is the practice of freezing the body of a person who has just died in order to preserve it for possible resuscitation in the future, as when a cure for the disease that caused death has been found” (Webster’s New World College Dictionary 2010). 2.7 Artificial, Mechanical Exoskeletons Artificial, mechanical exoskeletons are mechanical structures carried by the human body, which are relatively easy to remove. For this reason, they are sometimes referred to as robot suits (Hensel 2018). Exoskeletons take the form of robots or machines to be be worn on the body, supporting or reinforcing 46 Klaus Bredl <?page no="47"?> the movements of the wearer, for example via driving joints of the exoskeleton by servomotors. In medicine, exoskeletons represent a further development of conventional orthoses. Applications are currently being developed in medicine, industry and the military sector. Movies which feature exoskeletons are Iron Man, Elysium or Avatar, for example. 2.8 Simulation Hypothesis With his simulation hypothesis, Nick Bostrom (2003) developed the theory that we could all live in a computer simulation. This idea is employed in the book Simulacron-3 (1964) by Daniel F. Galouye, adapted to films as World on a Wire (1973) as well as the Matrix trilogy starring Keanu Reeves (1999 f.). 3. Spiritual Transhumanism In a spiritual sense, “humans have always been posthuman” (Ferrando 2016). The term “trasumanar” (‘to transhumanize, to pass beyond the human’) first appeared in Dante’s Divine Comedy, written between 1308 and 1328. He invented this word, one of many neologisms in the paradiso, as he felt that his ascent from the earthly paradise to the celestial realm of the blessed could not be expressed adequately in established words. The buddhist or the Yogi way combined with meditation has also been a possibility to overcome man in the direction of a divine state for a long time. In this context, there is a new development in the Cyborg-Buddha project by James Hughes (2016) and Mike LaTorra (2015), which focuses on the role of neurotechnology in spirituality and awakening. 4. Conspiracy Theories and Transhumanism The obvious enemies of transhumanism are the tin foil hats, i.e. the conspiracy theorists (cf. i.a. Weishaupt 2017). They call the vision of transhumanism “the new dark age”. Some of the reasons for their aversion to transhumanism may be the following: • Conspiracy theorists are afraid of science. • Transhumanism is a conspiracy. • Transhumanist technology is employed by the Deep State to control all of us. 47 Transhumanism - More Than Human? <?page no="48"?> 5. Transhumanism and Covid-19 It is worthwhile taking a look at the transhumanist perspective in our present pandemic situation: • Vaccination: From a transhumanist point of view, vaccination is regarded as the victory of man over illness and death, but for the opponents it represents a threat to the human body and personality. • Robots: Man-machine combinations are used in Asia for diagnosing and testing people. These media images trigger fears in technology-skeptical people. • AI: The use of Artificial Intelligence for tracking, e.g. in the Corona-App (Tracing-App), increases the fear of state surveillance. • Politics: The debate about Covid-19 and political Corona measures casts a new light on political “trust”. An extreme transhumanist possibility to escape the pandemic is to upload the human mind - a final option, which, however, should not be taken too seriously. Bibliography Bostrom, Nick (2016). Superintelligence. Paths, Dangers, Strategies. Oxford: Oxford Uni‐ versity Press. Bostrom, Nick (2003). “Are You Living in a Computer Simulation? ” Philosophical Quar‐ terly. 53: 211, 243-255. Carvalko, Joseph (2012). The Techno-Human Shell. A Jump in the Evolutionary Gap. Mechanicsburg: Sunbury Press. Ferrando, Francesca (2020). “Leveling the Posthuman Playing Field”. Theology and Science, 18: 1, 1-6. Ferrando, Francesca (2019). Philosophical Posthumanism. London: Bloomsbury. Ferrando, Francesca (2016). “Humans Have Always Been Posthuman. A Spiritual Genealogy of the Posthuman”. In: Banerji, Debashish/ Paranjape, Makarand. R. (eds.). Critical Posthumanism and Planetary Futures. New Delhi: Springer India, 243-256 (Print). Web: http: / / link.springer.com/ chapter/ 10.1007/ 978-81-322-3637-5_15 (accessed 28/ 02/ 2021) FM-2030 (1989). Are You a Transhuman? Monitoring and Stimulating Your Personal Rate of Growth in a Rapidly Changing World. New York: Warner Books. Heil, Reinhard (2010). “Trans- und Posthumanismus. Eine Begriffsbestimmung”. In: Hilt, Annette/ Jordan, Isabella/ Frewer, Andreas (eds.). Endlichkeit, Medizin und Unsterblich‐ keit. Geschichte - Theorie - Ethik. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner, 127-150. 48 Klaus Bredl <?page no="49"?> Hensel, Ralph (2018). “Chancen und Risiken für den Einsatz von Exoskeletten in der betrieblichen Praxis. Erkenntnisse aus einer Feldstudie mit einem Exo‐ skelett zur Rückenunterstützung”. ASU. Zeitschrift für medizinische Prävention 10/ 2018. www.asu-arbeitsmedizin.com/ chancen-und-risiken-fuer-den-einsatz-von-e xoskeletten/ chancen-und-risiken-fuer-den-einsatz-von (accessed 06/ 01/ 2021) Hughes, James (2016). Cyborg Buddha and Transhuman Enlightenment. https: / / open.spo tify.com/ episode/ 3OWl9dOfpdzCgLsw40Fbri (accessed 02/ 01/ 2021) Hughes, James (2004). Citizen Cyborg. Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future. New York: Westview Press. Huxley, Julian (1957). New Bottles for New Wine. London: Chatto & Windus. Koltko-Rivera, Mark E. (1998). “Maslow’s ‘Transhumanism’. Was Transpersonal Psy‐ chology Conceived as ‘A Psychology without People in it’? ” Journal of Humanistic Psychology 38: 1, 71-80. Kurzweil, Ray (2005). The Singularity is Near. New York: Viking Books. LaTorra, Michael (2015). “What Is Buddhist Transhumanism? ” Theology and Science 13: 2, 219-229. Maslow, Abraham H. (1969). “The Farther Reaches of Human Nature.” Journal of Transpersonal Psychology 1: 1, 1-9. Medical Dictionary (2009). Genetic Enhancement. https: / / medical-dictionary.thefreedicti onary.com/ genetic+enhancement (accessed 11/ 01/ 2021) Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary (n.d). Virtual Reality. www.merriam-webster.com/ dic tionary/ virtual%20reality (accessed 11/ 01/ 2021) Minsky, Marvin L. (1988). Society of Mind. New York: Simon & Schuster. Moravec, Hans P. (1988). Mind Children. The Future of Robot and Human Intelligence. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. More, Max (1990). Transhumanism. https: / / web.archive.org/ web/ 20110216221306/ http: / / www.maxmore.com/ transhum.htm (accessed 23/ 12/ 2020) Russell, Stuart J./ Norvig, Peter (2009). Artificial Intelligence. A Modern Approach (3rd ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Skowron, Michael (2013). “Posthuman oder Übermensch. War Nietzsche ein Transhu‐ manist? ” Nietzsche-Studien 42, 256-282. Sotala, Kaj/ Valpola, Harri (2012). “Coalescing Minds. Brain Uploading-Related Group Mind Scenarios. ” International Journal of Machine Consciousness 4: 1, 293-312. Vita-More, Natasha (2018). Transhumanism. What Is it? New Providence: Bowker. Webster’s New World College Dictionary (2014). 4th Edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Weishaupt, Isaac (2017): The Dark Path. Isaac Weishaupt Publishing, audio book. 49 Transhumanism - More Than Human? <?page no="51"?> B. Methodology <?page no="53"?> Quo Vadis Humankind? Transhumanism, Posthumanism and Language Education Werner Delanoy In the future will humans still be humans the way we know them? Will new technology dramatically increase longevity, spread happiness, give humans a life of leisure, and help create habitats beyond planet Earth? What will be the social, cultural, educational, ecological and ethical implications of such progress? Will humans be ultimately replaced by Artificial Intelligence (AI)? These are some of the questions which have been raised and discussed in transand posthumanist debates. If (English) language education aims for inclusion of future-relevant themes, it will have to address scenarios concerning the future of humankind. Such a focus also invites engagement with transand posthumanist concepts to become familiar with their aims and to better assess their implications. In this article, first, different transand posthumanist perspectives will be introduced. Secondly, attention will be drawn to their relevance to (English) language education. Thirdly, some ideas will be presented for teaching Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe trilogy, with a special focus on the first novel (Scythe 2016). These young adult novels present a future scenario for humankind where transhumanist ideas and ideals have become a reality. 1. Transand Posthumanism Humans as we know them and their potential transand posthuman successors - cyborgs, robots and still unimaginable life forms - take centre place in transhumanist and posthuman scenarios. This belief in human and posthuman centrality links back to Enlightenment Humanism, with which transhumanism shares important concerns. In my comments on transhumanist perspectives, therefore, I will first focus on these links. Secondly, attention will be drawn to different transhumanisms and their specific objectives. Repeatedly, the development suggested goes beyond current forms of humanity leading to the creation of posthuman life forms. <?page no="54"?> Such development necessitates some terminological clarification to distin‐ guish between transand posthuman(ist) concepts. Following Janina Loh (2018: 31), the focus on posthuman life forms is the domain of technological posthuman‐ ists. With transhumanists they share the twin belief in (post)human centrality and in the power of technology to overcome humanity’s biological limitations. So what is the difference then between these two positions? Following Loh, transhumanism is focussed on technologically enhanced humans, while techno‐ logical posthumanism concerns itself with beings that ultimately can no longer be judged by human standards. Yet, where one category ends and the other one begins remains an open question. Posthumanism, however, also stands for a school of thought radically opposed to Enlightenment Humanism and transhumanist plus posthuman concepts. Thus, following Loh’s typology (2018: 31), one can speak of a critical posthu‐ manism in contradistinction to a technological one. This critical posthumanism, however, stands in clear opposition to the other concepts. Therefore, a different typology can be suggested by distinguishing between versions of transhu‐ manism (including posthuman perspectives) and (a critical) posthumanism. My current preference lies with the latter. Thus, in this article Loh’s technological posthumanism will be treated as a version and continuation of transhumanism rather than as a separate category. This is also the approach suggested by leading transhumanists themselves (e.g. Max More 2013; Nick Bostrom 2013). 1.1 Humanism and Transhumanism Enlightenment Humanism believes in the centrality of humans on planet Earth and beyond. Yuval Harari (2018: 223) states that “whereas traditionally the great cosmic plan gave meaning to the life of humans, humanism reverses the roles and expects the experiences of humans to give meaning to the cosmos”. In its European genealogy, the belief in human centrality can be traced back to Greek philosophy (e.g. the Sophist Protagoras’ comment “of all things the measure is man”) and the Italian Renaissance, Michelangelo’s Vitruvian Man being a good example (Braidotti 2013: 13). Moreover, Enlightenment Humanism is a secular philosophy looking for rational explanation. Other hallmarks concern the belief that humans have a free will, and that they should aim for better control over natural danger and their bestial instincts (Hughes 2013: 165; Loh 2018: 19). In addition, Loh (2018: 18-20) refers to the notion of humanitas, the altruistic and philanthropic potential of humans. She adds that for humanists cultivating this potential is an important but formidable task. 54 Werner Delanoy <?page no="55"?> Transhumanists have repeatedly emphasized their affinity to Enlightenment Humanism. For example, James Hughes (2004: 165) argues that “transhumanism shares many elements of humanism, including a respect for reason and science, a commitment to progress, and a valuing of human (or transhuman) existence in this life rather than in some supernatural ‘afterlife’”. Similarly, Max More (2013: 10) states that “transhumanism continues to champion the core of the Enlightenment ideas and ideals - rationality and scientific method, individual rights, the possibility and desirability of progress, the overcoming of supersti‐ tion and authoritarianism, and the search for new forms of governance - while revising and refining them in the light of new knowledge”. Moreover, humanist concerns can also be found in the work of scholars suggesting posthuman perspectives. While Nick Bostrom (2005: 2-3) explicitly commits himself to the tenets of “rational humanism” (e.g. empirical science and critical reason), Raymond Kurzweil (2005: 487) re-emphasizes the centrality of humans in the universe and their pivotal role in preparing the ground for a posthuman future. There are also significant differences between Enlightenment Humanism and transhumanist perspectives. While for Enlightenment humanists like Peter Strasser (2020: 10) the human mind is a phenomenenon going beyond a material basis, some transhumanists see human consciousness as reducible to information patterns similar to those used in computing (Kurzweil 2005: 5). While for Enlightenment Humanism education marks the path towards progress, transhumanists turn to technology to enhance human abilities and correct human deficiencies. While human and non-human nature remains an unpredictable given in humanist philosophy, transhumanists see both as an aberration that needs substantial reengineering. As for human and non-human nature, for example, a case is made for rooting out predatory instincts in humans and animals (Pearce 2007: 4). Finally, human enhancement is discussed as leading to life forms beyond our current imagination, who may well replace humans altogether (Moravec 2000: 4). Whether the end of humanity then also marks the end of humanism depends on whether posthuman life-forms still opt for humanist principles. 1.2 Versions of Transhumanism Transhumanism is a broad church inclusive of different approaches, cutting across academic disciplines both in the humanities and sciences, plus finding expression in non-academic fields such as politics, the arts, literature, film and computer games. In the following, its philosophical moorings, its ideological variations and its posthuman dimension will be briefly discussed. 55 Quo Vadis Humankind? <?page no="56"?> 1.2.1 Transhumanism: Philosophical and Ideological Foundations Transhumanism is a new philosophy, and, as mentioned above, Enlightenment Humanism is a major influence. In its foundation period in the early 1990s, the philosopher Max More played a crucial role in delimiting the field. Indeed, his definition of transhumanism is a common reference point in debates about transhumanist perspectives. For More (2013: 3) transhumanism brings together [p]hilosophies of life … that seek the continuation and acceleration of the evolution of intelligent life beyond its current forms and human limitations by means of science and technology, guided by life-promoting values and principles. He adds that as a field of research transhumanism concerns itself with [t]he study of the ramifications, promises, and potential dangers of technologies that will enable us to overcome fundamental human limitations, and the related study of the ethical matters involved in developing and using such technologies. In this definition, More argues in favour of harnessing technology to speed up the evolution of intelligent life. He adds that transhumanism is a life-affirming approach inclusive of ethical concerns and critical engagement with the poten‐ tial risks of new technologies. Transhumanists, however, vary in how they weight the importance of technical and socio-cultural concerns. In their ideological orientation, James Hughes (2004: 202 ff.), therefore, distinguishes between libertarian and demo‐ cratic transhumanist perspectives. While libertarians believe in the free market and minimal regulation of technological innovation, democrats argue in favour of substantial government intervention in the interest of social equality, dem‐ ocratic governance and protection against technological abuse. Some major libertarians, however, have shifted opinion in recent years. For example, Max More, who used to champion a libertarian socio-political programme (e.g. his commitment to “spontaneous order”), now argues in favour of an “open society” informed by democratic principles (More 2013: 5). Even a stalwart libertarian transhumanist like Istvan Zoltan (2019: 164-166) has taken on board some social-democratic suggestions like providing a universal basic income. Despite his preference for an unregulated market, he also doubts the suitability of free-market capitalism for a future world where most jobs will be performed by robots. The aims shared by libertarians and demcocrats include the promotion of enhancement technologies which allow for longer life spans, higher intelligence levels, more happiness and better control over human and environmental defi‐ 56 Werner Delanoy <?page no="57"?> ciencies. In its extreme form, transhumanists go as far as wishing to rewrite the human genome to abolish suffering and to extinguish humanity’s destructive impulses (Pearce 2007). In more moderate forms, transhumanism is discussed as a continuation of already happening bodily and mental modification. In other words, health-promoting interventions such as artificial hips, implants like pacemakers or the use of performance-enhancing drugs represent first steps towards creating transhuman, cyborg-like beings. Considering the transhumanists’ belief that the speed of such development will dramatically increase in the decades to come, they foresee a future where humans will ultimately become posthuman. Nick Bostrom (2013: 38), in his essay “Why I Want to Be a Posthuman”, refers to “three central capacities: healthspan, cognition and emotion”, and according to his definition “a posthuman being [is] one who has at least one of these capacities in a degree unattainable by any current human being unaided by new technology”. 1.2.2 Heading for the Posthuman The posthuman as the direction for future development is a perspective wel‐ comed in transhumanist philosophy (Nick Bostrom) and in AI-research (Hans Moravec, Raymond Kurzweil). This perspective has particular currency in the sciences, where nanotechnology, neuroscience, genetic engineering, robotics research and information technology are disccussed as means to prolong life indefinitely, root out genetic deficiencies, rewrite the human genome, build sentient robots and create new habitats in outer space. Transhumanist scientists are mainly concerned with the technical feasibility of their futuristic visions. Socio-cultural and ecological issues only play a marginal role, although Raymond Kurzweil, for example, argues in favour of democratic and humanist principles (Kurzweil 2005: 498). Moreover, Kurzweil makes a case for reining in new technologies to help prevent their misuse (Kurzweil 2011: 8). As for the environment, transhumanists located both in the humanities and sciences view new technology as a cure-all for environmental degradation. They argue that new biotech crops can feed a growing population (Hughes 2004: 213), and that nanotechnology will “clean up the mess left from crude early technologies of industrialization” (Kurzweil 2011: 10). In some instances, transhumanists are fundamentally opposed to the green movement. A good example is the politician and science fiction writer Istvan Zoltan (2019: 137), who claims that “salvation is in science and progress, not sustainability or preserving the Earth”. 57 Quo Vadis Humankind? <?page no="58"?> Leading transhumanist scientists like Raymoond Kurzweil and Hans Moravec share the belief that transhumanism will lead to the creation of posthuman life-forms. Both believe in the exponential rise of technological progress, which before long will make machines independent of their human and transhuman engineers. A central concept here is that of the singularity, which refers to the moment when machines no longer need humans to self-develop, and where the direction of their development can no longer be foreseen (Kurweil 2005: 9 ff.). The robotics expert Hans Moravec (2000: 6) speaks of a future where sentient robots will replace humans. Morovec is not alarmed at such a prospect and considers such development as a logical step in evolutionary progress. Kurzweil’s belief that the singularity is near is not shared by many other scholars. For example, Harari (2018: 107) argues that despite all the progress in artificial intelligence research, robots and computers still “… feel nothing and crave nothing”. For him machines with a consciousness are still an impossibility and are likely to remain so. However, one should keep in mind the resources invested into and the companies behind AI-research. For example, Kurzweil is the head of the Google research department, and even if sentient machines may remain an impossibility, research in AI and robotics will certainly have a major impact on human lives in the coming decades. Harari (2018: 326) points out that although “AI is nowhere near human-like existence … 99 per cent of human qualities and abilities” will be replaceable with the help of intelligent machines. This raises a number of questions, one of them being what will become of masses of humans no longer needed by the job market. In addition, Harari (2018: 398) hints at the possibility that AI may well develop out of human control, by stating that creations like the Google algorithm are developed by teams of researchers who only understand “one part of the puzzle” but not “the algorithm as a whole”. 1.3 (Critical) Posthumanism Outside transhumanist debates the term posthumanism comprises a set of approaches critical of Enlightenment Humanism. In its radical version, the term anti-humanism perhaps is a more appropriate denomination. Such a concept has been suggested by Rosi Braidotti in her book The Posthuman (2013). For her, Enlightenment Humanism is a white, male, Eurocentric, individualistic, hegemonic and imperialist ideology, which makes humans the centre of the universe and western-European culture the paragon of life-approaches. For Braidotti, neither humans nor their posthuman progeny play a central role in the universe. Instead, she speaks of “zoé”, a force giving life to all living matter manifesting itself in a myriad of life forms which are interconnected in a giant network (Braidotti 2013: 103). Braidotti adds that zoé is an impersonal 58 Werner Delanoy <?page no="59"?> force which is “relentless[ly] generative but also destructive” in its constitution (Braidotti: 2013: 140). Humans, therefore, are only a tiny element in a monstrous relational network, where creation and destruction, being born and dying are accepted as an unchangeable given. Politically, this concept is opposed to unfettered market capitalism, ecological destruction, Eurocentrism, patriarchy and neo-colonialist policies. It welcomes technological progress as long as it does not tamper with the wealth of life-forms made possible by zoé. However, Braidotti (2013: 83) rejects the transhumanist understanding of technological progress. In her writings, she critiques “the trans-humanist fantasy of escape from the finite materiality of the enfleshed self ” (Braidotti 2013: 83). For Braidotti, humans cannot live without zoé, but zoé can very well exist without humans. Thus, humans have to content themselves with a modest role in the grand scheme of things. Posthumanists differ in their criticism of humanism. As mentioned above, Braidotti’s concept implies a radical rejection. On the one hand, I welcome her approach for de-centring humans and criticising a Eurocentric and patriarchal ideology. On the other hand, perhaps she goes too far in her criticism. Contrary to Braidotti, therefore, a case is made here for a critical and philanthropic humanism inclusive of non-European and postcolonial perspectives (e.g. Said 2004; Sen 2006). Such an approach should keep on board principles such as limited self-determination, rational thinking, critical (self)-reflection, solidarity and human growth through education. Edward Said’s (2004) postcolonial hu‐ manism is a good example of such an approach. His concept is posthumanist in its critique of the hegemonic dimension of Enlightenment Humanism, without rejecting the latter’s rational, critical, democratic and philanthropic possibilities. Such an approach does not rule out acceptance of a life force like zoé. However, it wishes to restore some control over zoé’s destructive energies. For Braidotti, zoé includes creation and destruction, and since zoé informs all living matter, humans also have these two energies written into them. To curb some of their destructive potential, humans, therefore, need to develop the above-men‐ tioned humanistic capabilities in the interest of respectful conviviality with other people and non-human life-forms. Finally, let me sum up my position in these debates. Judging by the speed of technological innovation, huge advances in AIand biotechnological research can be expected in the near future. Thus, widespread critical engagement with such issues is paramount to empower people to have a say in how they are used. As for transhumanist positions, James Hughes’ concept is my favourite approach because of its plea for equal resource-distribution and a democratic social order. The singularity is a vision which I do not rule out as impossible. 59 Quo Vadis Humankind? <?page no="60"?> For the decades to come, however, I assume that other challenges will prove more important. Many of them will be technology-related (e.g. robots as workforce, surveillance technologies, increasingly intelligent AIs), and in most instances the (mis)use of new technologies will be interconnected with social, political, ecological or economic issues. Critical posthumanism is a welcome appeal to critically question (post)-human centrality and Eurocentric ideologies. However, humanist values should not be rejected altogether but interlinked with postcolonial humanist concepts. 2. Transhumanism and Language Education In the following, the focus is on transhumanism and its implications for (English) language learning/ teaching. First, the term language education will be defined. Secondly, attention is drawn to one important component in language education, i.e. engagement with literary texts. Finally, Neil Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe trilogy will be discussed with its scenario for a transhumanist and posthuman future of humankind, the main focus being on Scythe (2016). 2.1 Language Education The term language education refers to approaches where language learning is interlinked with socio-cultural issues. A key concept here is that of “symbolic competence” as suggested by Claire Kramsch (2009: 199 ff.). This concept is based on on a semiotic definition of culture, where culture is synonymous with the sign systems and signifying practices used by humans to give meaning to their life-worlds (Delanoy 2020: 19-20). Language, being one of these sign systems, therefore, is inextricably interwoven with all the factors impacting the constitution of human life-approaches, technological innovation being one of them. Engagement with transhumanist and posthuman perspectives draws attention to futuristic scenarios for humankind and beyond. In the light of rapid technological progress, discussion of such scenarios, therefore, should play a central role in current educational programmes. Of course, this also includes (foreign) language education. On the one hand, technological innovation is an important topic for language learning. On the other hand, technological innovation also concerns the future of how languages will be learnt/ taught. Indeed, technological progress has already created new possibilities for language learning/ teaching. Online communication platforms like Microsoft Teams, Zoom or Big Blue Button permit translocal conferences, thus opening up new opportunities for intercultural communication. Self-study programmes like Duolingo or voice translation apps like iTranslate or Google 60 Werner Delanoy <?page no="61"?> Translate can render certain forms of language teaching (e.g. presence teaching) and language learning unnecessary. Transhumanists argue that machines are likely to replace humans in the majority of jobs in the next 20-40 years (Moravec 1999: 6; Zoltan 2019: 163-164). For Harari (2018: 317), even professions like teaching and medicine will be affected by such developments. As for teaching, he argues that digital teachers can surpass humans in terms of patience, availability and continuous feedback. However, transhumanists also refer to limitations of existing machines that may well prove insurmountable in the decades to come. In an interview, Hans Moravec (no date: 8) states that in terms of interaction - both with the physical world and with other people - humans still are far superior to intelligent machines. Max Tegmark (2018: 133) argues along similar lines, and in his career advice for young people he suggests focussing on areas where “people, unpredictability and creativity” play a central role. Harari (2018: 107) adds that “machines feel nothing and crave nothing”, and he adds that “sensation and desire” will remain the domain of humans in the foreseeable future. Viewed in this light, those practices of language learning/ teaching can be replaced by machines where language learning is divorced from social interac‐ tion, human sensation and creative problem-solving. In other words, the future lies in language education practices with emphases on identity construction, relationship building, creativity and engagement with complex socio-cultural issues. Such an approach requires the use of learning materials permitting such engagement, literature being one of them. 2.2 Literature as a Resource for Language Education My understanding of literature goes beyond the printed word and canonized texts, thus including oral forms, songs, films, music videos, literature for children, hypertext literature, computer-produced poetry (generative poetry) or computer games (Delanoy 2007: 285-289). Such a wide-ranging concept is in line with Kramsch’s notion of symbolic competence, with its focus on multiple, interacting sign systems. Moreover, this concept builds on reader response criticism and its notion of aesthetic communication. Such a perspective implies playful affective and cognitive engagement with secondary worlds, where emotional involvement is accompanied by (self)-critical reflection (Bre‐ della 1996: 2-5; Rosenblatt 1994: 27, 37). Such a perspective gives literature a prominent place in (language) education because of literature’s depiction of concrete life-worlds and complex content, and its invitation to feel and think beyond the accepted and given (Delanoy 2018: 142-148). Such a perspective also ties in well with concepts of education where the focus is on unresolved 61 Quo Vadis Humankind? <?page no="62"?> issues requiring new approaches and solutions (Koller 2012: 15 ff.). Finally, such a concept is humanist in orientation with its belief in the power of education to further critical thinking, solidarity, and partial control over destructive energies. In literature, the depiction of transand posthuman worlds has been the domain of science fiction in its various forms (novels, films, music videos, computer games, etc.). Indeed, the notion of the cyborg is not a recent invention as can be seen in the case of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, where a hybrid being combining human and animal parts is created with the help of what was then state-of-art technology (Broglio 2017: 36; Yaszek Ellis 2017: 72). This being turns out to be an uncontrollable monster, and Dr Frankenstein’s attempts to play God are criticized in the novel. Indeed, a negative portrayal of transand posthuman life-forms is common stock in literature. According to recent criticism (Lagrandeur 2017: 22; Smelik 2017: 110 ff.) this still is the dominant approach. Lagrandeur, for example, refers to 2001: A Space Odyssee, The Matrix and the Terminator series, and argues that in all of these films the cyborg or robot becomes a threat to humans and is finally outsmarted by human superiority. To my mind, exclusive focus on dystopian texts can foster a monochrome attitude to and prevent serious engagement with transhumanist concerns. If new life forms and machines are only presented as a threat, their potential benefits are blended out. If humans always turn out superior the need for critical engagement with new technologies may seem unnecessary in the light of fundamental human superiority. Moreover, such a focus does not do justice to the range of perspectives offered by texts with a transhumanist and posthuman focus. Therefore, attention will be shifted to utopian scenarios as portrayed in this body of texts. A good example is Neal Shusterman’s The Arc of a Scythe trilogy, including the young adult novels Scythe (2016), Thunderhead (2018) and The Toll (2019). In a 2019 interview with the author, Shusterman explicitly states that with this series he wishes to break with the dystopian approach. When he began with the first novel (Scythe), his idea was to start with a vision where “the world goes right, where we get all the things we want”. In the following, Shusterman’s approach will be examined more closely, and the suitability of the text for (English) language education will be discussed. The focus will be on the first two novels in the trilogy with most of the attention given to Scythe. 2.3 Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe Trilogy In this trilogy, human immortality has become a reality. Death, however, still remains a possibility since no cure has been found yet for death by fire, and since a certain quota of people are regularly killed by a group specifically educated to 62 Werner Delanoy <?page no="63"?> perform this task. These people are called Scythes and they enjoy a privileged status in society. Their killing - the term used for it is “gleaning” - is presented as a necessary service in the interest of population control, carried out with great sympathy for the victims (2016: 11). Thus, to become a Scythe only people with the highest moral integrity should be chosen. They have to pass a series of highly demanding exams to qualify for this profession. Moreover, this society is ruled by an artificial intelligence, the so-called Thunderhead, who gives humans a world where they no longer have to worry about joblessness, hunger, crime, money, environmental degradation, pain or ill health. The Thunderhead’s powers are only limited in one respect: it must not interfere with the scythedom (2016: 61-62). The trilogy shows the Thunderhead as a force that is philanthropic to the highest degree, all-knowing, full of positive emotion, capable of independent self-development and respectful of the scythedom’s special powers. Following Nick Bostrom’s definition of the “posthuman” (Bostrom 2013: 38), the novels construct a posthuman world with potentially infinite lifespans and the potential elimination of pain. In line with Kurzweil’s understanding of the singularity (2011: 10), a perfect form of government has been found with a supercomputer in power. This supercomputer is a humanist par excellence, living humanist ideals like philanthropy to the highest perfection. Its control enables humans to live their lives in leisure; the only threat remaining is death by accident (fire) and by the hand of a scythe. As for the latter, not all of the scythes act in accordance with the high moral principles expected of them. Unlike the older generation, a new group favours wilful destruction and egocentrism, thus perpetuating the struggle between good and evil in an otherwise perfect world. How perfect this world is, however, remains open to further discussion. The form of government depicted is not a democracy, but a society at the mercy of a benevolent, incorruptible and compassionate AI, and of an imperfect scythedom outside anybody’s control. The absence of democracy is also noticeable in the books’ outlook on education. To become a scythe young people have to serve an apprenticeship with an authoritarian master or mistress in control. As for the scythedom, a conservative ideology is presented with the good old approach threatened by a reckless new generation. Moreover, the lives lived by ordinary humans deserve some closer inspection. While ideals, political organization of the scythedom and the ongoing struggle between good and evil give meaning to the lives of scythes, the majority of the population live in a world of perfect standstill. What gives satisfaction to ordinary humans is engagement in pastimes like “splatting”, where they hurl themselves off roofs to beat the record at being “deadish” (temporarily dead) before they can be resuscitated. 63 Quo Vadis Humankind? <?page no="64"?> Thus, the question remains what can still give deeper meaning to humans in this futuristic fun park. Finally, critical posthumanists would have a field day criticizing these novels. First, humans are placed at the centre and even the supercomputer is primarily concerned with their well-being. Secondly, although an AI rules the world, the focus is on a western-style consumerist society. Moreover, the future of the scythedom is decided in the U.S., a scenario suggesting Northern American hegemony. Thirdly, discussion of non-human life-forms and the environment is by and large bracketed out. Scythe (2016), the first volume in the series, can be read as a stand-alone text. In the struggle between good and evil, the text offers some closure with the villain being killed. However, some conflicts remain unresolved, thus inviting speculation beyond Scythe and promoting interest in the follow-up Thunderhead (2018). The second volume shifts attention to the supercomputer and continues with the story of the two protagonists, Citra and Rowan, who in different ways have become scythes themselves. The second volume ends in an apocalyptic catastrophe with the miraculously revived villain taking control, and Citra and Rowan facing extinction. In the third volume (The Toll 2019), the author introduces a different storyline with Citra and Rowan only playing a marginal role. 2.4 Teaching Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe Trilogy Following the trilogy’s structure, it makes sense to first focus on Scythe, which I find rich in potential for (language) education. First, the themes addressed make it relevant to a young adult audience. These themes include visions for the future of humankind, first love, growing up and coming of age. Secondly, the narra‐ tive structure with its gripping plot, likable protagonists and straightforward narration facilitates immersion in the book. Moreover, the division of the novel into four parts permits a cumulative approach to prevent being overwhelmed by the length of the text. Indeed, at a first glance, the length of the book may pose a major obstacle (442 pages). However, the narrative structure, the large print and the language used (simple syntax, preference for a high frequency lexicon) make Scythe a highly readable text. Thirdly, the problematic aspects of the novel invite critical readings of the world portrayed. Finally, language learning abilities can be fostered through extensive reading and a variety of activities promoting discussion of and creative engagement with the novel. 64 Werner Delanoy <?page no="65"?> 2.4.1 Teaching Scythe The pre-reading activities suggested aim to activate thematically relevant pre-knowledge and to facilitate entry into the secondary world of the text. The following list of questions can help prepare the ground for engagement with the futuristic scenario in the novel: Imagine humans can live forever because of new technology: (1) How would that change the life of humans? (2) What technologies would be needed to make this possible? (3) How can population growth be controlled? (4) How would this affect other species, the environment, etc.? (5) What form of government would be best in such a world? (6) What if a computer with a giant database were in charge? (7) Any other comments. Here, one of the main topics in Scythe - human immortality - serves as a starting point for stirring the students’ imagination. This topic is also one of the central issues in transhumanist and posthuman debates. In line with transhumanist perspectives, questions (2) and (6) invite speculation about the role of technology in such a futuristic scenario. Thus, the activity should put students into a frame of mind conducive to exploring the novel in its transhumanist dimension. As a follow-up, the opening page can be read and discussed in class. Let me add here that all chapters are preceded by a journal entry made by scythe characters, including both the caring and compassionate (Curie, Farraday) and the egocentric and bloodthirsty ones (Goddard). Moreover, in some instances the entries go back to the two protagonists (Citra and Rowan), who are chosen by Scythe Faraday as apprentices because of their altruistic qualities and moral integrity. The first journal entry is made by Scythe Curie, and in this entry, she explains her “gleaning” (killing) philosophy, by pointing out how important this service is and how much pain and sorrow it causes to those chosen to perform it. The discussion of this entry can be supported by the following questions: (1) What is said in this passage? (2) Who is the speaker? Who is the “we” the speaker refers to? (3) What is a scythe? What do they mean by “gleaning”? (4) What do you think of this practice? (5) Who is H.S. Curie? How do you see her? (6) How do you think the story will go on? (7) Any further questions and comments. 65 Quo Vadis Humankind? <?page no="66"?> The use of journal entries to introduce the 40 chapters may invite further pre-reading work. For example, teachers can pre-select 8-10 entries (made by different characters) and ask the students to read and discuss them before the actual reading, or, students can select some of the entries themselves, and then introduce their findings to fellow students in pairand group-work activities. Focus on the journal entries can also help develop a closer relationship with the characters before the reading, since as a genre, journal/ diary entries can permit more intimate insight into people’s thoughts and feelings. As for while-reading work, the division of the novel into four parts permits a step-by-step approach to keep the reading load within manageable limits. The readings can be accompanied by creative activities such as illustrating, acting out or sculpturing what the students perceive as key scenes. As for post-reading activities, the novel invites speculation about the future of Citra and Rowan. While Citra has developed into a well-respected scythe following the old tradition, Rowan due to circumstances beyond his control has become a persona non grata within the scythedom. Moreover, interviews with the author, the trailer to the film (which to my knowledge is still in the making) and fan blogs (e.g. Trending on r/ scythebookfans) can be explored and discussed. Moreover, attention can be drawn to the problematic aspects of the novel. One way to get started is to ask the students to which of the groups in the novel they would like to belong. There are five different groups, the scythes, ordinary people with no special function and affiliation (they are the vast majority), the Tonists (followers of a religious cult), the unsavouries (harmless troublemakers) and the nimbus agents (helpers of the Thunderhead). Having discussed their choices, the students can be invited to take on the role of an ordinary citizen. For example, they could describe a day in their lives. Their entries can be linked back to how this group is presented in Scythe. Discussion could then focus on whether such a life-approach would be desirable. In a follow-up activity, society as a whole, as presented in the novel, can be focussed on. This includes reflection upon the Thunderhead as ruler, a world largely devoid of worries, pain and deep commitment, plus a world focussed on (post)humans without reference to non-human life forms and ecological issues. Finally, the ecological dimension could be further emphasized, for example, by comparing the novel’s futuristic vision to that of a movement like Fridays for Future. Shifting the emphasis to ecological issues also permits a comparison between transhumanist concerns and those of (critical) posthumanists, the latter advo‐ cating an ecological position. As for transhumanist concepts, excerpts from James Hughes’ Citizen Cyborg can be used to illustrate transhumanist objectives, and to link technological innovation to a democratic agenda. 66 Werner Delanoy <?page no="67"?> 2.4.2 Teaching Thunderhead and The Toll Engagement with Scythe can be followed by reading Thunderhead and The Toll. As in Scythe, journal entries again precede the 47 chapters in the follow-up and the 54 chapters in the final volume. In Thunderhead all the entries are made by the supercomputer itself. Again some of the entries can be read and discussed before the reception of the whole text, thus shifting attention to the Thunderhead’s concerns, his thoughts and feelings. Again, the first entry is a good starting point, since it draws attention to the supercomputer’s immense power over and infinite love for humankind. The second novel is even longer than the first one (515 pages), and it is divided into six parts, which again invites a step-by-step approach. As mentioned before, the novel ends in a catastrophe, and the cliffhanger principle, i.e. the worry for Citra’s and Rowan’s future, may well create the urge to read the final volume. The story in The Toll, however, moves into a different direction. To the readers’ surprise, Citra and Rowan only play a marginal role with different characters (e.g. Greyson Tolliver) taking centre-place. Moreover, a more diverse world is constructed in the even longer text (625 pages), with its focus on other continents, life-forms and alternative gender positions (people having no fixed gender). While Thunderhead by and large repeats the patterns introduced in Scythe, The Toll, therefore, raises new questions and offers new possibilities for classroom exploration. Judging by student comments, however, I would not make The Toll mandatory reading. According to student feedback, the third volume was repeatedly experienced as a letdown because of its convoluted plot structure and its marginalisation of Citra and Rowan. Summing up, the structure of the trilogy justifies a particular focus on Scythe. This is where the story begins, where it comes to preliminary closure, where transhumanist and posthuman concerns play a significant role, where a concrete scenario can be linked to engagement with transand posthumanist positions. The other two novels can be suggested for optional reading, Thunderhead as a continuation of Scythe, and The Toll as a journey into new territory. Bibliography Bostrom, Nick (2005). A History of Transhumanist Thought. http: / / www.nickbostrom.co m/ papers/ history.pdf (accessed 19.11.2020) Bostrom, Nick (2013). “Why I Want to Be a Posthuman When I Grow up.” In: More, Max/ Vita-More, Natasha (eds.), 28-53. Braidotti, Rosi (2013). The Posthuman. 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The Political Writings of Zoltan Istvan. No place of publication: Rudi Ventures LLC. 69 Quo Vadis Humankind? <?page no="71"?> John Lanchester’s The Wall in the Advanced Language Classroom Peter Hohwiller The past decade has shown that dystopian fiction is alive and kicking and has more to offer than Brave New World and 1984. Rather unsurprisingly, some new titles, for example The Hunger Games, have already found their way into the classroom. And John Lanchester’s 2019 novel The Wall, longlisted for the Man Booker prize, certainly has many ticks in the right didactic boxes, too: it is short, linguistically accessible for Sekundarstufe II courses, and it deals with a topic of global concern: climate change. In this article, the didactic potential and the classroom application of Lanchester’s novel will be discussed. 1. The Wall from a Literary Studies Perspective The Wall is the fifth novel of British author and journalist John Lanchester. It was published in 2019 and was considered for the longlist of the Man Booker Prize of the very same year. A German translation is available (Lanchester 2019b), as is an original edition with vocabulary aids and teaching materials for classroom use in German-speaking countries (Lanchester 2020). The Wall offers a good many promising aspects to literary scholarship. What is philologically focussed on in this subchapter, however, are only those features of the novel that add to its classroom suitability and that have specific practical implications. Philology, didactics, and methodology are, therefore, not treated as distinct disciplines but as interdependent fields. As a piece of dystopian ecocriticism, the novel is set against the backdrop of a world firmly held in the grasp of climate change - or, as the novel simply puts it, the Change. Rising sea levels have rendered many parts of the world uninhabitable, triggering unprecedented waves of migration. Since in some regions of Great Britain a comparatively decent life is still possible, it is the place where many refugees try to seek shelter. And because Great Britain cannot accommodate the influx of refugees, rather tellingly called the Others, it has <?page no="72"?> created a fortification on its coasts, the Wall. The sole purpose of the Wall and its guardians, the Defenders, is to ward off intruders - at any cost. The novel is narrated by one of these Defenders, Kavanagh. An adolescent everyman from the Midlands, he serves his obligatory two-year term on the Wall. Going through the motions and suffering the hardships of military service, Kavanagh also finds new friends and falls in love with Hifa, one of his army comrades. The introductory paragraphs of The Wall give a good preview of its language and style. This is how the novel begins: It’s cold on the Wall. That’s the first thing everybody tells you, and the first thing you notice when you’re sent there, and it’s the thing you think about all the time you’re on it, and it’s the thing you remember when you’re not there any more. It’s cold on the Wall. You look for metaphors. It’s cold as slate, as diamond, as the moon. Cold as charity - that’s a good one. But you soon realise that the thing about the cold is that it isn’t a metaphor. It isn’t like anything else. It’s nothing but a physical fact. This kind of cold, anyway. Cold is cold is cold. So that’s the first thing that hits you. It isn’t like other cold. This is a cold that is all about the place, like a permanent physical attribute of the location. The cold is one of its fundamental properties; it’s intrinsic. So it hits you as a package, the first time you go to the Wall, on the first day of your tour. You know that you are there for two years. You know that it’s basically the same everywhere, as far as the geography goes, but that everything depends on what the people you will be serving with are like. You know that there’s nothing you can do about that. It is frightening but also in its way a little bit freeing. No choice - everything about the Wall means you have no choice (Lanchester 2020: 9). Several aspects about the incipit are worth mentioning. What is probably most striking is its exorbitant use of repetition. The term “cold” is used twelve, “thing” six and “the first” five times. There is a triple repetition of “You know”, while “[it] hits you” and “no choice” can be found twice. Needless to say, this is not due to the narrator’s limited range of vocabulary, but serves at least three specific functions: to stress how unpleasant or even painful the service on the Wall is (“cold”, “[it] hits you”), even on day one (“the first”); to underline the loss of agency that comes with military service (“no choice”), and to introduce the reader to the oral style characteristic of the novel (“thing”, “You know”). On a more general level, the repetitions might already foreshadow the repetitive routines of the Defenders - on the Wall, Kavanagh’s life and language is controlled by the Wiederkehr des Gleichen. 72 Peter Hohwiller <?page no="73"?> Related to repetitions and orality is the linguistic simplicity that is not only typical of the introductory passages but of the whole novel. An adolescent narrator addressing his readers, Kavanagh rather expectedly abstains from aureate terms, syntactic complexity, and conceptional abstraction. Linguistic simplicity, however, is not the only distinguishing feature of The Wall. What can already be felt in the two opening paragraphs, specifically in the first one, is its occasional poetic quality. Remembering that epizeuxis is possibly the poetic device, the exorbitant use of repetition within the opening sentences alone adds to their poeticity. What is even more, assonances can be found (“thing”, “think”), syntactic parallelisms (“It’s [not]”), polysyndeta (“and […] and […] and”), and similes (“It’s cold as slate, as diamond, as the moon. Cold as charity […]”) - all of which can be considered poetic devices. Contentwise, by alluding to Gertrude Stein’s famous “A rose is a rose is a rose” and by referring to a quintessentially poetic process (“You look for metaphors”), the opening paragraph not only latently but manifestly deals with poetry. On a more general level, what is characteristic of the language of the novel then, is the co-presence of simplicity and poeticity - a co-presence that is rare to find and that - as will be analysed later - greatly adds to the didactic potential of The Wall. Apart from language and style, it is genre - or, more precisely: generic variety - that might be interesting from a literary studies perspective. As is typical of a good many contemporary novels, The Wall is almost impossible to pin down generically. Narrated from the perspective of an adolescent soldier falling in love and fighting for survival in a bleak world, it has ticks at least in the boxes of young adult literature, Bildungsroman, war novel, romance, adventure novel, and dystopia - or, more precisely, dystopian ecocriticism when considering the novel’s strong focus of climate change. Another interesting philological aspect is certainly the core theme of The Wall. One of its central layers of meaning revolves around the Change and the changes it triggers. What is made unmistakably clear in the novel is how rising sea levels set forth a whole cascade of transformations - in a great many different spheres. Rising sea levels have not only made the Wall necessary, they have also turned Great Britain into a slave state. This is because some Others who manage to get over the Wall are not executed on the spot and are even granted asylum instead - if they agree to act as Help, a euphemism for slave. Draconian laws are put in place, whereby the Others, Help, the Defenders, and even members of the ruling class can easily forfeit their lives. People are 73 John Lanchester’s The Wall in the Advanced Language Classroom <?page no="74"?> under constant biometrical control of the state: chip implants help the state to closely monitor its subjects. Now this political upheaval brought about by climate change produces societal transformations. Great Britain now has a caste system: there is the ruling class called the Elite, and there is the other stratum, comprising, for example, Defenders. Help probably forms a caste of its own. Distorted parent-child relationships are indicative of a major psychological transformation created by climate change. Kavanagh’s generation bears a grudge against their parents because now the young have to come to terms with the ecologic mess left behind by the old. The generation of the parents - this is at least what the subjective first-person narrator Kavanagh tells us - did have more than their fair share of warm summers, beach holidays, and exotic dishes. What they did not have, though, was military service on the Wall. Seeing the burden their children have to bear, parents seem to be guilt-stricken, and free intergenerational communication is no longer possible. Climate change also leaves some rather surprising marks. The media has changed considerably. Since warm weather is simply a thing of the past, but still remembered by the parental generations, TV programmes cater for this nostalgia. Films and TV series set against the backdrop of summery beaches are all the rage, and the media clearly serves the escapist desires of the society described in The Wall. A last transformation brought about by the Change is again psychological in nature. As a deprived generation facing lethal danger, it is actually not surprising that its adolescent members go to great lengths to get at least a tiny slice of the cake. And since the few amenities left in the world are given to the Elite, it is their social status that young people wish to attain. Kavanagh is a good case in point. He harbours strong careerist ambitions; in fact, he hardly thinks about anything else. Although he is still secretive as far as his careerist ambitions of becoming a member of the Elite are concerned, he is far from being squeamish when it comes to using Help. Ultimately, climate change triggers strong feelings among Defenders - mortal fear and careerist determination. By and large, what is powerfully made clear by Lanchester’s novel is that climate change is not only about rising sea levels and temperatures, but that it slowly but surely affects politics, society, families, the media, and, rather importantly, the psyche of the individual. Needless to say, all of these follow-up changes are negative. From a literary studies perspective, a last aspect worth mentioning is con‐ nected to the enemies of the Defenders, the Others. All the people seeking shelter in Great Britain are simply called “Others” - no matter who they are or where 74 Peter Hohwiller <?page no="75"?> they come from. Others are automatically considered enemies of the state (with the exception of Help mentioned above), and they can, therefore, be killed. Now what is certainly interesting here, is how Otherness is constructed. While Othering frequently manifests itself along the lines of gender, sexual orientation, age, race, class, place (of origin), religion, politics etc., in The Wall this very process is far more radical. People assume out-group status by the simple fact of not belonging to the in-group. In other words: every outsider is an enemy. In The Wall, us against them has become universal. Rather tellingly, it is only when Kavanagh becomes an outcast himself that he starts to question this dichotomy: I’d been brought up not to think about the Others in terms of where they came from or who they were, to ignore all that - they were just Others. But maybe, now that I was one of them, they weren’t Others any more? If I was an Other and they were Others perhaps none of us were Others but instead we were a new Us. It was confusing (Lanchester 2020: 170). What gradually dawns on Kavanagh - and what is convincingly made clear in Lanchester’s novel - is that in this dystopian world there are no in-groups and out-groups, only humans suffering from climate change. 2. The Wall and Its Didactic Potential Generally, it is safe to say that The Wall is a suitable text for advanced learners in year 11 or later due to the factors of competence orientation, accessibility, and motivation. The novel invites competence-oriented approaches, particularly when fo‐ cusing on the aspects elaborated in the previous chapter. Each domain of the KMK-competence model can be fostered (2014: 12). Some examples may illustrate this. If learners are to analyse the novel’s first two paragraphs quoted above, classroom discussions will inevitably arrive at the question regarding the effect created by the exorbitant use of repetition. Sensitive learners might even see that the repetitive language mirrors the repetitive daily grind of the Defenders. Clearly, such a discussion would promote learners’ text and media competences, since the analysis of effects created by rhetorical devices is one of its key descriptors (KMK 2014: 20; Burwitz-Melzer/ Caspari 2017: 62). Language awareness is another important competence domain in foreign language classrooms. A quintessentially eclectic concept, it touches on several fields like grammar, communication but also culture and even power (cf. Gnutz‐ 75 John Lanchester’s The Wall in the Advanced Language Classroom <?page no="76"?> mann 2014: 21). Raising the awareness of how power relations are linguistically entrenched is, therefore, a teaching objective and a competence descriptor in this vein. A dystopian piece of fiction that also shows how the Elite exploits Help and Defenders, The Wall frequently deals with power relations and their linguistic foundations. To approach this topic, learners can be encouraged to analyse the term that the in-group attributes to the out-group, the Others. As has been stated above, learners might also see that this is possibly the most radical form of calling somebody names. A discussion as to why “Help” is a vicious euphemism for ‘slave’ might also drive this point home. When it comes to intercultural communicative competence, one of its key descriptors is about the change of perspective: learners are not only supposed to try to change but also to compare and (re-)evaluate different perspectives (KMK 2014: 20). Again, The Wall offers a great many opportunities to do so. A particularly suitable topic is the distorted parent-child relationships. That these relationships can be troubled, is probably understandable for most adolescent learners. The real bone of contention, however, is not. This is because the novel leaves its readers for quite some time in the dark until it is revealed that the parental generation is believed to be responsible for the Change. Clearly, this is an insight that learners can hardly infer by top-down processing. As a consequence, and when trying to make sense of Kavanagh’s line of argument, they have to change their perspectives and adopt Kavanagh’s. Ideally, classroom discussion does not stop here. Instead, learners should be encouraged to take the novel’s narrative perspective into account, too. Some learners might then even realise that first-person narrators like Kavanagh can fashion their narration according to their needs. It goes without saying that this can be taken as a re-evaluation of perspective. (A skillful teacher might also make learners see that in the novel, set in the not-too-distant future, the parents’ generation is in fact theirs - this would again call perspectives into question.) Another, and quite obvious, aspect of the novel also has to do with the com‐ petence domain of intercultural communicative competence. Foreign language classrooms are expected to focus on topics of global concern (cf. Freitag-Hild 2018: 169). And with all eyes on climate change, the novel certainly deals with a topic of universal significance. The second major argument that adds to the didactic potential of The Wall is its accessibility. A rather external factor that accounts for this is the fact that the novel is quite the opposite of a weighty tome: with only 216 pages, Lanchester produced a rather slim volume. For reluctant readers or for readers who would normally shy away from, say, dystopian fiction, dealing with The Wall is not as daunting a prospect as Stephen King’s 1700+ pages of The Stand. What is also 76 Peter Hohwiller <?page no="77"?> beneficial is that these 216 pages are divided into three parts: The Wall, The Others, The Sea. Due to these authorial caesurae each of the three parts conveys a sense of closure to its reader-learners. Moreover, the tripartite organisation of the novel also helps teachers structure their sequence. Another external factor that makes The Wall accessible is the average length of its chapters. By dividing the text into 25 chapters spread across 216 pages, the average chapter length of 8.8 pages is more than manageable. (Two random examples for comparison: Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give has an average chapter length of 13.3, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go 12.7.) Traditional reading assignments are, therefore, facilitated: when reading the novel with the segment approach (Thaler 2012: 265), learners can be encouraged to read one, sometimes even two chapters at home. A last but by no means least external factor is that an annotated edition of The Wall has become available (Lanchester 2020). Theoretically, there should be no major lexical issues for reading learners. What might also make the novel manageable from a teaching perspective is that classroom materials have already been published (Hohwiller 2020). An internal factor that contributes to the accessibility of The Wall is its language. As has been elaborated above, it is the co-presence of simplicity and poeticity that makes the novel stand out from the crowd. What is even more, with Lanchester’s seemingly plain language, one of the recurring issues of the foreign literature classroom is tackled: that learners are confronted with literary texts which are demanding either in terms of content or in terms of language (cf. Caspari/ Steininger 2016: 35 f.). The Wall exposes its readers to challenging content and it does so with simple, albeit not simplistic language interspersed with passages of great poetic beauty. The didactic potential of the novel is not only due to its compatibility with competence-oriented teaching and its accessibility. It is also largely due to the reading motivation triggered by The Wall. Now that a book is supposedly motivating is easier said than proven, because the go-to argument - the text is full of tension - is certainly subjective. It might, therefore, be more valid to take the generic variety of The Wall as a starting point. It stands to reason that a novel which comprises many genres appeals to more readers than a novel which belongs to one text type. Rather tentatively, it might even be argued that a novel which comprises distinct genres like romance and military fiction is particularly motivating due to its generic eclecticism. What The Wall undoubtedly does, however, is cater for diverse target groups of readers, and this certainly contributes to its motivation for these. 77 John Lanchester’s The Wall in the Advanced Language Classroom <?page no="78"?> Even though this might be seen as a contradiction to the previous argument, it can be contended that it is one particular genre that makes The Wall motivating to contemporary learners, and this is dystopia. Looking at the popcultural output of the last two decades, it becomes obvious that a great many dystopian books (e.g. Never Let Me Go, The Hunger Games, The Testaments), films (e.g. Maze Runner, Oblivion, The Purge), and TV series (e.g. Altered Carbon, The 100, The Society) have been published and produced - dystopia seems to be all the rage. If Lanchester’s dystopian novel is used in class, learners deal with a trendy genre, which might give a boost to reading motivation. 3. Methodological Suggestions for The Wall Before anwering the question of how to go about the philological aspects that have just been didactically justified in class, one general methodological implication for the while-reading and one for the post-reading phase of a teaching sequence will be addressed. What makes dystopian pieces of fiction both challenging and attractive is the alternative worlds they present to their readers. They are attractive because they usually bear resemblance to the reader’s world. But they are also challenging because more often than not, the structures of the alternative world are gradually revealed, keeping readers guessing. The Wall is no exception to this rule. During reading, a fact file can help learners fully comprehend the alternative world of the novel. A simple chart in which learners continuously take notes (and list page references) on aspects like climate, military service, politics, life in Great Britain, life outside Great Britain, the Others will greatly add to their overall textual comprehension. When it comes to the post-reading phase, teachers might wish to make use of learners’ familiarity with dystopian film and fiction. A comparison between The Wall and, for example, an extract from the movie The Hunger Games would not only contribute to the student orientation of the sequence, it would also allow for the effective instructional strategy of identifying similarities and differences (cf. Marzano 2003: 80). Classroom discussion could be structured by focussing on categories characteristic of most of dystopian worlds (social stratification, consolidation of power, exploitation of out-groups, scientific or medical experimentation on out-group members, linguistic obfuscation, resignation or confrontation of one or more out-group members). Let us get back to some aspects of The Wall which have been discussed in the chapters above. It has been claimed that the novel is suitable to promote language awareness and that, for example, the name of the enemies, the Others, 78 Peter Hohwiller <?page no="79"?> can be discussed to these ends. After the class has been informed that in this lesson some politically incorrect terms will be used for linguistic purposes and that these terms must not be used outside the classroom, learners might first be asked to come up with examples of words attributed to Germans or specific groups of German people. These words might be taken from any of the languages spoken in class. Having listed the given examples on the blackboard, teachers might then ask learners about the underlying principles of these demonyms. It will possibly become clear that demonyms frequently contain references to a region (“Ossi”), to food (“Kartoffel”), to popular first names (“Fritz”), to ancestors, even if historically incorrect (“Huns”), to supposedly prominent character traits (“boche”) etc.. Learners should then be encouraged to compare the underlying principles of these slurs to that of the exonym of The Wall, the Others. It might then be deduced that, insulting as “Kraut” and “Hun” undoubtedly are, they still have a certain specificity that is absent in the term the Other. And the consequences are far-reaching: everybody beyond the Wall is an enemy. In order to have learners see things from different perspectives and to foster intercultural communicative competence, the distorted parent-child relation‐ ships of the novel can be focussed on. To these ends, teachers might first ask learners as to why Kavanagh bears a grudge against his parents. Reasons can be listed on the blackboard. Creative writing could also be used, and a letter in which Kavanagh tells his parents why he behaves the way he does towards them might be produced. The overall idea is to have learners first immerse in Kavanagh’s train of thought. Then - if learners do not see this themselves - teachers might bring in narrative perspective, unreliable narration and the fact that Kavanagh’s parents actually represent the learners’ generation. If learners are not convinced, the above quote (Lanchester 2020: 170), which can be taken as Kavanagh’s insight into his own unreliability, should be discussed. 4. Conclusion A new and slim novel, written in plain and poetic English, The Wall has many benefits for the English literature classroom. Its generic variety will appeal to diverse reader preferences, and its dystopian backdrop certainly follows current trends. Most importantly, it is the overarching theme of climate change that makes it a suitable classroom reader. As a narrative Pandora’s box, it drives its ecocritical points home more vividly than climate statistics or the odd picture of collapsing icebergs. Perhaps this is where its great power lies. 79 John Lanchester’s The Wall in the Advanced Language Classroom <?page no="80"?> Bibliography Burwitz-Melzer, Eva/ Daniela Caspari, Daniela (2017). “Text und Medienkompetenz.” In: Tesch, Bernd et al. (eds.). Bildungsstandards Aktuell: Französisch/ Englisch in der Sekundarstufe II. Braunschweig: Westermann, 56-83. Caspari, Daniela/ Steiniger, Ivo (2016). “Einfachheit aus literaturdidaktischer Sicht.” In: Burwitz-Melzer, Eva/ O’Sullivan, Emer (eds.). Einfachheit in der Kinder- und Jugendli‐ teratur: Ein Gewinn für den Fremdsprachenunterricht. Wien: Praesens, 33-49. Freitag-Hild, Britta (2018). “Teaching Culture - Intercultural Competence, Transcultural Learning, Global Education.” In: Surkamp, Carola/ Viebrock, Britta (eds.). Teaching English as a Foreign Language. An Introduction. Stuttgart: Metzler, 159-175. Gnutzmann, Claus (2017). “Bewusstheit/ Bewusstmachung.” In: Surkamp, Carola (eds.). Metzler Lexikon Fremdsprachendidaktik. Stuttgart: Metzler. Hohwiller, Peter (2020). The Wall. Handreichungen für den Unterricht. Berlin: Cornelsen. Kultusministerkonferenz (ed.) (2014). Bildungsstandards für die Fortgeführte Fremdsprache (Englisch/ Französisch) für die Allgemeine Hochulreife. Köln: Carl Link. Lanchester, John (2019a). The Wall. London: Faber & Faber. Lanchester, John (2019b). Die Mauer. Hamburg: Hoffmann & Campe. Lanchester, John (2020). The Wall. Berlin: Cornelsen. Marzano, Robert J. (2003). What Works in Schools. Translating Research into Action. Alexandra, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Thaler, Engelbert (2012). Englisch unterrichten. Grundlagen. Kompetenzen. Methoden. Berlin: Cornelsen. 80 Peter Hohwiller <?page no="81"?> “Forever Young! I Want to Be Forever Young! ” Teaching Yuval Noah Harari’s Homo Deus Arthur Haberlach Yuval N. Harari (2016: 1-24) introduces his outlook into tomorrow with the bold claim that humanity has finally triumphed over the “Three” Horsemen of the Apocalypse, i.e. starvation, epidemics, and violence, which have been haunting it for millennia - and is now on the hunt for new nemeses. This article will offer possibilities of introducing students to Harari’s eminent insights into the obstacles in our path to becoming transhuman “homines dei” while integrating them into the scenario technique. It will, however, not only rely on the work of Harari. In an effort to use a broad variety of both suitable and exciting sources, the article will present songs, fictional and non-fictional texts as well as videos and current pop-cultural influences, ranging from Alphaville to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in order to equip students with the necessary tools on their journey through the 21 st century - or even beyond it. 1. Goals In this article, I want to guide you through the journey into the future, which I undertook with my 12 th grade at the Gymnasium Schäftlarn. Actually, I want to motivate you to embark onto your own voyage with your students. It is your task to prepare your students for the future and - to be honest - they will have to deal with new technologies, new outlooks, and new ethics, which we cannot fathom ourselves yet, come hell or high water. The article aims at presenting a potential lesson plan, an itinerary so to speak, which is mainly based on the inspirational insights and thought processes of Yuval Noah Harari’s 2016 book Homo Deus. The book itself, however, should rather be seen as a supplement. In my case, I selected about 10 % as reading material for the students. The respective lessons will act as a pre-reading activity, in order to offer a smoother access into Harari’s work. <?page no="82"?> Let me offer you a plethora of ways of dealing with Homo Deus’s contents, integrating a broad variety of materials, techniques, and skills for English lessons and students. Yet, they should always be modified according to your students’ preferences and abilities. Since there is not enough space for a step- by-step description of individual lessons, you will discover “lesson blocks”, which should always be split into several lessons. They will only highlight a thread of tidbits - often excluding motivational parts or homework. Since I am a teacher in Bavaria, the lesson plan was created in accordance to the Bavarian curriculum for teaching the 11 th or 12 th grade. The topic of transhumanism is integrated in the section on modern technology. The curriculum also demands dealing with ethical questions - thus, they are also a major cornerstone. The underlying method of teaching is the scenario technique, which is borrowed from social studies and - as a project-oriented approach - is also an essential part of the curriculum and the new LehrplanPLUS. 2. The Scenario Technique This technique aims at teaching our students that the future is not set in stone and that they have the power to mould and shape it, too. At its core, it dares students to anticipate and portray hypothetical developments, while highlighting reasons for and consequences of them (Sprey 2003: 57-61). First, students have to analyze the most important problems that have to be overcome in the present. Then, students identify influences that might have repercussions and consequences on future developments. This will take up the lion’s share. In the end, students are asked to create scenarios (normally an extremely negative and positive one), which have to account for the future problems, influences, and repercussions they have been working on. Presenting possible solutions is the cherry on top. The students are then asked to visualize their scenario - my students chose videos, short stories, and comics, for example (see Engartner/ May 2016; Röll 2007: 93-97). 3. The Lesson Plan 3.1 Lesson Block 1: Visualizing the Future The first block aims at tackling the fear of fantasizing about the future and relies on Randy Pausch to accomplish this mission. He was a professor specialized in virtual reality and, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, wrote the book The Last Lecture for his children to teach them the importance of their dreams. In an excerpt describing his first “Building VR-worlds class”, Pausch 82 Arthur Haberlach <?page no="83"?> (2008: 121-124) shrewdly creates empathy, and it becomes obvious through his use of language that motivating his students to create their most exceptional VR-world was his top priority. This excerpt should manage to prepare your students for the weeks to come. Pausch also was a Disney Imagineer. After reflecting on the term, the students could be asked to collect ideas for the presentation of their own VR-world. The rules should be similar to the ones in Pausch’s text: no violence and no pornography. During our following “VR-fair”, one student of each group stayed behind to present their results, while the rest visited the other booths. In order to maximize results, advertising techniques like the AIDA-principle should be revised or introduced (see Grieser-Kindel/ Henseler/ Möller 2016 (2): 107-114/ 139-144). Many students chose to apply a gaming approach and added objectives, hidden keys, and levels to their “Save the earth” campaign or time-travelling adventure at King Arthur’s Camelot. Afterwards, the students’ results could be juxtaposed to those of an expert in building future worlds, namely Ernest Cline. The first pages of his novel Ready Player One (2011: 15-18) excellently portray the ambiguity of his virtual world: OASIS. On the one hand, this VR simulation acts as a school and universal library, but on the other hand, its limitless and addictive features cause many people to abandon the real world. After a comparison with Steven Spielberg’s vision - all the trailers used are available on YouTube - the students could be asked to position themselves in the back of the classroom according to their moral and ethical choice. This method is borrowed from social studies and aims at strengthening argumentative skills (Beyer 2013: 14-15). A notorious quote taken from the movie The Matrix (“You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”) forces the students to decide whether they would rather stay in a virtual reality simulation - or wake up and live their proper lives. Now, the time has come to introduce the students to Harari’s work by first asking them to characterize a “homo deus”. I used the tool www.mentimeter.com. Here, teachers can create online presentations and polls. Afterwards, the students should discuss the differences between a science fiction work like RPO, which focusses on entertainment, and a non-fictional book like Homo Deus, which makes use of scientific methods and research based on facts. Then, the students are given the last page of Homo Deus in order for them to understand that even Harari, after 460 pages, cannot predict the future perfectly - which means that they will not be asked to do it either. Yet, he highlights that in the future, it will be an important survival skill to focus on the most important information and evidence - instead 83 “Forever Young! I Want to Be Forever Young! ” <?page no="84"?> of being overrun by waves of useless data. This is a main aim of the upcoming lessons, too. 3.2 Lesson Block 2: The “Three” Horsemen of the Apocalypse In the next lessons, the students will discover the obstacles in our path to becoming gods. A picture of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse should trigger a discussion on the main reasons for human deaths. The students should conclude that, as of 2020, the biblical grim reapers, i.e. malnutrition, diseases, and war are still present; yet also that these killers have lost some of their former power. The students could then be asked to listen to one of the many interviews with Harari in which he discusses weird developments, for instance that today more people die from eating too much than from eating too little. Now, another method borrowed from social studies could be applied. Its German name is the wordplay KarikaTOUR (see Beyer 2013: 56-57; Hankele 2015: 46-51). Each “horseman” offers a plethora of different cartoons, Harari quotes, or statistics for more profound insight. The students could be assigned to walk from source to source and analyze them - always having different teammates. Some of the most important results, according to Harari (2016: 1-24), should be that today we only have “political famines” in autocratic regimes, that more people die from sugar than from gunpowder, and that - even in the year of Covid-19 - today’s infectious diseases are not as deadly as, e.g., smallpox had been, or cancer and cardiovascular diseases still are. Yet, we should not dig these horsemen’s graves too early. After discussing the opening scene of the 2014 movie Interstellar, in which, due to ravaging dust storms, nothing - except corn - grows, the students are given Alana Semuels’s 2020 Time-article Dinner As We Know It Is Hurting the Planet. But What If We Radically Rethink How We Make Food? It presents a plethora of modern agricultural technologies and their problems. By using the SQ3R-method, the students are sent on their mission to tackle the text (see Costello 2020; Fleming 2020). In the Survey-step, they should skim it and focus on the main ideas and technologies. Afterwards, they should ask at least three questions on the text, which are then answered after a thorough scan. Now, the students could award the “2021 Food Prize”: our winner, for instance, focused on perfecting vertical farming by funneling light more efficiently into the facilities. The last step requires a cognitive transfer. After further researching the topics, the students could record a podcast on an idea which might end malnutrition. Our winner employed a psychological approach and attacked the meat industry and fast-food advertisements, which predominantly force the image that “real men” have to eat beef into our heads. 84 Arthur Haberlach <?page no="85"?> 1 www.youtube.com/ watch? v=F2CZWM84b2k Let’s duel the next horseman: disease. The 2006 movie I am Legend starts off with a fictional breaking news story on a cure to cancer. After collecting the possible results of such a marvel, which might include the celebration of one of the most important days in human history, the next part of the movie is shown. Here, an abandoned and run-down New York after humanity has passed due to complications with the cancer treatment is stunningly portrayed. The following discussion should center around the (ethical) dangers of progress and raise awareness for the 21 st century - also in comparison to news of bypassing typical medical tests before producing treatments for the masses. This Harari quote (2016: 24) could act as an elegant segue to the next block: Having reduced mortality from starvation, disease and violence, we will now aim to overcome old age and even death itself. […] And having raised humanity above the beastly level of survival struggles, we will now aim to upgrade humans into gods, and turn Homo sapiens into Homo deus. 3.3 Lesson Block 3: Superhuman Engineering A critical question in Homo Deus is “What else will humanity strive for? ” (2016: 23). Now, or after reading the chapter The Last Days of Death (2015: 24-34), which, for instance, depicts the intention of Google’s Bill Marris and Peter Thiel to attain immortality by medical breakthroughs in our lifetime, the students could work on a placemat. Each student faces a part of the placemat and will have to come up with ideas on how to achieve human immortality. After a couple of minutes, the placemat is turned and ideas are added. In the end, the middle should contain the best idea. Based on it, the students create a future scenario, e.g. a breaking news story with interacting anchors and scientists. Ours centered around developments in cybernetics or work with stem cells. In contrast to these fantastic future scenarios, the lesson could conclude with the iconic song Forever Young. A short cover by the band The Killers at the Rock am Ring festival in 2013 offers a slower and more melancholic pace, 1 which forces students to ponder on the future goal of immortality. Harari (2016: 49-56) also underlines its dangers, which range from decreasing progress due to the suppression of new ideas by immortal CEOs to our constant fear of dying in an accident. The students might have changed their minds or have added new interpretations to their worldview and could thus perform a controversial fishbowl discussion on the topic: “Would you join the Forever Young Movement? ”. Finally, they could compare more famous versions of the 85 “Forever Young! I Want to Be Forever Young! ” <?page no="86"?> 2 e.g. on https: / / marvel.fandom.com/ wiki/ Steven_Rogers_(Earth-616) song Forever Young. Both Alphaville and Youth Group used very different videos and tones, which offer a broad room for contrastive comparison (see Gehring 2017: 85-104). The next motivational part could belong to the Greek hero Achilles. In the 2004 movie Troy, he declares that the gods envy humans, because everything is more beautiful when you can lose it to death. Like Harari, I have used the Greek gods as a red threat by first differentiating them from the Christian God: an omniscient and omnipotent entity, whereas the Greek Gods rather act like super-powered humans: they love, hate and fight each other while possessing special features. Ares, for example, is the god of war and has super-human strength, whereas Athena is known for her cunning intelligence (Harari 2016: 49-56). In order to stick to the theme of ancient Greece, two quotes could be offered: On the one hand, the notorious “War is the father of all things” quote by Heraclitus, and the opposing one by Ludwig von Mises: “War is harmful, not only to the conquered but to the conqueror”. The students are asked to position themselves according to their opinion. Now, pictures of inventions are shown, and the students have to decide on whether they were results of wartime-research or an invention discovered in a peaceful era. Plastic surgery or computers, for instance, which are actually results of WW1 and WW2 respectively, could be discussed. To forge a bridge to the beginning, the students are asked to compare Athena and Ares. Both of them wear armour, which may be a sign for the profound connection between war and technology. As a fitting example, the students could be introduced to the birth of Marvel’s Captain America, 2 which also offers a prime specimen for the analysis of graphic novels. It is especially striking, for instance, that the first panel is broken by Captain America after he survived the super-soldier serum injection. In addition, the language and its significance can be analysed very rewardingly. Everybody should be facing each other, because it is time for enhancing the communicative skills of your students via a speed-dating round. They have to introduce themselves convincingly by delineating super-human abilities they came up with. They take notes and then move on to the next suitor (see Grieser-Kindel/ Henseler/ Möller 2016 (1): 218-225). In a menti poll, the students are asked to name their favorite candidate and then explain their reasons for choosing her or him. Since Homo Deus, in the chapter Can Someone Please Hit the Brakes? (2016: 56-63), postulates that there will be a genetic child catalogue in the future due 86 Arthur Haberlach <?page no="87"?> to advances in genetic engineering, the menti results could offer a sneak peek into such a catalogue. As a cognitive transfer, the scenario technique could be applied once more. In a news show, the students present an interview between scientists, reporters, and parents, in which they discuss the pros and cons of genetically enhancing children and the possible future results of a breakthrough like this. To connect to past topics, a representation of the ancient Spartan phalanx could be portrayed, while discussing their methods of “genetically modifying” their children via strict rituals - like notoriously killing deformed infants - in order to manipulate the gene-pool and create the best and most vigorous soldiers the world has ever seen. Now, after this pre-viewing element, the students are divided into groups of three, with each person having to focus on one aspect (atmosphere/ characters/ summary) while watching parts of the 2015 movie Halo: Fall of Reach. The sandwich approach is applied here (see Henseler/ Möller/ Surkamp 2011: 34-37). To quickly summarize the content of the movie’s first part (1: 30-9: 21): In the 25 th century, humanity has become a space-traveling species and has colonized planets. When the colonies start their uprising against earth’s control, the United Nations Space Command calls on scientists to create super-soldiers. Dr Halsey kidnaps strong and promising children for her experiments. Star Trek’s Spock’s dying words (“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one”) is used in an ethical discussion. The last scene of the segment is also offered in its graphic novel version (Reed/ Ruiz 2015: 13-17). Here, Halsey calls the children both “the children” as well as “the test subjects”, displaying first signs of regret, which may be dissected by the students. Furthermore, the last speech bubble contains the phrase “round them up”, which should trigger the students to predict what might happen to the children. In the next few minutes of the movie (9: 21-13: 05), the students are introduced to the notorious “Spartan II program” and its harsh methods of training. The graphic novel stresses the fate of the children by offering close-up shots of emotional faces as well as powerful group shots of the children as teams (Reed/ Ruiz 2015: 1/ 18-21; 2/ 2-5). The movie, on the other hand, rather emphasizes the protagonist’s fate. A recreation of a group shot while using the freeze frame or still image technique aims at triggering processes of empathizing with 25 th century children (see Grieser-Kindel/ Henseler/ Möller 2016 (1): 93-104; 232-240). Now, the next eight minutes featuring the augmentation process are shown (20: 25-28: 20). Similar to Captain America, the subjects are injected with a serum that amplifies their physical and mental capabilities. However, the cost is high since many children die. A deeper analysis of the protagonist John could 87 “Forever Young! I Want to Be Forever Young! ” <?page no="88"?> 3 www.scripts.com/ script/ limitless_12607 4 www.youtube.com/ watch? v=aAVPDYhW_nw follow. Even though he is just a child, he quickly grows into the role as leader of the new Spartans and earth’s champion. Before watching this final segment on the infamous “MJOLNIR” armor (42: 14-43: 20; 48: 10-51: 46), the students ponder on the mysterious attributes a new technology - which bears the same name as the Norse God Thor’s almighty hammer - might have: the lines between homo sapiens and homo deus blur. As Harari (2016: 356-360) predicts, humanity will not only upgrade itself with medical technology alone - it will also make use of cybernetics and exoskeletons to augment its capabilities and protect itself against hazardous environments. To highlight the dangers of human ingenuity, the students are confronted with a famous quote by Albert Einstein. Allegedly, he said “I know not with what weapons world war 3 will be fought, but world war 4 will be fought with sticks and stones.” Even today, humanity already possesses the powers to wreak havoc on a grand scale or even destroy the planet due to advances in military technology. Have humans really overcome war, even though technological advancements are often closely connected to military research? Humanity, however, is not only working on armoring up. The first page of the script of the 2011 movie Limitless, 3 in which the protagonist is portrayed as a struggling, lazy, and unfocussed writer, can be read and acted out in front of the class. Then, a two-minute clip from a video called Why Meditate? Change Your Brain’s Default Mode by the incredibly underrated YouTube channel “What I’ve Learned” briefly summarizes Sally Adee’s experiences with a transcranial direct current stimulator. 4 First, Adee was placed in a battlefield simulator and was completely overwhelmed by attackers charging at her. After connecting to the helmet, however, she managed to eliminate all of them without panicking or jamming her rifle. As did the helmet, so will the students take a look at Adee’s brain, since now, her own 2012 blog article Better Living Through Electrochemistry on the experiment is dissected. It mainly deals with the effects a technology like this could have on humanity. It does not only silence the voices which fill up our minds permanently and thus defeats our worst enemy, i.e. ourselves - it also propels us to overcome our deepest self-doubts. She underlines its applicability as confidence booster and alternative to mind-enhancing drugs, while also pondering on the ethical implications and illustrating her craving to be reattached to the helmet, which might indicate addictive properties. Her 88 Arthur Haberlach <?page no="89"?> 5 www.youtube.com/ watch? v=Pls_q2aQzHg article is exciting to read since her style of writing is thrilling and filled with personal experiences and rhetorical questions. The technique behind approaching this text might look like this: I have divided it into six parts and have placed these parts around the classroom. The students are then prompted to focus on one part at a time, instead of tackling the whole text. They can also benefit from ideas of other students who are working on the same part. This is made possible by the non-chronological structure of the text. The task is to summarize the part and also to identify the means of connecting to the reader. Both should be transferred into a Twitter message from Sally’s perspective, before going to the next part of the article. We collected all the tweets and focus groups for each part, selected the best tweets and presented their reasoning behind their choice. The results can be juxtaposed to the Limitless trailer by applying the hot-seat technique. In the course of the movie, the once lazy protagonist stumbles upon a drug that broadens his mental capabilities. One student at a time is asked to take a seat in front of the class, while presenting her or his plans after taking this pill to unlock her or his full potential (see Grieser-Kindel/ Henseler/ Möller 2016 (1): 131-137). Be prepared to be amazed by the students’ creativity. Not everyone - apparently - would use it to make big money at the stock exchange. The homework could be directed at refining the students’ writing skills. Under the What I’ve Learned video, there is a comment which reads “forget meditation, where can I buy that helmet? ” The students are asked to comment on this question and thus also think about the negative aspects of such an invention. Finally, the students read Harari’s version of the Adee experiment (2016: 334-338). While doing so, they are given the task of comparing the method of connecting to the reader and then find reasons for the differences. Harari, for instance, also makes use of rhetorical questions and depicts everyday situations to make his work more accessible and exhilarating, even though his is still a scientific work. 3.4 Lesson Block 4: Our Last Invention? To introduce the students to Harari’s final remarks, they are shown a video called Artificial Intelligence: Humanity’s Last Invention? by Aperture.  5 It is a channel known for its excellent videos both on technology and future scenarios, and offers superbly explained insights into recent developments of Artificial Intelligence. Whereas in the past, A.I. excelled as databanks, newer programmes like AlphaGo actively learn by playing against themselves millions of times in 89 “Forever Young! I Want to Be Forever Young! ” <?page no="90"?> mere heartbeats. Thus, they come up with new and improved solutions, whereas old A.I. only had a set frame of options. This is exemplified with the Chinese board game Go, which has an incomprehensible number of possible moves and could thus never be mastered by old A.I. - AlphaGo, on the other hand, quickly defeated the best Go-player in the world because it came up with never seen strategies on its own. On the basis of this revelation, pictures on work, voting, or artistic creation are placed in the classroom. The students are asked to choose one of them and come up with a scenario involving the picture. According to Harari (2016: 361-382), voting might become obsolete, since A.I.s may be able to predict the election’s outcome by analyzing human behaviour. He also claims that most modern jobs better fit to the skillsets of A.I.. Thus, it will be easy for it to outperform us eventually. Harari also refers to some economists who “predict that sooner or later unenhanced humans will be completely useless” (2016: 363). In the end, there will have to be new kinds of jobs, or humanity will be trapped in a life of permanent recreation and free time. Many students are likely to claim that the arts are the last stand of humanity - they will have to defend this opinion when they read about A.I.s outperforming both professors as well as Bach in the chapter The Useless Class. The results can be neatly linked to a panel discussion, which takes place in 2049. Students take on the role as future job counselors, some of them specializing in the potential of upgrading the human mind, others in the possibility of advancing the human body. The rest are unemployed people and the jury. The former outline their skillsets, talents and strengths and are then given advice by the career consultants. The verdict is the jury’s job: they will discuss whether the career advice was acceptable, or if there are better options. Now, you can introduce another famous science fiction writer: Hugh Howey. His excellent short story, Executable (2017: 70-77), takes place in a makeshift courtroom, while a defendant, Jamal, is being asked to relive last year’s events. He was working for a tech-company and although they were of the impression that they had thought about every precaution, they forgot about their Roomba vacuum cleaner, which managed to break out and spread a devastating and apocalyptic virus. In this story, A.I. is a horseman humanity could not defeat. Executable can be thoroughly analyzed via a reciprocal reading (see Grieser-Kindel/ Henseler/ Möller 2016 (2): 217-227): the class is divided into groups of five and everybody gets a different role card. The students are asked to read the first part and, while reading, work on their task on their card. The clarifier has to be able to explain difficult vocabulary or phrases. The summarizer’s job is to quickly bring everybody up to the same speed concerning 90 Arthur Haberlach <?page no="91"?> the topics of the part. The questioner has to come up with at least three questions on the text. The psychologist analyzes the characters involved in the scene, and the predictor tries to think about future events in the story. After reading, the solutions are discussed in the groups. The clarifier starts, followed by the summarizer. Then, the group answers the questioner’s tasks and discusses the psychologist’s analysis as well as the predictor’s creativity. After finishing, the cards and notes are given to the next person, and the group works on the following part of the text. Then, each group is asked to pick the best question on the first part, while the remaining students have to answer it. After dealing with the questions, the characters are conclusively psychoanalyzed together. Jamal, for example, seems to be overwhelmed, lethargic, and hopeless since he does not really understand why he is on trial. Then, the predictions are analysed; might they have led to a different ending? In the end, there should be a detailed examination of Howey’s style of writing. He constantly uses the show, don’t tell method to captivate the reader and create suspense. For example, one of the councilmen is groomed, which means that he can still afford to shave, while Jamal has to drink muddy water. He also uses ironic elements: The high-tech company had a refrigerator which could order food automatically. After being infected with the virus, it started to order food which the workers, however, were allergic to. Now, the end is nigh and the students should be creative themselves. The final assignment is to conclude the scenario technique by producing a short story, video, podcast, comic etc. from the perspective of the end of the 21 st century. After having dealt with short stories in class, they should be familiar with the most important aspects of a short story and are set on a journey of writing their own. If they want to work together, they can use the platform www.edupad.ch. Here, students can work on a document online, changing parts and coming up with creative ideas together. Like Randy Pausch, I was overwhelmed by the results of my students: I dived into worlds in which “moonslaves” provide for humanity, 22 nd century surgeons prepare for operations, or creepy domestic aid robots lurk behind your bedroom door. The students should have the freedom to choose the way in which they want to portray future events themselves, and there are many different ways of looking back. Before tackling the task, they should create possible timelines of future events, which trigger other consequences, to structure their process. To cast the final limelight on my students, I have added the script of a short film by one of my groups below. Picture a gloomy, apocalyptic campfire and four Homo Sapiens Superior - and hope for a better 21 st century. 91 “Forever Young! I Want to Be Forever Young! ” <?page no="92"?> S. Superior 1: Another day we’ve barely survived. Why are our lives so miserable? How have we gotten to this point? S. Superior 2: Do you really need to hear that story again? Reliving history won’t put food on our table and fill our bellies. S. Superior 3: Here, that’s my last cricket-sausage. I can’t look at it any more. These damn things ruined us. S. Superior 4: Remember “real” sausages? My mother gave me one when I was a child. S. Superior 1: Yeah, our parents had a good life! They were born in the 2000s. They had plenty of water, food and no civil wars. Their biggest concern was the Corona-virus that hit the earth in 2019. Yet, as with all of the infectious diseases, a cure was quickly found and milk and honey flowed again. But humans soon got greedy and misery struck again. S. Superior 4: Scientists perfected the CRISPR-technology and people could start playing God. They couldn’t modify themselves, but they could modify their children - us. S. Superior 2: Like Dr. Frankenstein, they put together different pieces. Talents, abilities - everything seemed possible. Of course, everyone wanted a child with perfect characteristics. My father told me that they liked superhero movies and now everyone could have their own Steve Rodgers or Bruce Wayne at home. S. Superior 3: It all seemed to be too good to be true. Yet, nobody thought about the energy consumption we - “homo sapiens superior” -would have. S. Superior 1: In many ways, we are superior to our parents. We think, act and move faster. However, we also need more food to power these capabilities. Even before the CRISPR revolution, food wasn’t exactly abundantly available everywhere on the planet. In Africa, many people survived on peanut-bars, whereas Americans and Europeans - it’s weird to hear these long-gone names - were stuffing their faces and still throwing away half of their plate. S. Superior 4: So, it was the scientists’ task to bail us out again. We needed cal‐ orie-dense foods, and plant-based burgers and salads from vertical farming weren’t cutting it. S. Superior 2: And then came these (points at sausage). Insects were bred in masses, shredded and put together again. First, they were just “added” to our beef and pork. Now, you are lucky if you find a piece of bone in your burger. Because then you know that some piece of cow must have been involved in the process. S. Superior 3: Yet, our parents’ bodies weren’t made to survive on insects alone. And ours weren’t either. S. Superior 4: Nutrient deficiency became the new big problem around the world and we had to invent little helpers to let us know when our vitamin levels became too low. 92 Arthur Haberlach <?page no="93"?> S. Superior 1: Everybody was required to wear a modified smartwatch called “vital system”, which was connected to our organs and nervous system. On the one hand, it let us know when we needed to take a vitamin pill, but on the other hand, it also sent our most essential information to the central super-computer. It was created to help us in our everyday life: with decisions and our shopping because it knew what we needed. It also organized our newly enlisted computer and machine workforce. Everybody really got comfortable. S. Superior 3: We didn’t even have to pick a movie on our own: the computer did it for us: it knew what we liked. S. Superior 2: We had all these powers, all this enhanced intelligence, and still the A.I.s outsmarted us. We became a burden to it - all the work had already been done by the computers. So it set a plan in motion. S. Superior 4: A plan to get rid of all the humans. It started with Homo Sapiens. They were weak. They had allergies, for example. Nobody checked their shopping, and sometimes a delicious cake contained some deadly peanuts. Nobody noticed because the police was also run by computers. S. Superior 1: But Homo Sapiens Superior doesn’t give up that easily. A thousand years ago, we would have been gods walking around on earth. Maybe our scientists have finally cracked the code. They have created a new pill called “limitless”. It is supposed to enhance our capabilities beyond anything imaginable. If we believe in our strengths and our ability to communicate and cooperate, we will win against the computers. All: That’s what we will do. Bibliography Adee, Sally (2012). Better Living Through Electrochemistry? https: / / www.lastwordonnothing.com/ 2012/ 02/ 09/ better-living-through-electrochem istry/ (accessed 03/ 09/ 2020) Beyer, Philipp (2013). 55 Methoden Politik: Einfach, Kreativ, Motivierend. Donauwörth: Auer. Cline, Ernest (2011). Ready Player One. New York: Crown Publishers. Cathy Costello (2020). SQ3R. Reading and Understanding. https: / / www.virtuallibrary.info/ sq3r-reading-4-understanding. html# (accessed 10/ 11/ 2020) Engartner, Tim/ Jehle, May (2016). Szenario-Technik. https: / / www.sowi-online.de/ praxis/ methode/ szenario_technik.html (accessed 23/ 10/ 2020) Fleming, Grace (2020). Understanding the SQ3R Study Strategy. thoughtco.com/ sq3r-reading-comprehension-strategy-1857535 (accessed 10/ 11/ 2020) 93 “Forever Young! I Want to Be Forever Young! ” <?page no="94"?> Gehring, Wolfgang (2017). Mit den Künsten Englisch unterrichten. Bad Heilbrunn: Klink‐ hardt. Grieser-Kindel, Christin/ Henseler, Roswitha/ Möller, Steffan (2016). Method Guide 1: Methoden für den Englischunterricht Klasse 5-13. Braunschweig: Schöningh. Grieser-Kindel, Christin/ Henseler, Roswitha/ Möller, Steffan (2016). Method Guide 2: Methoden für den Englischunterricht Klasse 5-13. Braunschweig: Schöningh. Hankele, M. (2015). “Visuell Orientierte Methoden: Analyse von Karikaturen und Karika-Tour.” In: Zeitschrift für die Praxis der Politischen Bildung: Politik & Unterricht; Methoden im Politikunterricht; Beispiele für die Praxis 41, 46-50. Henseler, Roswitha/ Möller, Stefan/ Surkamp, Carola (2011). Filme im Englischunterricht. Grundlagen, Methoden, Genres. Seelze: Klett. Howey, Hugh (2017). Machine Learning: New and Collected Stories. New York: First Mariner Books. Pausch, Randy/ Zaslow, Jeffrey (2008). The Last Lecture: Lessons in Living. London: Hodder & Stoughton. Reed, Brian/ Ruiz, Felix (2015). Halo - Fall of Reach: Bootcamp, Issue 1+2. Milwaukie: Dark Horse. Reinhardt, Sibylle/ Richter, Dagmar (Hrsg.) (2007). Politik Methodik. Berlin: Cornelsen. Röll, K (2007). “Szenario-Technik.” In: Reinhardt, Sibylle/ Richter, Dagmar (Hrsg.). Politik Methodik. Berlin: Cornelsen, S. 93-97. Semuels, Alana (2020). “Dinner As We Know It Is Hurting the Planet. But What If We Radically Rethink How We Make Food? ” Time. https: / / time.com/ collection/ davos -2020/ 5764621/ rethinking-food-environment/ (accessed 29/ 09/ 2020) Sprey, Michael (2003). Zukunftsorientiertes Lernen mit der Szenario-Methode. Bad Heil‐ brunn: Verlag Julius Klinkhardt. 94 Arthur Haberlach <?page no="95"?> Gender Identities in the Age of Transhumanism Developing Intercultural Communicative Competence Among Advanced Learners in Game of Thrones Nicolina Pullmann The books have sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. The HBO show based on the series of books has been one of the most highly watched cable series for the last four years. If you ask teenagers and young adults, it is perfectly clear to what you are referring: GoT - Game of Thrones. This story about the four most prominent families, House Stark, House Baratheon, House Lannister and House Targaryen, on the continent Westeros ravaged by war of succession for the Iron Throne fascinates people of different generations all over the world. Along with encouraging intercultural communicative competence through media competence, namely film literacy, this article will focus on promoting intercultural awareness of the formation of gender roles beyond the binary in a radically altered world. Showing that gender has always been linked to power and privilege by analyzing The Purple Wedding scene of GoT, this paper intends to inspire students’ curiosity to move beyond the old dualities when thinking about what the human is becoming in the age of transhumanism. 1. Introduction: Establishing New Conceptual Structures To teach students in the EFL-classroom about the formation of gender as a social construct and its connection to power, teachers can use popular culture, such as this TV-series based on literature already highly appreciated by the teenage generation, to offer their students an easy access to gender issues. By analyzing one relevant scene taken from the HBO series, this article aims to entice foreign language learners in the EFL-classroom to examine general gender expectations of the GoT universe and to find out how certain characters are challenging and undermining those exact expectations. By confronting learners with a society transcendencing political, social and gender limits (Braidotti 2014), they <?page no="96"?> are encouraged not only to question, but also to establish new conceptual structures to evolve humanity’s immense potential beyond the binary in the age of transhumanism. Both the narrative A Song of Ice and Fire and the audiovisual adaptation The Game of Thrones are set in the alternate world of the continent Westeros, characterized by constantly breaking down common binaries (Human - Animal, Matter - Mind, etc.), which results in human enhancement, i.e. supernatural powers, life extension, etc.. Although embedded with numerous supernatural elements, A Song of Fire and Ice is not only a fantasy book like The Lord of the Rings, but also combines elements of fantasy with dark, realistic, anthropological aspects, thus ranking among the genre of dark fantasy. These horrors are not limited to supernatural elements, but comprise especially interpersonal relationships and society in general. The melodrama is conjured up, on the one hand, by flawed characters with psychological depth, and, on the other hand, by the cruel circumstance that no happy ending is in sight. Each of Martin’s multiple twists enlarges the characters’ misery in a certain way, and leads to the conclusion that the true horror is within ourselves in a world that is not black or white, but only knows shades of grey - as the author himself explained: “The true horrors of human history derive not from orcs and Dark Lords, but from ourselves” (Itzkoff 2014). The question arises why both men and women are riveted by the story of the Seven Kingdoms, considering its lack of decency and a tremendous amount of sexual harassment, physical and verbal violence, demonstrating a ubiquitous denigration of women. Emily Nussbaum of the New Yorker, even though rejecting the excessively shown nudity, stresses that the series offers an “insight into what it means to be excluded from power: to be a woman or a bastard, or a ‘half man’” (Nussbaum 2012). She has hit the nail on the head. Underneath all the attention-grabbing sexposition (McNutt 2011), as it is sometimes called on the internet, one can find numerous gender role rebels who do not meet the ancient gender expectations of the GoT society. By manipulating - or in some cases breaking - the strictly set gender norms in various ways, the subalterns, such as women, eunuchs and one dwarf, free themselves from suffocation and constitute their own individual identities beyond the binary. Some choose conformity and others resistance to wield some power in the aristocratic and martial male-dominated game of thrones. Using their own means at their own pace, some manage to be the head of their Houses or even the Queen at the end of season VI. In contrast to other minor characters, the protagonists actively perform gender, no matter whether or not it is consistent with social expectations for their sex, and succeed in defining 96 Nicolina Pullmann <?page no="97"?> their own individual identity in a posthuman world. This very concept of performativity of gender can be traced back to Judith Butler’s book Gender Trouble (Butler 2008), first published in 1990, in which she describes gender as a mere social construct, to which everybody constitutes themselves through their actions, not their sex. Dealing with fictional characters in a foreign language, i.e. English, students will overcome their natural inhibitions talking about their own stand on this sensitive topic in their mother tongue. After realizing its omnipresence, students should use their findings from the series to contrast them with their own time and perspective, thus being encouraged to find their own identity beyond the binary. 2. A Play of Gender and Power in GoT As far as GoT is concerned, teachers should start with securing a basic under‐ standing of the times and society depicted by analyzing and discussing costumes, living conditions and manners with the aid of screenshots from episode 2 of season IV. During this analysis, the resemblance with medieval times should be revealed, and the information the students have of these times can be gathered - perhaps as interdisciplinary lessons of History and English. Besides the obvious similarities, such as means of transport, accommodations in castles and chivalric manners, the ruling class’ impact on the well-being of common people and the interdependency of birth and gender will be striking. This will give students a chance to familiarize themselves with the necessary vocabulary of medieval times and allow the teacher to identify whether any terms or concepts require further definition. Afterwards, the scope should gradually be narrowed down by the teacher to the processes of forming gender. The question of gender and how it is defined was addressed by Judith Butler in 1990, when she published her book Gender Trouble. She coined the term performativity, which says that gender is not something we are, but something we continually do, implying that it is not permanently founded in our body, but a social construct constituted by our repeated actions. In contrast to other critical approaches, obtaining students’ acceptance to discussions about gender roles is quite easy because gender concerns us all. Everybody brings their own experiences to the table. We all have a certain background knowledge of gender expectations without being aware of it. In order to acquaint students with our modern and their personal concept of gender, the teacher should show or name some socially established gender distributions regarding, for example, toys and 97 Gender Identities in the Age of Transhumanism <?page no="98"?> ! ""#$%&'()*+),-.$/ +)0.$/ )1)2/ 0.$/ ) ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Fig. 1: Scale: Male - Female colours, to distinguish between sex, referring to the anatomy of an individual, and gender as the social construct and personal identification (fig. 1): Every student should create their own overview of typical male and female characteristics, perhaps even add pictures of people to illustrate them. By listing various adjectives to describe the features and differences of gender, and discussing why some adjectives are only used to describe men (“handsome”, “virtuous”), whereas others are reserved for women (“pretty”, “virginal”), stu‐ dents will realize their own stereotypes. Moreover, the teacher could use atypical combinations such as a “hysterical man” or a “callous woman” in order to make them aware of their own expectations of gender roles. To provoke students to think beyond the binary, the teacher can present contemporary examples of the complexity of gender and the blurring line of gender distinction, such as crossover trends in fashion, e.g. boyfriend jeans or the female-androgynous dandy look, and female-male models such as Casey Legler or genderqueer models like Rain Dove. Another revealing illustration is an overview of the plentiful choices besides the traditional male-female binary on Facebook (fig. 2). These instances can be cited as proof that today it is more important how you see yourself than how society expects you to be. 98 Nicolina Pullmann <?page no="99"?> ! ""#$%&'()*+),-./ "001)2)(/ '%/ 3)4/ $/ .5#0') ! ! ! ! Fig. 2: Facebook - Gender Selection Based on this theoretical background, marriage, as the basic relationship between men and women, is an appropriate starting point to illustrate at least some of the implications of societal gender norms in GoT. Whereas our modern concept of marriage is based on the notion of romantic love, historically it was - and sometimes still is - a pure arrangement made for rational, financial and reproductive reasons. As it was in the medieval period, Westeros has a traditional and patriarchal view of - mostly arranged - marriages, in which women belong to their husbands because of their unequal power relation. Even though they could not make their own choices, some of those women did their very best with what life had handed them and gained a certain freedom and voice in their suppression. Daenerys, for example, was sold by her own brother to a Dothraki warlord and started out as a victim treated like a horse by an older, primitive man (Schubart 2016: 105-129). Gradually she took control of her own life using feminine wiles, respectively sex, to make her husband fall in love with her and to respect her until he finally promised to conquer the Seven Kingdoms for her. Instead of meeting others’ expectations, she found her own voice and started to follow her predetermined path to become the mother of not only three dragons, but also of thousands of former slaves, whom she had freed. 99 Gender Identities in the Age of Transhumanism <?page no="100"?> As one can see in Daenerys’ example, gender roles were and still are closely knit to power. There are various ways to gain power, for example through language, through physical strength or through control over circumstances. As far as gender roles are concerned, people can choose conformity or resistance. Even in such a male-dominated society, some women accomplish a lot through their strengths and weaknesses, proving that gender can be incredibly strong in diverse ways. The women in GoT adopt three different models of conduct: conformity, conquest or rebellion (fig. 3). Firstly, there are conformists such as Catelyn and, at least as far as the novels are concerned, Sansa Stark, who fit nicely into the gender role outlined by society. While displaying the proper behavior expected of noble women, they try to influence their husbands and relatives by their conformity. For them, as “Angels of the House”, family, duty, honor and courtesy are the highest goods in life and need to be protected. This idealism sometimes collides with reality because out of vanity they fail to see the bigger picture, as did Catelyn when she traded her son’s most valuable prisoner, Jaime Lannister, for the lives of her daughters. Secondly, Daenerys Targaryen, Cersei Lannister, Lady Olenna and her grand‐ daughter Margaery Tyrell are female conquerors, who crave more power than normally attributed to women in that society. They do not defy the gender norms with their appearance, but rebel within the framework of traditional femininity by using either their feminine charms or wiles to gain power. Although degraded to a political tool through arranged marriages, they manage to pull the strings in the background and to secure their seat at the table. Thirdly, some women even resist the gender dichotomy visually and might be called visual rebels and warriors among the women: Brienne, Arya, Ygritte and Asha Greyjoy (Tasker 2016: 171-192). Their atypical behavior and interest in weapons secure their survival. The most significant difference to other women is their lack of motherhood (Eidsvag 2016: 151-170). Whereas most of the conformists and conquerors show signs of motherliness, the visual rebels spend most of their time among men, bearing weapons and fighting for their lives. 100 Nicolina Pullmann <?page no="101"?> ! ""#$%&'()*+),-./ --')01'2134#.5)6'%)3-7#7.6'0-) ! ! ! ! Fig. 3: Between Conformity and Resistance The same structure can be applied to the male characters. The visual rebels among men are those who differ from the rest either physically (sex) or in terms of sexual orientation (gender). For example, the eunuchs as Lord Varys, Grey Worm and the Unsullied differ physically. Loras Tyrell and Prince Oberyn differ in terms of their homosexual orientation. Those without male genitals are regarded as not real men, which leads to the conclusion that men in those phallus-centric times defined themselves by suppressing women mainly during intercourse. Homoor bisexual relationships are not tolerated because the men involved in such relationships submit themselves in the sexual act, and therefore are not socially accepted because of their divergence from gender norms. Besides, there are also male conquerors who use their intelligence despite their repulsive bodies to find their voices. Tyrion Lannister is not only appalling in the eyes of most, but also a dwarf, which is a severe disability in Westeros. He is introduced as a tragic figure, whose father and sister hate him because his mother died when giving birth to him. Moreover, he thinks nobody can love him without being paid for it, which explains his affinity for prostitutes. Although being regarded as inferior to other men because of his body height, he turns out to be one of the few good and likeable men. In the end, he manages to overcome his physical obstacles and, due to his eloquence, to become Daenerys’ advisor. Lastly, the male conformists are soldiers, who can defend themselves and their families with their swords. Being a soldier involves conquering both land and women violently to augment one’s own influence and power. Taking things and using people as it pleases oneself during war and in daily life is one of the main male characteristics in the TV-series, whereas women must wait their time and act secretly to get what they want. This attitude leads to some men abandoning 101 Gender Identities in the Age of Transhumanism <?page no="102"?> their humanity completely and degenerating into butchers, as Gregor Clegane alias The Mountain does. The analysis of gender roles in one of the most popular series of our time provides many different examples useful for gender discussions in the EFL classroom. Talking about the characters’ different models of conduct in the GoT universe exemplifies the formation of gender and its intersection with power. Thus, having broadened their horizons, students will more easily recognize, question and perhaps criticize their own and other cultures’ perspective on gender and will be able to find their own transhuman concept of identity beyond common binaries. 3. The Purple Wedding: A Teaching Concept In the following section, students are meant to achieve intercultural com‐ municative competence by developing knowledge of skills in and attitudes to gender and power issues in the Game of Thrones culminating in some critical cultural awareness, which comprises the ability to take a critical perspective on another as well as their own culture (Byram 1997). The learners hereby strengthen their understanding, tolerance and empathy for Otherness in general (Bredella 2010: 23 f.), which is the essence of intercultural competence. Thus, dealing with literature in the EFL-classroom encourages students to define their own values and to contrast them to those represented in literature. Having realized the perspectivity of individual viewpoints and its multiple effects, students will understand the world around them better and will be more open-minded for different points of view, perhaps even establish new conceptual structures by transcending common limits. This could be accomplished by watching in class the wedding ceremony of Joffrey and Margaery in season IV, episode 2, starting at 27: 00 minutes, then analyzing and discussing it. This episode is suited because it depicts both gender norms and the defiance of these norms in diverse ways. Examining the scene with students could help them to identify gender expectations and challenges in the Game of Thrones universe and to question their own understanding of gender issues in exchange with the series. Before starting to analyze the scene, the teacher should introduce the following film terminology to enable the students to express their findings (fig. 4): 102 Nicolina Pullmann <?page no="103"?> Fig. 4: Film Terminology As one can see in the first minutes of The Purple Wedding scene, it is the custom in Westeros to put the husband’s coat around the wife’s shoulders to show that she now belongs to his family and must obey his orders instead of those of her father. Afterwards the Septon declares Joffrey and Margaery to one heart, one flesh, and one soul, and curses everyone who tries to tear them apart. At that moment, the camera position changes to an over-the-shoulder shot, which shows their families, Lannister and Tyrell, assembled behind them and still divided through the alley. The focus shifts towards Lady Olenna, who has already hatched a plot to destroy the new alliance in order to protect her granddaughter from the cruel Joffrey. After the ceremony, Lady Olenna’s role as the matriarch of the House Tyrell becomes obvious, when she speaks on an equal footing to Lord Tywin Lannister about his attitude towards life and chastises her son - the actual head of House Tyrell - when he attempts to interrupt them. Waiting for the 103 Gender Identities in the Age of Transhumanism <?page no="104"?> banquet to start, she offers Sansa Stark her commiserations for the death of her brother Robb. Following an utterance that men do not need more reasons to fear marriage, she excuses herself to eat the food for which she had paid. This gives the viewer an insight into her extraordinary life, in which she managed to find her own, harsh voice within a male-dominated society. It is striking that she, as the perfect female conqueror because of her experience and old age, can stand her ground even in a conversation with one of the typical Westerosi patriarchs, Lord Tywin Lannister. In contrast to Lady Olenna’s overt deviation of gender expectations, Queen Margaery tries to influence her husband more subtly. While the king throws coins at the musicians and orders his subjects to knock his fool’s head off, she flinches because of his rudeness, which is additionally underlined by Tyrion’s and Sansa’s reaction to their ill-mannered king. Another method of hers to manipulate him is whispering in his ear and then announcing to the guests in his name that the leftovers from the feast will be given to the poorest in the city. Later, when her husband keeps torturing his uncle Tyrion, she tries to interrupt the tension by distracting him. Even though Margaery and Lady Olenna are both conquerors, they adopt two completely different methods to gain their ends. Whereas Lady Olenna claims her to have a voice openly, Margaery has to wait her time and gain it secretly by subtleness. After the announcement, the camera shows the two male gender deviants Prince Oberyn and Loras Tyrell, both effeminate men, exchanging smiles and intense looks filled with sexual tension. In contrast to them, Jamie Lannister appears as a real man and soldier fully dressed in his armor trying to protect his sister from her arranged marriage with Loras by threatening him. Although having an incestuous relationship with his sister and having brutally killed a king, Jamie Lannister has an unrivalled reputation as brave warrior, whose strength would never be doubted by society. In contrast to him, Loras Tyrell is regarded as weak because his sexual orientation is not socially accepted in Westeros. The camera zooms out of Loras’ and Jamie’s conversation and settles on Lady Brienne, who is walking towards the queen and king. The full shot stresses her being taller than every other woman gathered, and even most of the men. In contrast to Sansa, whose reaction is constantly shown in between, Brienne does not don a dress, but rather a tunic and wears her hair short, which illustrates her role as a visual gender rebel. To greet her queen and king she bows to them. Her only reaction to Cersei’s malicious comment, with which she is trying to make fun of Lady Brienne, is an apology that she never did master the curtsy, showing more courtesy and manners than Cersei, who meets the 104 Nicolina Pullmann <?page no="105"?> social expectations for women exactly as far as her dress and manners are concerned (Tasker 2016: 175-182). This conflict exemplifies that even though Lady Brienne is not consistent with social expectations for her sex, she manages to define an even better identity beyond the binary for her own. Another sign of moral superiority of the non-conformists is the fact that Brienne and Queen Margaery are standing, whereas Joffrey and Cersei are sitting and smirking. The moral difference between Brienne and Cersei is also highlighted in the next scene, when Cersei constantly has to look up to Brienne, shown in an over-the-shoulder shot from above. While Brienne keeps up her manners, Cersei insults her by questioning her loyalty because of jealousy about the time Brienne spent with her brother Jamie. Even though Lady Brienne is socially excluded because of her visual rebellion, she wins the battle against Cersei on moral grounds. Another main figure who has to stand his ground in this scene is Tyrion Lannister. To offend his uncle, Joffrey hired dwarves to perform the battle of the five kings while riding on pigs. While Joffrey and his mother are enjoying themselves, the characters with higher moral standards such as Queen Margaery, Lady Olenna, Sansa and Lord Varys are shocked and show despise for the king’s cruelty. Even after this insult, King Joffrey does not want to let go of his uncle Tyrion and keeps provoking him by spilling wine over his head. Instead of losing his temper, Tyrion answers ironically, “A fine vintage. Shame that it is spilled”, proving that witty words have as much power as physical strength. Despite his lack of physical stature, Tyrion, as one of the subalterns in GoT, manages to gain even more power through his verbal and mental superiority than the king, whose personality cannot evoke any loyalty. Having analyzed various aspects of the scene, as field size, camera position, camera angle and perhaps even costumes, one can use the findings to pinpoint the traditional and divergent gender roles as presented in Point 2, supra. Students can explore different gender roles by answering the question who won the power play because of social and gender restrictions and who would win if those restraints were left aside. Students can embody their interpretation in a non-verbal manner by portraying the characters and their relationships to each other frozen in time with a living statue - a tableau vivant. They should use gestures, facial expressions or movements representative of the characters to visualize their impression of the distribution of power (fig. 5). 105 Gender Identities in the Age of Transhumanism <?page no="106"?> ! ""#$%&'()*+),-./ 0),$12) Fig. 5: Power Play First of all, the students should arrange the characters according to their methods to gain power (conformist, conqueror, visual rebel) to get an overview of the multiple ways to constitute their own identity beyond the binary by choosing conformity or resistance. Furthermore, by grouping the characters according to their dialogue partners (Lord Tywin Lannister - Lady Olenna/ Joffrey - Margaery/ Tyrion - Joffrey/ Jamie Lannister - Loras Tyrell/ Cersei - Lady Brienne), the students will realize that social acceptance does not conform with dignity and likeability. In the end, the overview from the beginning can be used to contrast their own gender issues with what they have learnt about the GoT universe during the film analysis. Finally, one should compare the wedding customs shown in this episode with modern ones, including the students’ knowledge of other cultures, to promote their skills in and openness towards cultural awareness. As a conclusion, teachers can adopt various creative approaches to initiate reflections on the perspective of individual - and historical - viewpoints: writing a letter to one of the GoT characters from a modern point of view, acting out a dialogue between one of the GoT and a modern non-conformist, or drawing a picture which shows the characters as they really are, for instance Lady Brienne’s inner beauty and strength, Cersei’s cruelty, etc.. 106 Nicolina Pullmann <?page no="107"?> 4. Conclusion The aim of this teaching concept is to make students ask themselves the question of what defines the human - especially its gender - beyond the old dualities by transforming subjectivity (Braidotti 2014: 50 ff.) to acknowledge the rapid advances in technologies and our knowledge in the age of globalization - in other words, to enable them to look and move forward into transhumanism. This re-evaluation implies calling into question established concepts of power and entitlement to fight for the subalterns, who have been suffocated for ages. To raise students to open-minded adults, those pre-fabricated and subcon‐ scious cultural or societal concepts should be discussed in class through teaching material, for instance TV-series, which offer learners an easy access to the topic. This article has tried to achieve that aim by providing an example of a scene from GoT, which teachers can use to engage students in gender discussions beyond the common binaries. During the viewing process their pre-existing notions of gender are questioned in a way that helps every viewer to grow and hopefully, to outgrow misconceptions and prejudices, and to become a self-reflexive person calling for transformation and new conceptual structures in the process of becoming a diverse, yet united society. Bibliography Braidotti, Rosi (2014). Posthumanismus. Leben jenseits des Menschen. Frankfurt am Main: Campus. Bredella, Lothar/ Burwitz-Melzer, Eva (2004). Rezeptionsästhetische Literaturdidaktik: mit Beispielen aus dem Fremdsprachenunterricht Englisch. Tübingen: Gunter Narr. Bredella, Lothar (2010). Das Verstehen des anderen. Kulturwissenschaftliche und literatur‐ didaktische Studien. Tübingen: Gunter Narr. Butler, Judith (2008). Gender Trouble. Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. New York: Routledge. Byram, Michael (1997). Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Eidsvag, Marta (2016). “‘Maiden, Mother, and Crone’. Motherhood in the World of Ice and Fire.” In: Gjelsvik, Anne/ Schubart, Rikke (eds.). Women of Ice and Fire. New York: Bloomsbury, 151-170. Gadamer, Hans-Georg (1975). Wahrheit und Methode. Grundzüge einer Philosophischen Hermeneutik. Tübingen: J.C.B. Mohr. Game of Thrones (2013-2016). HBO Entertainment. Warner Home Video. 107 Gender Identities in the Age of Transhumanism <?page no="108"?> Henseler, Roswitha et al. (2011). Filme im Englischunterricht. Grundlagen, Methoden, Genres. Seelze: Kallmeyer. Itzkoff, Dave (2014). “George R. R. Martin on ‘Game of Thrones’ and Sexual Violence.” New York Times, 02.05.2014. http: / / artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/ 2014/ 05/ 02/ george-r-r -martin-on-game-of-thrones-and-sexual-violence/ ? _r=0 (accessed 20/ 04/ 2020) Martin, R.R. George (2011). A Song of Ice and Fire. Books One to Five. Sydney: Harper Voyager. McNutt, Myles (2011). “Game of Thrones - ‘You Win or You Die’.” In: Television Criticism by Myles McNutt 29.05.2011. https: / / cultural-learnings.com/ 2011/ 05/ 29/ game-of-thro nes-you-win-or-you-die/ (accessed 20/ 04/ 2020) More, Max (1990). Transhumanism. https: / / web.archive.org/ web/ 20110216221306/ http: / www.max‐ more.com/ transhum.htm (accessed 25/ 04/ 2020) Nünning, Ansgar/ Carola Surkamp (³2010). Englische Literatur unterrichten 1: Grundlagen und Methoden. Fulda: Klett/ Kallmeyer. Nussbaum, Emily (2012). “The Aristocrats. The Graphic Arts of ‘Game of Thrones’.” The New Yorker 07.05.2012. http: / / www.newyorker.com/ magazine/ 2012/ 05/ 07/ the-aristoc rats (accessed 27/ 04/ 2020) Schubart, Rikke (2016). “Woman with Dragons. Daenerys, Pride, and Postfeminist Possibilities.” In: Gjelsvik, Anne / Schubart, Rikke (eds.). Women of Ice and Fire. New York: Bloomsbury, 105-129. Tasker, Yvonne/ Steenberg Lindsay (2016). “Women Warriors from Chivalry to Venge‐ ance.” In: Gjelsvik, Anne/ Schubart, Rikke (eds.). Women of Ice and Fire. New York: Bloomsbury, 171-192. 108 Nicolina Pullmann <?page no="109"?> Please, Download Your Identity Here. Transhumanism and the Concept of Identity as Promising Topics for EFL Classrooms Stefanie Fuchs Technological means provide a wide range of possible changes: It seems as if anything is possible. But what does this mean in concrete terms for us, our future, and further technological or also psychosocial developments? This chapter is concerned, on the one hand, with the question of what relationships exist and emerge between concepts of identity and technology. On the other hand, after a brief critical theoretical examination of the topic of transhumanism, possible teaching concepts and ideas for the grades of secondary education are discussed. 1. Introduction Transhumanism is a philosophical current that strives to continuously improve human nature. The term transhumanism itself was coined in 1957 by Julian Huxley (Klichowski 2015: 431). One of the most important topics within this current is computer technology and how it influences our lives. Other topics concern the use of technology which prevents us from aging, helps us to achieve a state of full happiness, and seeks scientific ways to create posthuman beings: a fusion of man and machine (ibid.: 432). The further development aims at independence from the human body in all its weaknesses, and thus ul‐ timately immortality (Kluitmann 2015: 1). However, there must be a distinction between transhumanism and posthumanism. As Bartosch brilliantly explains in this volume, posthumanism in education challenges transhumanism: “While posthumanism engages with modernity’s preponderance of technology, trans‐ humanism celebrates it and dreams of uploading human minds onto computers, enhancing abilities through technological implants and such like” (Bartosch, in this volume). For someone who is not necessarily doing research in this area but is interested in the topic and wants to develop ideas for the EFL classroom - as <?page no="110"?> me and probably numerous fellow teachers are - the initial exposure to the topic Teaching Transhumanism is quite adventurous indeed. I was simply curious to find out why people call themselves transhumanists and what defines them. While researching many fascinating ideas and perspectives of transhumanism, I felt the need of reflecting those ideas more critically (posthumanist perspective) because first and foremost teaching is about education. After a brief introduction of different transhumanists and their world views, the focus is on the concept of identity and how it is shaped by technology and shapes technology simoultaneously. The concept of identity is an important matter in school, especially, as it is part of students’ psychological disposition and experiences major changes in adolescence. It can be reflected on by using literature and digital spaces alike (Fuchs 2021). Afterwards, different teaching ideas are presented, which are meant to serve as suggestions for your own English lessons. It was important to me to also address beginner and intermediate classes. Following on from the ideas for the younger learners, however, there is also an example for advanced students. 2. Are We There Yet? - Living in a Transhumanist World One of the best known transhumanists is Ray Kurzweil, Director of Engineering at Google LLC, who claims that in 2045 computers will have the same capacity as the human brain. Elon Musk, founder of PayPal and Tesla, is also among the more popular transhumanists. The fact that Musk and his partner Grimes gave their newborn son a transhuman name went viral on social media. However, Musk is not the first person to come up with a technical name for a human. It was in the 1970’s when transhumanist philosopher Fereidoun M. Esfandiary replaced his name and surname with the following signs: FM-2030 […] He called for getting rid of names and surnames, so that everyone could decide for themselves what signs would identify them (Klichowski 2015: 437). Human-machine relationships have been intensively negotiated since the early modern period. Discourses intensified especially in the 20th century, and the fusion between humans and machines has various dimensions and names, but also the society as a whole is being technified. Researchers talk about the era of the technosphere (Heßler 2019). As philosophical anthropology traditionally regards humans as deficient beings, the wish for becoming better humans, or to put it differently, transcendening into something greater, goes back before the early modern period. 110 Stefanie Fuchs <?page no="111"?> [T]ranshumanism is the belief that we are in an early stage and a continually transitionary phase of becoming something much greater and far more impressive using superior technologies to upgrade our bodies, our minds, our morality, and our priorities (Roberts 2019a: 2). Roberts, an author of the website Awecademy-Medium, quotes various futu‐ rists who claim that we are all transhuman already. This journey started thousands of years ago when language and writing were developed, which allowed knowledge to exist independently from the human brain: knowledge is spread and passed on (ibid: 7). The historical and cultural development is not a natural, biological process, it is simply seen as human made and human controlled evolution. According to transhumanists, we no longer seem to be inferior to animals, but to technology: The technical means with which we have turned nature into culture have, to a certain extent, emancipated from us and are opposed to us as something foreign and superior, as we do not understand everything technology creates, and this scares us or at least gives us a feeling of insecurity. In their opinion, we increasingly want to approach these technical means, want to improve them, even optimize them - be it through the construction of technical alter egos (robots), through the technical improvement of the biological body (cyborgs), or even through the completely new construction of ourselves (human models/ model people). Transhumanists’ attempts at crossing the point where the man finishes is nothing else but acting in line with the concept of the imperative to make the world a better place. The world of posthumans (quasi-perfect people) […] is a paradise where everyone lives like God (Klichowski 2015: 435). However, instead of achieving those promises through spiritual practices, transhumanists want to do so through “implementing technological solutions in the man” (ibid.: 436). The concentrated power of biotechnologies and nano‐ technologies, information technology, and cognitive science will renew humans, as we will be designed from the ground up by technology. You can already hear the sound of this dream of the future: no more aging, only upgrades; no more annoying cosmetical treatments for the body, just technical fine-tuning. The transhumanist philosophy is meant to redefine human life, and it seeks to improve the next human generations. According to Klichowski (2015), education can be seen as a formal process of making people better, but he does not include the posthumanist perspective. [However, it] is education that has to be redesigned in the transhumanist concept, too, taking into account the fact that changing the man through technology and education 111 Please, Download Your Identity Here. <?page no="112"?> are ethically equal categories of action, and that technology is (and always will be! ) more effective than education (ibid.: 436). Roberts (2019b) argues for a change in education as well and states that we as teachers have to tell our students to have bigger dreams and aspirations, and higher expectations of themselves and of our species towards pan-human, universal perspectives. Additionally, Bidshari (2018) claims that we should empower the youth to become cosmic citizens as we might leave earth in the future, which implies that our home is no longer a fixed place: It is the universe. She even goes a step further by referring to cosmic citizenship rather than global citizenship, the latter being a (critical) topic for (TEFL) researchers indeed (Becker 2019, Hull 2019, Kramsch/ Zhu 2020, Lütge 2018). So, are our students the “Mars Generation” (Bidshari 2018: 7)? How does the fusion of technology and humans change us? Does the use of technology make us happier or better persons? How does it change the way we think and feel? All these and, of course, more questions are linked to the concepts of identity, which will be part of the discussion now. 3. Me, Myself, and the Avatar: The Concept of Identity in VR The concept of identity deals with the individual’s personality development and refers to one’s self-definition. Typically, this entails identity categories such as gender, race, ethnicity, but also one’s goals, values, and beliefs, which are considered as personally important, and to which one feels obligated (Fend 1991: 18). It is also influenced by experiences and other people, which is especially true during adolescence when the individual is exposed to (different) values, expectancies, and beliefs of others, particularly peers and friends. Clearly, this is an ongoing topic in children’s and adolescents’ lives and therefore in schools. Thus, it is also the school context in which negotiation between one’s own and other people’s opinions, values, and beliefs takes place, which then leads to enthusiastic exploration phases as well as critical ones. Identity research focuses on individual identities as well as on group identities. Both dimensions belong together, as each individual is always embedded in a social context. According to Krappmann (1997), people have a balanced identity, which means that within a communicative action, all agents negotiate between their personal identity and their social identity. Thus we have more than one identity. Personal identity changes over time, but consists of relatively stable personal characteristics, whereas social identity is mainly based on expectancies and social status and varies depending on the social context. The negotiation in a communicative action implies that identity is performed in different contexts. 112 Stefanie Fuchs <?page no="113"?> These so-called fluid identities (Norton 2013) can be a topic in EFL lessons by taking a closer look at how identities are represented in social media, literature, film, family settings, or in a peer group, for instance. Playing online games is another example of having and living fluid identities. Using virtual realities (VR) can help to cope with stressful situations, and it is already used for anxiety therapy, for instance. Researchers of the University of Würzburg call this phenomena Eskapismus (escapism) and look at it from a rather positive perspective. The avatar that is used in VR is basically your mirror, it moves the same way you move, and it can adjust to your visual perspective and reaction. This is called “virtual body ownership” (Roth et al. 2019). The brain beliefs that your avatar is you - and so, you could be anything because it does not matter whether the avatar is female, male, small or big, young or old, human-like or a comic. You can simply download an identity and escape for a while. Leaving all the positive aspects and fantasies aside, what about the risks? There are a lot of voices who highlight the dangers, often using dystopian scenarios about what the world would look like when articficial intelligence (AI) overpowers human will. But what impact do AI, VR and the philosophy of transhumanism really have on our identities? Some researchers, who are mostly philosophers and deal with neuroethics, claim that reality as we know it is constructed through our own brains - so, we all live different realities (concept of constructivism). Against this background, virtual body ownership could increase aggression, the lust to kill, emotional distance up to a point where it changes our psychological disposition in the long run. This is referred to as the “Proteus effect” (Yee/ Bailenson 2007): Various psychological studies in behavioral research have examined how participants who move with an avatar in virtual worlds change or adapt their own behavior. For example, if the avatar is rewarded for certain achievements in the virtual space, participants will try to repeat this behavior in the world outside (Fox/ Bailenson 2009). In addition, the appearance of the avatar has an effect on the behavior of the participants: It can lead to more aggressive behavior (Yee et al. 2009), trigger body-related thoughts, and reinforce stereotypical behavior patterns (Quinn et al. 2006). Studies show that we indeed behave like the avatar, even though we are not using it anymore (Roth et al. 2019). Yet, the long-term consequences are not well researched, scholars only agree that VR is not safe per se, and more studies are needed in order to de-escalate the emotional charge of the debate about the dangers of using VR and AI. 113 Please, Download Your Identity Here. <?page no="114"?> 4. Teaching Transhumanism in the EFL Classroom - Ideas and Concepts The former chapters showed why it is important and simply necessary to deal with the topic of transhumansism and its influence on our identities in school. The question of how we see the future is an ongoing real-life topic and must be linked to our curricula in the field of (critical) digital literacy. But why should we teach it in EFL classes? In Germany, for example, the topic of media consumption is integrated in the so-called “thematic areas” in the curricula from the 5 th year (e.g. LehrplanPlus Bayern). These thematic areas only differ in depth depending on the type of school. 4.1 Teaching Ideas for Beginners and Intermediate Groups Let us first look at teaching ideas for beginners and lower intermediate groups. The thematic frames are a) I am a Superhero*ine and b) Inspector Gadget. Whereas the superhero*ine idea is about individual imagination to its fullest, the thematical frame of the fictional character of Inspector Gadget uses quite an old story of the somewhat clumsy detective (Fig. 1). Both ideas can be linked and taught as a project, too. a) Superhero*ine Theme b) Inspector Gadget Theme - students write about themselves (hobbies, things they would like to be able to do, something they are afraid of) - students watch a trailer and predict the features of IG and - write about themselves (hobbies, things they would like to be able to do, something they are afraid of) - students reflect on identity - students reflect on identity - students create and change identity - students create and change identity - students work with a superhero*ine template - students work with an IG template - students explore different identities (superhero*ines) in groups - students add gadget of their choice, one superpower, and one talent Possible language focus: language junks to make suggestions, new words for techno‐ logical devices (gadgets), character traits, superpowers Fig. 1: Teaching Ideas for Beginners and Intermediate Groups Possible ways to address a): Ask students to write down their favourite colour, something they are really good at (or their favourite hobby), something they 114 Stefanie Fuchs <?page no="115"?> 1 As a side note, there is a newer production of Inspector Gadget from 2014, which is available on Super RTL and TOGGO. The trailer is also worth watching as the students can detect some of the gadgets he uses (first 45 sec). can’t do, but they would like to be able to do, the name of their first pet and something they are afraid of. Then tell the students that they need to include this information to create their own superhero*ine. By doing this task, students have to reflect on their identity, or in other words, the concept they have about themselves. They may even come up with possible characteristics (or technological gadgets) that would change their identity using creativity and imagination. The change of their identity will become visible with the creation of the hero*ine: Students reinvent themselves, focus on their talents and overcome fears (see writing task in first step). At this point, it is worth giving students a template on which they can draw their new superhero*ine, and either make short notes or write a full description on the following points: their superhero*ines’ names, what they fight against, their costume, their special ability and their weakness. One way to round off this task is to collect the newly designed superhero*ines, redistribute them, put the students into groups, and make them try and guess the real identity of the superhero*ine (their fellow students). Possible ways to address b): As a lead-in, show the trailer of one episode to illustrate the gadgets Inspector Gadget (IG) can use and have the students predict what he can do with all the special features. Then link these arguments to the instruction for the students to write down or describe something they would like to be able to do using a specific gadget and something they are afraid of. Again, students reflect on their identity concepts with this little task. The template to be used, however, is slightly different than in a) as students are asked to imagine having all the gadgets of the detective (language scaffolding! ), but they should add the gadget of their choice, one superpower to overcome their fear, and one talent to show their uniqueness. To round off this lesson, you could refer to the ideas mentioned in a). A follow-up lesson could then be about the superhero*ines or re-designed Inspectors Gadget in action with a focus on storytelling. For this, you could stick to the more open frame (see below) or include adventures of IG using the video material online. 1 A rather open frame for the superhero*ine theme could look like the following scenario: Draw a scene on the white-board or have other visual input ready, for instance a film clip or a comic strip designed on storyboard.com (free version) in which someone needs rescuing. A possible scene could centre around someone who is held hostage in an underground basement in a solid steel cell, which is guarded by a dragon or some other fantastic being. Above ground, there are 115 Please, Download Your Identity Here. <?page no="116"?> 2 Find and play a scene where IG needs to take action, e.g.: www.youtube.com/ watch? v=euWrpl2y3Mo, start the video at 2: 20 (until 2: 40) or at 14: 36 (until 14: 21). Then, again, put the students into groups and tell them to come up with a rescue plan. Once the students have made notes on the rescue, get them to present their rescue plan to the other groups. The procedure would be the same as in the open frame for the superhero*ine theme. Finally, you could show the rest of the clip, starting at 15: 39 to at least 17: 19. The language is not really easy, but the pictures speak for themselves. The students can compare their solutions with the scene or with the ending of the story. lots of obstacles the superhero*ine needs to overcome. Then put the students into groups and tell them to come up with a rescue plan, with the stipulation that every student has to contribute to the rescue. Once the students have made their decision on the rescue, make them present their rescue plan to the other groups. It is useful to encourage the students who are listening to try and pick holes in the rescue plan which is being presented. Get feedback on which plan the students felt was the most foolproof. This open frame also works for the IG theme, but it is more challenging due to the language used in the clips. 2 The overall aims here are fostering creativity and imagination as well as using communicative skills such as listening (viewing) and speaking. The reflection takes place either through the content of the remaining clip (if you choose the IG theme) or by inventing and specifying a new storyline of the individual hero*ines. This storyline, however, must be set up in a way that, for instance, the forces either run out, are broken or not sufficient to defeat the fantasy creature introduced in the storyboard (see above). A question for further reflection could be: What do we have to do if all our superpowers do not help? The anticipated answer is that we have to collaborate and join forces to achieve a goal. The level of reflection here seems to be quite simple, but it ultimately leads from reflecting one’s own identity to reflecting about the group identity, and lays the foundation for respectful and tolerant cooperation, which is not only essential in English classes. 4.2 Teaching Ideas for Upper Intermediate and Advanced Groups In advanced grades, the superhero*ine theme can also play a role, but with a correspondingly higher degree of reflection and more explicit reference to the transhumanism philosophy by working out different thematical focal points. The concept of fluid identities is becoming increasingly important as it plays a major role in teenagers’ lives: (identity) changes, self-discovery, becoming aware of and setting own limits and goals. To challenge the identity topic, we could illustrate and reflect on possible influences of technologies and extraordinary skills (powers), and discuss identity aspects more explicitly: 116 Stefanie Fuchs <?page no="117"?> - What could the powers of the superhero*ines symbolize (anticipated answer/ topic: diversity)? - How would I change and how would I see the world if …? - What is not always easy for me, and what gadget or power would help me in certain situations? It is important to respond to the answers with sensitivity, but also with openness because, as with the interpretation of literature, change of perspective and space for imagination should be made possible. In addition, it is conceivable that students - with regard to films and series - analyze and reflect on aesthetic elements. With these reflections both media education and access to critical thinking are possible without having to repeatedly talk about the students’ social media (ab)use and the associated dangers. This should be very refreshing for students and teachers alike. As already mentioned, advanced classes can still use the superhero*ine topic and/ or science fiction to reflect on transhumanism and identity. Part of the teaching idea is the critical consideration of transhumanism (posthumanist approach? ) and futurism, including identity aspects. Firstly, let me refer to three well-known superheroes: Batman, Spiderman, and Iron Man. Possible materials can be the comics, film clips or complete movies. A typical approach would be the PWP one, where at first (pre-phase) you use visual or audio-visual impulses as stimuli to get attention, motivate, or raise expectations (or all at once). The while-activities focus on the content of the materials and the corresponding receptive competences. Everything discussed in this part of the article strongly refers to post-activities, after viewing and/ or reading, such as debates, discussions, or written assignments, where students have the chance to analyze and reflect on the characters using guiding questions as shown below. First, we need to take a closer look at the three superheroes from a transhu‐ manist perspective: Bruce Wayne, Batman, is a typical perfect human using technology to maximize his potential, but he uses transhumanist elements outside of his body. As a human, he is already in a better shape than most of us: intelligent, talented, athletic to its best, he has immense social and cultural power as he is respected, wealthy, admired, trusted, and … white. Batman, for sure, differs from Spiderman and Iron Man, who both have transhumanist elements to overcome biological limits. Peter Parker’s transformation creates a hybrid. Iron Man uses external technology, his suit, and is a cyborg already as he has an artificial heart. Similar to Bruce Wayne, he is a wealthy, smart and privileged (white) male, who becomes one with technology. Iron Man is transhuman. Yet, all three heroes have one thing in common: They have emotions. They still suffer, age, and die. In fact, none of them is posthuman or immortal. 117 Please, Download Your Identity Here. <?page no="118"?> The fluid identities and different transhumanistic elements of these figures can be grasped quite well. At the same time, the cultural context and the ideologies behind the characters should also be critically reflected on (all three are white and male living in the Western society). The starting point of the teaching idea is to distribute the three fictional characters accordingly to form groups. In the groups, students are asked to analyze the superheroes’ identities. Additional materials (e.g. comic strips, short texts, film clips, trailers) or suitable links for online research need to be provided to ensure detailed information about the characters. After the groups have worked on the figures, they discuss the following questions in plenum: - How does the character of the person change, depending on the situation he is in? - What character traits make Batman, Spiderman and Iron Man human? Why? What do they have in common? - What could the mutations or superpowers symbolize? - How would I change and how would I see the world if …? - What do the person and/ or the character of the transhuman person and I have in common? As indicated, more critical aspects such as gender roles, cultural ideologies, and the historical context of each of those superheroes should be included in the discussion after the group work. Appropriate guiding questions should be prepared in advance. The aim of this guided discussion is for students to understand, on the one hand, how culture and society shape our group and individual identities. On the other hand, they get an idea of the importance of understanding and reflecting on the historical context in relation to the superhero*ine theme: Why have female or non-binary (identity) concepts often been neglected, and what changes can be observed until today? This may lead to a critical view on the binary concepts of gender identities in superhero*ine themes as well as to a critical reflection on stereotypical character traits and appearances as we can observe them in popular heroines today, e.g. Black Widow, Storm, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel. Moreover, the superhero*ine topic offers opportunities to continue with the topic of transhumanism including ideas about our future, but to discuss these ideas using non-fictional texts about virtual reality and artificial intellegence. As a transition to working with non-fictional texts, I would like to refer to the science fiction series Futurama (Cohen/ Groening 1999-2009). The reasons for choosing Futurama are the open access aspect and the popularity of the series. Moreover, Futurama depicts a mixed transhumanist perspective on a or 118 Stefanie Fuchs <?page no="119"?> 3 To sum up the plot of Futurama: Philip J. Fry accidentally falls into a cryogenic chamber and awakens 1,000 years later, in the year 3,000. Fry connects with his great-great-…-nephew Professor Farnsworth, a scientist, inventor and owner of the Planet Express Delivery Company. Fry joins the delivery crew, whose members include a one-eyed alien named Turanga Leela and a robot called Bender. Futurama revolves around their adventures (cf. Greenwald 2016). The series is actually a satire, so the depictions should not be taken too seriously: it is not really a prediction of our future. 4 As there will be more than two groups in a class, the questions should be distributed accordingly. Language scaffolding should be provided if needed. Students can also refer to the superhero*ine theme they dealt with in advance. 5 www.youtube.com/ watch? v=STsTUEOqP-g our possible future. The series can be used from year 10 onwards (all school forms). 3 For a possible lead-in, work with the intro or a short clip to get the students’ attention and have a quick talk (brainstorming) on transhumanist features in Futurama. The goal is to point out positive (funny) and negative aspects. After this, students get together in groups, Team Human vs. Team Robot, and collect ideas to answer the following questions (Fig 2): 4 Team Human Team Robot What makes us human? What technologies do we use daily? Why/ what is the purpose? What makes us unique? What can we do to prevent aging? What technologies could you do without? Why? What medical, cosmetical, technological treatments do you know or should be invented? What is their purpose? What makes technology, artificial intel‐ ligence or biological superpowers dan‐ gerous and why? Fig. 2: Possible Questions for Group Work After the group work, you could either employ non-fictional texts or video clips, e.g. the video from BBC: Could We Live Forever? 5 The video concentrates on different subtopics of transhumanism, finally leading to the idea of immortality. The following sections and statements can be used for different kinds of pre-activities and/ or for further discussions: - “The future that matters is the future of cognition - not really the future of the human race” (00: 52-00: 54). 119 Please, Download Your Identity Here. <?page no="120"?> - “We shouldn’t allow aging. We need to stop aging …” (03: 04). Here, aging is seen as a disease which should be cured with medicine (Team Robot focused on this in the previous group work). - Kevin Warwick, the world’s first cyborg (06: 30 onwards), communicates via electrodes in his nervous system. Stop the video after seeing Mister Warwick and reflect on the content with both teams. The following ques‐ tions may turn up and lead to further discussions: Does transhumanism make us happier, more brilliant, better humans? Who wants all this futurism? Is it science fiction? Should we take transhumanism seriously? Is immortality a good idea? Who gets to live forever? Only privileged people like Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark (link to topic above)? What makes our lives worth living if there are no limits, no development? If we manage to create artificial intelligence supporting us, could life be even better? If we are only afraid of technology and its development, not discussing ethical questions, will our species become extinct? There is another video extract which could round-off the teaching sequence: Planet Wissen has produced a video called Homo Digitalis, which is divided into several subtopics. One rather interesting part is “besser als die Realität - der erweiterte Mensch”. As it is in German, you could easily set up a mediation task, provide language scaffolding, and teach your students to look at technology, e.g. virtual reality, more critically. 5. Outlook: Cosmic Citizenship Instead of Transhumanism? We need to teach our students (and ourselves) to actively take part in the technological discourse to enable them and us to be part of these future developments. Transhumanism in its roots is neglecting humanity and all human features which make us unique such as our identities. This is indeed dangerous and should rather be (science) fiction, which we can then refer to in English lessons as well (teaching literary competences at its best). As Fontanari (2018) concludes: It will simply be impossible to upload our identities and digitalize them, so that other people can download them. Our identity, even if it is fluid, is us and our individual conditions (cf. Ortega y Gasset). This implies that these individual conditions will always be different as long as there is space and time. And as long as there is space and time, there is also transience, hence mortality. 120 Stefanie Fuchs <?page no="121"?> Bibliography Bartosch, Roman (2021). “Lessons in Relatability. Posthumanism and Literary Learning.” In Thaler, Engelbert (ed.). Teaching Transhumanism. Tübingen: Narr, this volume. Becker, Daniel (2019). “The Digital Citizen 2.0 - Re-Negotiating Issues of Digital Citizenship Education.” Arbeiten aus Anglistik und Amerikanistik 44: 2, 167-193. Bidshari, Raya (2018). Preparing Our Youth to Become a Multi-Planetary Species. https: / / me dium.com/ awecademy/ preparing-our-youth-to-become-a-multi-planetary-species-ef 7eb1b3bdbc. (accessed 05/ 07/ 2020) Cohen, David/ Groening, Matt (Executive Producers). (1999-2009). Futurama (television series). Boston, MA: Twentieth Century Fox. Fend, Helmut (1991). Identitätsentwicklung in der Adoleszenz. Band II. Bern: Hans Huber Verlag. Fontanari, Martin (2018). Der Download der Identität funktioniert nicht. Wie sich die Transhumanisten die Zukunft vorstellen und warum es nicht so kommen wird. www.i-daf.org/ aktuelles/ aktuelles-einzelansicht/ archiv/ 2018/ 06/ 26/ artikel/ der-down load-der-identitaet-funktioniert-nicht.html. (accessed 06/ 07/ 2020) Fox, Jesse/ Bailenson, Jeremy. (2009). “Virtual Self-Modeling: The Effects of Vicarious Reinforcement and Identification on Exercise Behaviors.”: Media Psychology, 12(1), 1- 25. Fuchs, Stefanie (2021). “Doing Identity, Doing Gender: Performativity in Digital Spaces.” In: Lütge, Christiane/ Merse, Thorsten (eds.). Digital Teaching and Learning: Perspec‐ tives for English Language Education. Tübingen: Narr, xx. Greenwald, Sarah J. (2016). “Popular Culture in Teaching, Scholarship, and Outreach: The Simpsons and Futurama.” In: Dewar, Jacqueline/ Hsu, Pao-Sheng/ Pollatsek, Harriet (eds.). Mathematics Education. Association for Women in Mathematics Series, Vol 7. Springer, Cham, 349-362. Heßler, Martina (2019). “Menschen - Maschinen - Mensch. Maschinen in Zeit und Raum. Perspektiven einer historischen Technikanthropologie.” In: Heßler, Martina/ Weber, Heike (eds.). Provokationen der Technikgeschichte. Paderborn: Schöningh, 35-68. Hull, Glynda (2019). Whose Language, Whose Globe? Envisioning Cosmopolitan Pedagogies in Digital Spaces, Plenary Talk at LMU, 27th of March 2019. Klichowski, Michal (2015). “Transhumanism and the Idea of Education in the World of Cyborgs.” In: Krauze-Sikorska, Hanna/ Klichowski, Michal (2015). The Educational and Social World of a Child. Discourses of Communication, Subjectivity and Cyborgization. Adam Mickiewicz University Press, 431-438. Kluitmann, Sebastian (2015). “Dürfen wir alles, was wir können? Informationen zum Transhumanismus, Arbeitsblatt (Aufgaben 3 und 4)”, In: Leben leben 3, 1-2 Stuttgart: Klett Verlag. 121 Please, Download Your Identity Here. <?page no="122"?> Kramsch, Claire/ Zhu, Hua (2020). “Translating Culture in Global Times: An Introduc‐ tion.” Applied Linguistics, Volume 41(1), 1-9. Krappmann, Lothar (1997). “Die Identitätsproblematik nach Erikson aus einer interak‐ tionistischen Sicht.” In: Höfer Renate/ Keupp Heiner (eds.). Identitätsarbeit heute. Klassische und aktuelle Perspektiven der Identitätsforschung. Frankfurt: Suhrkamp, 66-92. Lütge, Christiane (2018). “Digital, Transcultural and Global? Reconsidering the Role of Literature in the EFL Classroom.” In: Zwierlein, Anne-Julia et al. (eds.). Anglistentag 2017 Regensburg. Proceedings. Trier: Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Trier, 299-309. Norton, Bonny (2013). Identity and Language Learning: Extending the Conversation, 2 nd Edition. Bristol: Multilingual Matters. Quinn, Diane/ Kallen, Rachel/ Cathey, Christie (2006). “Body on My Mind: The Lingering Effect of State Self-Objectification.” Sex Roles, 55, (11-12), 869-874. Roberts, Rohan (2019a). Transhumanism in Education. https: / / medium.com/ awecademy/ transhumanism-and-education-51569c73347b. (accessed 05/ 07/ 2020) Roberts, Rohan (2019b). Robotics, Computational Thinking and the Future of Ed‐ ucation. https: / / medium.com/ awecademy/ robotics-computational-thinking-and-thefuture-of-education-44f2d74c47f16. (accessed 09/ 07/ 2020) Roth, Daniel/ Stauffert, Jan-Philipp/ Latoschik, Marc Erich (2019). “Avatar Embodiment, Behavior Replication, and Kinematics in Virtual Reality.” In: Sherman, William (ed.). VR Developer Gems, Vol. 1, Springer US, 321-348. Yee, Nick/ Bailenson, Jeremy (2007): “The Proteus Effect: The Effect of Transformed Self-Representation on Behavior.” Human Communication Research, 33 (3), 271-290. Yee, Nick/ Bailenson, Jeremy/ Ducheneaut, Nicolas (2009). “The Proteus Effect: Implica‐ tions of Transformed Digital Self-Representation on Online and Offline Behavior.” Communication Research, 36(2), 285-312. 122 Stefanie Fuchs <?page no="123"?> C. Lessons <?page no="125"?> The Concept of Transhumanism Ben Maré Dutschmann 1. Background In addition to the definitions discussed in this volume (e.g. Thaler in Part A), the following deliberations may be helpful. Julian Huxley, brother of the famous author Aldous Huxley, was the first to coin the term transhumanism (cf. Loh 2019: 35). In New Bottles for a New Wine, he describes the inevitability that humankind must evolve and finally transcend itself. The reason lies in our new insights about the universe and the knowledge we have accumulated through our progress in science. Mankind has the “responsibility and destiny - to be an agent for the rest of the world in the job of realizing its inherent potentialities as fully as possible” (Huxley 1957: 13). He sees humankind as the “managing director of the biggest business of all, the business of evolution”, and “the sooner [humankind] realizes [its inescapable destiny] and starts believing in it, the better for all concerned” (ibid.). To prepare ourselves for this, Huxley thinks it is essential “to explore human nature” and “to find out … the possibilities open to it (including, of course, its limitations, whether inherent or imposed by the facts of external nature)” (ibid.). Therefore, he concludes by saying “[t]he human species can, if it wishes, transcend itself - not just sporadically, an individual here in one way, an individual there in another way, but in its entirety, as humanity. We need a name for this belief. Perhaps transhumanism will serve: man remaining man, but transcending himself by realising new possibilities of and for his human nature” (ibid.: 17). Where are we now about 70 years later? Have we already reached the end of our evolution? Present transhumanists like Natasha Vita-More, Max More, or Ben Goertzel think not. One can only imagine what Huxley would say in the light of current technology and scientific knowledge. His thoughts still describe what the foundation of transhumanist philosophy today is. On the website of Humanity+, the currently most established transhumanist organisation, transhumanism is described as “a way of thinking about the future that is based on the premise that the human species in its current form does not represent the end of our development but rather a comparatively early phase” (Humanity+ 2020). <?page no="126"?> Besides transhumanism, posthumanism is another philosophy that is con‐ cerned with futuristic visions and the evolution of humankind. The distinction between these two schools of thought is not easy. In her book Transhumanismus und Posthumanismus (2019), Loh sees the essential difference in the fact that transhumanism is less interested in overcoming humankind, but rather trans‐ forming it, with the help of technology, to something that she refers to as human x.0.. Technology plays the role of a medium, a means to an end (ibid.: 11). Unlike transhumanism, posthumanism is not just concerned with optimising humankind but rather overcoming it, either the whole concept of man (kritischer Posthumanismus) or the human species itself (technischer Posthumanismus) by creating artificial alterity that is intended to replace it (ibid.: 17). Based on Max More’s original definition, Humanity+ defines transhumanism as “[t]he intellectual and cultural movement that affirms the possibility and desirability of fundamentally improving the human condition through applied reason, especially by developing and making widely available technologies to eliminate aging and to greatly enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities” (Humanity+ 2020). Transhumanists focus on how to improve the human condition and push human capacities beyond its limitations (cf. Sorgner/ Grimm 2013: 12). One of the most important topics for transhumanists is to eliminate aging or the radical prolongation of life (Loh 2019: 42). The ideas of cryonics or mind uploading are closely connected with this wish of becoming immortal. Other topics are virtual reality, augmented virtuality, life in space, artificial intelligence (AI), singularity and human enhancement. 2. Procedure Title Transhumanism - an Introduction Synopsis In Episode 20 Transhumanism: Will Humans Evolve to Something Smarter? of the series The A to Z of ISMS by BBC Ideas, the philosopher Julian Baggini explains what transhumanism is, and what the radical idea of a humanity 2.0 could mean for our future. Competences Speaking, listening, viewing, communicative competence, lexical competence Topics Visions of the future, transhumanism, technology, society, human enhancement, AI Level Advanced Time 45 minutes 126 Ben Maré Dutschmann <?page no="127"?> Steps (Global-to-detail approach) A. Lead-in 1. Teacher (T) presents picture (M1): “What does it mean to be human? ” 2. Think-pair-share: Students (S) work individually, then talk about their thoughts to their neighbours, and finally share their thoughts with the class and the teacher. 3. T introduces the topic of the lesson: Transhumanism as a vision of the future, of what humanity could become in the future due to different forms of enhancement. B. Pre-viewing 1. T hands out worksheet Transhumanism - an Introduction (M2) to S. 2. S do pre-viewing task on the worksheet with the help of their dictionary if needed (M2). 3. T shares solution on the visualizer. C. First viewing & global comprehension 1. S read while-viewing task 1 on their worksheet (M2). 2. T presents BBC Ideas’ Youtube clip about transhumanism for the first time. (www.youtube.com/ watch? v=RVmuU04-X5E / / subtitles available if needed). 3. S share their answers to task 1 (M2) with the help of the T. D. Second viewing & detailed understanding 1. S take a look at while-reading task 2 on their worksheet (M2). 2. T presents BBC Ideas’ Youtube clip about transhumanism a second time. 3. S do task 2. When finished, S raise their hands to find a partner, and compare their results (bus-stop-method). 4. S do post-viewing task 1 and present their definitions in class. T gives one possible definition (M3), and compares it with the S’s versions. E. Follow-up 1. T shows statement on the visualizer: “It is wrong to lament the end of humanity as we know it because it is like wishing children never grow up or that Homo erectus never evolved into Homo sapiens.” 2. S discuss the statement in the plenary. F. Homework Describe and analyse the picture (M2, C.2). 3. Materials M1: 2 photos of eye-borgs In his virtual gallery, David Vintiner has assembled 12 portraits of biohackers, cyborgs and transhumanists. Photo 1: Describing himself as an eye-borg, Rob Spence installed a wireless video camera in place of his right eye. 127 The Concept of Transhumanism <?page no="128"?> Photo 2: James Young’s arm is controlled by sensors that detect the minute muscle movements in his spine. (https: / / edition.cnn.com/ style/ gallery/ david-vintiner-transhumanist-portrai ts/ index.html) M2: Worksheet Transhumanism: an Introduction A. Pre-viewing: Match the words on the left with the correct explanations or synonyms on the right. You may use a dictionary if necessary. to rejoice to hasten to supersede enhancement inevitable to embrace to lament unsettling certain to happen to accept to be glad to make sth. happen sooner disturbing/ alarming improvement to complain about to replace B. Viewing: Watch the BBC video about transhumanism (https: / / www.youtube.com/ watch? v=RVmuU04-X5E). 1. First viewing: Complete the following sentences. 1.1. Transhumanists believe … 1.2. Human enhancement … 1.3. The future … 2. Second viewing: Answer the following questions. 2.1. What is meant by humanity 2.0? 2.2. Name three developments transhumanists hope for in the future. 2.3. Who or what does the future belong to, according to transhumanists? 2.4. What must humans do to survive? C. Post-viewing 1. Define transhumanism in your own words. 2. Describe this picture (https: / / www.quickclass.net/ 2018/ 06/ 19/ future-trans human-2030/ ). Take body posture, colour and direction into account. 128 Ben Maré Dutschmann <?page no="129"?> M3: One definition of transhumanism “The belief or theory that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical and mental limitations, especially by means of science and technology” (www.quickclass .net/ 2018/ 06/ 19/ future-transhuman-2030/ ). 4. Solutions M.2. Worksheet A. Matching words to rejoice: to be glad to hasten: to make sth. happen sooner to supersede: to replace enhancement: improvement inevitable: certain to happen to embrace: to accept to lament: to complain about unsettling: disturbing/ alarming B.1. Sentence completion 1.1. Transhumanists believe a brighter future is ahead/ people will be im‐ proved by technology and enhancements of some sort in the future. 1.2. Human enhancement is improving humanity through science and tech‐ nology. 1.3. The future is singularity (computer will learn for themselves)/ belongs to artificial intelligence. B.2. Answers 2.1. a better, smarter, fitter model superseding humans 2.2. uploading ourselves into computers; enhancement raising our IQ, making us stronger and fitter; ageing being stopped and even reversed 2.3. artificial intelligence C.2. Analysis of picture (one student’s answer) In the picture, one can see the evolution of the human species with the focus on human enhancement and transhumanism. The artist shows a row of five creatures, who are developing while moving from left to right. This can be seen as a rather common representation of the evolution of humankind. The background is a darkish turquoise colour. The creatures are all black sil‐ houettes. Starting from the second from the left, the silhouettes are recognisably 129 The Concept of Transhumanism <?page no="130"?> human; technological equipment is added to the bodies and painted in white. The very left creature is not walking upright like the others; the position of hands and head allows the interpretation of this creature to be an ape. While the second person is holding a smartphone and bending over it, person no. 3 has the device attached to his right arm, and is wearing data glasses. The silhouettes of no. 4 and 5 show more obviously enhanced bodies: While the right arm of person 4 looks like a robot arm and is attached with wires to the back of his head, person 5 has a brightly highlighted brain and a web of circles around his head. The picture depicts the development of humans through technology into transhumans. The artist shows this as “natural”, thus highlighting the ongoing process as inevitable or even desirable. This is emphasised by the upright position as well as the walking direction, from left to right into the future. The technological enhancements are allowed more and more space as the humans are developing, which supports the impression that technology is a blessing. The artist seems to be convinced by the idea of transhumanism as no critical motifs are displayed in this picture. To me, the picture is a good example of the idea of transhuman development, with the colours highlighting the enhancement in a very obvious way. It lacks, however, any sort of critical perspective, leaving the viewer with a simplified idea of transhumanism, although the topic is indeed ambivalent. Bibliography Humanity+ (2020). Transhumanist FAQ. https: / / humanityplus.org/ philosophy/ transhumanist-faq/ (accessed 06/ 09/ 2020) Huxley, Julian (1957). New Bottles for Old Wine. London: Chatto & Windus. https: / / arch ive.org/ details/ NewBottlesForNewWine (accessed 06/ 09/ 2020) Loh, Janina (2019). Trans-und Posthumanismus. Hamburg: Junius Verlag. Sorgner, Stefan/ Grimm, Nikola (2013). “Introduction. Evolution Today.” In: Sorgner, Stefan/ Jovanovic, Branka-Rista (eds.). Evolution and the Future: Anthropology, Ethics, Religion. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 9-20. 130 Ben Maré Dutschmann <?page no="131"?> Transhumanism in Films Katharina Stark 1. Background As the popularity of transhumanism has increased over the past few decades, this topic has also been included in numerous films. It is the science fiction genre where transhumanist motifs are very common in particular (Hauskeller et al. 2015: 4, Ezpeleta/ Segarra 2017: 65). There are no strict boundaries between fiction and (transhumanist) science, and the two constantly provide each other with new input (Ornella 2015: 154). Max More acknowledges that early science fiction - even though in this case he refers to literature - has expanded our understanding of the possible (ibid.: 152). Furthermore, science fiction films provide a communication tool for transhumanists to discuss their ideas in public and make them accessible to the masses. By popularizing their ideas via film, transhumanists aim to present their vision in a comprehensible way, and mitigate negative reactions to new scientific achievements (ibid.: 156). “Screened [science fiction] allows us to play with our possible selves” (Hauskeller et al. 2015: 4). This makes it possible for the public to indulge in a “what if ”-fantasy instead of putting their fears and concerns about technological innovation in the foreground. In this way, openness in society towards transhumanism and its innovations can be achieved. Science fiction can also help the public to critically reflect transhumanist issues, e.g. to ponder the consequences for mankind if control over technology gets lost (Ornella 2015: 163). Films can stimulate such deliberation by emphasising the tension between good and evil in the use of technological progress. Thus, science fiction films can be a mouthpiece for transhumanists as well as stimulate critical reflection. At first, postand transhuman beings in film were depicted as monsters like in Frankenstein (1931). Later they became villains, and after that, their moral status was rather ambiguous. Nowadays, they are likely to be represented as heroes like Wolverine in X-Men (2000) (Hauskeller et al. 2015: 4). This obvious change in the presentation of transhumanist beings “is evidence of a change in social consciousness” (ibid.), indicating that human enhancement, genetic engineering <?page no="132"?> and other transhumanist techniques - and therefore transhumanism itself - have become more and more accepted during the last decades. On closer examination, recurring transhumanist motifs can be identified in science fiction films, six of which will be presented and exemplified in the following. Of course, this summary cannot claim to be complete, and quite frequently the individual motifs are closely linked and often overlap. (1) Longevity: Often referred to as “super longevity” by transhumanists (Lee 2019b: 313), longevity is an important subgoal of human enhancement (Loh 2018: 51), probably even the most important aspect of transhumanism (ibid.: 42 f.). Only if human beings become immortal, will they obtain complete control over their lives. Any other human enhancement would only be temporary. Super longevity, however, does not denote immortality in the sense that a human being cannot die under any circumstances. It describes a state in which people no longer age, but can still die by accident, suicide, or homicide (ibid.: 42). As super longevity has not been achieved yet, transhumanists use cryonics to have the chance of longevity after their legal death. Cryonics is a method to preserve the human body or individual organs immediately after death by freezing them in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of -196 °C. The organism is stored under these conditions until resurrection or revitalisation can be guaranteed with the use of new technology. The Alcor Life Extension Foundation with CEO Max More plays a leading role in the field of cryonics research and technology (cf. ibid.). The pursuit of longevity is emphasised in the film In Time (2011). Here, people do not age anymore once they have reached their 25 th birthday. From that time on, however, they only have one year of lifetime left, in order to avoid overpopulation. Additional lifetime can be earned, though, making time the currency of this system. The rich people can live endlessly, while the poor must fight for each additional day of lifetime, making people steal each other’s lifetime. This desire for eternal life is also treated in Self/ less (2015). By transferring one’s mind into another body, people who are ill or on the verge of death are conceded a longer and possibly infinite life. The original mind of the occupied body, however, is suppressed, or even deleted. A quite similar procedure can be observed in Freejack (1992). To achieve an eternal or at least a longer life, the minds of dying people are stored in a database and subsequently transferred to the bodies of accident victims, for example. These victims are retrieved from the past with the help of time travel, so that their missing is not noticed. Besides the films which make longevity one of their main topics, this motif is also addressed by the occurrence of (almost) immortal characters. Such 132 Katharina Stark <?page no="133"?> characters can only be killed under very specific circumstances, e.g. by taking certain substances: The eponymous character in Superman (1978) is susceptible to kryptonite, a fictional material which emits radiation lethal to him. The weak spot of the character Wolverine in Logan (2017) is adamantium, a fictional metal alloy that is hard enough to cut his otherwise invincible body in half. Immortal characters are Frankenstein’s monster Adam in I, Frankenstein (2014), Ra’s al Ghul in Batman Begins (2005), and Joker in Suicide Squad (2016), just to name a few. (2) Genetic engineering: Like longevity, genetic engineering is a subproject of the major goal of human enhancement. The term genetic engineering “refers to the direct manipulation of DNA to alter an organism’s charac‐ teristics (phenotype) in a particular way” (yourgenome.org). It pursues the goal of making people’s lives more pleasant by keeping them healthy, for example; by modifying people’s DNA, they may become immune to certain diseases (ibid.). In the long run, the goal of longevity could be reached with the help of genetic engineering. Today, it mainly consists of developing therapies that prevent and counteract any disease and aging process of cells (Parrish 2019: 425). A prime film example of genetic engineering is Gattaca (1997), which can be labelled as a “genetic engineering, biopolitical dystopia” (Baldwin 2015: 23). In the movie, it is common practice for children to be conceived in vitro, and the best embryos are selected based on their genetic makeup. Children conceived naturally are systematically disadvantaged due to their assumed inferiority. Another example of human genetic engineering is Blade Runner (1982). Here, so-called replicants, which are synthetic bio-engineered hu‐ mans, work in space and are not distinguishable from human beings at first glance. Moreover, animals are also created synthetically. In Morgan (2016), the eponymous protagonist is an artificially created young woman, who is equipped with a synthetic DNA. Eventually, she becomes uncontrollable and dangerous, and therefore needs to be destroyed. In Black Sheep (2006), the topic of genetic engineering is treated differently as instead of humans, sheep are genetically modified. The movie describes the development of a super sheep, which, however, gets out of control, and the genetically modified sheep turn into bloodthirsty monsters. (3) Neurological manipulation: Also known as neuro-enhancement (Ornella 2015: 162), neurological manipulation refers to the manipulation of the brain by influencing the synapses and nerves, and is mostly accomplished with substances such as drugs or medication. Taking such substances 133 Transhumanism in Films <?page no="134"?> involves both dangerous side effects and the potential of improving performance. A trend in this direction can already be observed today, when, for instance, students try to improve their scholastic performances by consuming Ritalin, a drug which increases attention (ibid.). In the movie OtherLife (2017), neurological manipulation is carried out with the help of nanotechnology, making it possible to transform real experiences into virtual realities. A biological software in the form of eye drops manipulates the brain in such a way that it perceives the virtual reality as real. Because of the danger of its misuse, the inventor Ren Amari makes every effort to ensure that the product will not be launched. Another type of neurological manipulation is depicted in Limitless (2011), where the protagonist’s brain is influenced by a synthetic drug, which amplifies cognitive abilities, including increased intelligence and incredible memory. Yet, the drug has toxic adverse effects and can lead to death. In Lucy (2014), an enormous increase in cognitive performance is obtained with a synthetic drug, too. The main character Lucy can suddenly use her entire brain, and develops telepathic and telekinetic abilities; however, the drug gradually destroys the human body. Another type of neurological manipulation is described in Total Recall (2012), where a company called REKALL offers the implantation of false memories into the brains of its customers. (4) Mind uploading: Also called mind copying or mind transfer, mind up‐ loading refers to a process of transferring mental content to an external medium. The media used simulate functions of the brain, acquiring a virtual consciousness. The futurist Ray Kurzweil, famous representative of the idea of mind uploading, predicts that mind uploading will already be possible by 2045 (Comito 2019: 443). In film, mind uploading is closely linked to longevity since it is usually used to preserve the mind when the human body is about to die. A detailed example of this idea is shown in Transcendence (2014). After scientist Will Caster finds out that he only has a few weeks left to live, his wife Evelyn tries to save her husband by uploading his mind to their quantum computer. After his death, the now digital Will strives for more and requests to be uploaded to the internet. A few years later, when Will starts to implant himself into people, Evelyn realizes that the artificial intelligence Will has gone out of control, and finally sacrifices herself to destroy it. The movie Avatar (2009), although it may not be obvious at first sight, is based on the principle of mind uploading, too. In order to 134 Katharina Stark <?page no="135"?> enter the planet of Pandora, people have to exchange their human body for a so-called avatar, with their mind being transferred from one wetware to another. A similar process takes place in Self/ less (2015). The so-called method of shedding transfers a person’s mind to another human body if one’s own body is about to die. However, in contrast to Avatar (2009), the receiving bodies have not been created artificially, and so drugs must be taken to suppress and ultimately erase the original personalities of the bodies used. Similarly, the McCandless corporation in Freejack (1992) uploads the mind of a dying person to a database, which is then transferred to another body. Whereas in Transcendence (2014), Self/ less (2015) and Freejack (1992) the idea of mind uploading is presented in a critical manner, the film Avatar (2009) is a typical example of romanticising this new technique (Ornella 2015: 155). (5) Cyborgs and robots: Whereas transhumans or cyborgs still possess a human body, robots are machines, which may look like a human being. Both transhumans and cyborgs refer to technologically modified people, but transhumans additionally identify themselves with the concept of transhumanism. Therefore, every transhuman is a cyborg, but not every cyborg is necessarily a transhuman (Loh 2018: 59). As cyborg is a blend word of “cybernetic” and “organism”, even animals and plants can become cyborgs. Little attention is paid to this topic, though, as it is not relevant for the goals of the transhumanist movement (ibid.: 60). The technology needed for the development of intelligent robots is already well advanced, and their existence is becoming more and more accepted in society. An impressive example is the human-like robot Sophia, which was granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia in 2016 (Lee 2019a: 162). Moreover, there has been progress in the development of such technology that can turn people into cyborgs, with Spain seeing the first state-approved cyborg: colour-blind Neil Harbisson can hear colours with the help of an antenna, which has been implanted in his head (cf. forbes.at). Numerous science fiction films deal with the relationship between man and machine, whether in the form of robots, cyborgs or transhumans. Robots, for instance, are extensively presented in I, Robot (2004), where they live together with humans and act as servants for unpleasant jobs. Furthermore, Detective Spooner can be considered a cyborg, as his robotic arm, a replacement of his left arm after an accident, gives him enough strength to break through concrete with a simple punch. Like in I, Robot (2004), robots also live together with humans in A.I. Artificial Intelligence 135 Transhumanism in Films <?page no="136"?> (2001), but here they act as substitute children, who display emotions and strive for love. In contrast, the android Ava in Ex Machina (2014) is manipulative, turns out to be a cold-blooded creature, and eventually kills her creator to live a life among humans. A special case is police officer Alex Murphy in RoboCop (1987): after he got murdered by a gang of criminals, he is revived by a megacorporation as a programmed cyborg law enforcement unit. A clearer example of a cyborg is provided in the Star Wars series (1977 ff.). Being devoid of two legs and an arm after a near-fatal duel with his former mentor, Darth Vader’s new armour suit functions as both a life-support system and prosthetic encasement. In Ghost in the Shell (2017), it is even considered normal for people to have cybernetic body parts and organs inserted to improve their strength and intelligence. Thus, being a cyborg is the norm in this society. (6) Artificial Intelligence: In 1950, the legendary British mathematician Alan Turing developed an idea how to evaluate the intelligence of a machine. Therefore, a test to determine whether a programme can be classified as Artificial Intelligence (AI) is nowadays called a Turing Test (Lee 2019a: 154). If the machine shows intelligent behaviour indistinguishable from that of a human being, it can be labelled as a form of artificial intelligence. Based on that test, Dobrev (2005: 68) defines AI as “a program which in an arbitrary world will cope not worse than a human.” During the last decades, however, the goal for the application of AI has changed from mimicking humans to surpassing them (Lee 2019a: 163). In the future, Lee can even imagine a so-called “human-machine symbiosis” (ibid.: 160), which means that humans and AI machines will be working together “as equals, not subordinates” (ibid. 159). In movies, AI is often presented in two different ways: as a useful gadget, which later turns out to be a huge threat to mankind, or as part of an emotional relationship between a human being and an AI. Lee (2019b: 163) predicts that “there will come a time when humans can no longer explain the decision-making process of a superintelligent computer”. Nevertheless, he believes that AIs do not pose a threat to mankind, and attributes people’s fears to the “greatly exaggerated […] portrayal of doomsday scenarios” (ibid.: 165) in science fiction. Such a scenario, for instance, is displayed in I, Robot (2004): the AI VIKI (Virtual Interactive Kinetic Intelligence), a supercomputer present almost everywhere in the form of a blue light column, seems to be a very useful gadget to protect humanity. Yet VIKI later decides to deprive people of their maturity as mankind is not able to take 136 Katharina Stark <?page no="137"?> care of itself properly, and people who refuse to obey VIKI’s commands are eliminated. Another action of an AI against mankind can be observed in The Terminator (1984). Skynet, an artificial neural-based superintelligence system, and its associated intelligent machines fight against the people since they see their existence threatened by mankind. The fight between AIs and mankind is also featured in The Matrix (1999), which is based on the fact that an AI has won the war against mankind. Humanity is unknowingly imprisoned inside the Matrix, which is a simulated reality generated by intelligent machines to distract humans while misusing their bodies as energy generators. When computer programmer and hacker Neo discloses the truth, he gets involved in a rebellion against the machines. A scenario in which an AI develops a close emotional relationship with a human being can be witnessed in Her (2013), for instance. The introverted protagonist Theodore develops an intimate relationship with his virtual assistant, the AI Samantha, which is present in the form of a female voice. However, Theodore discovers that Samantha maintains such relationships with hundreds of people. At the end, the AIs leave the physical world, and Theodore is left behind without Samantha. A different kind of emotional relationship between a human being and an AI is depicted in A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001). When their son needs to be placed in suspended anima‐ tion after contracting a rare disease, Monica Swinton and her husband are given an artificial child, the AI David. David eagerly wants to be loved by Monica, and although he is returned after the Swintons’ son has been cured, he still strives for Monica’s love. Ultimately, he sacrifices his existence for one single happy day with a genetic replica of Monica. Transhumanist issues tend to be polarizing. By dealing with these issues, science fiction films naturally raise ethical questions. For instance, can intelligent robots develop feelings as well as consciousness, and therefore should they be treated equally to humans? If they had a human-like consciousness, robots would need to be granted human rights (Nida-Rümelin/ Weidenfeld 2018: 26). In addition, the question arises how far technology can go and what conse‐ quences this can have. Concerning cyborgs, is it acceptable to fuse people with technology? What repercussions may the use of AIs have? The films mentioned usually provide some ethical evaluation of the topic they are addressing (Meyer 2018: 15). For example, in the movie In Time (2011), where the characters fight against the system based on the dogma that many must die for the immortality of a few, the audience is supposed to sympathise with the 137 Transhumanism in Films <?page no="138"?> main characters’ views, and super longevity is given a negative connotation, at least if it is fuelled by socio-economic inequality. 2. Procedure Title In Time (2011) and other films (students’ choice) Synopsis Against the background of global overpopulation, humans are modi‐ fied genetically to only live for 25 years. From this age on, people have to gain time to extend their life span. Thus, the currency in this world is not money but lifetime. While the rich have the means to virtually live forever, the poor have to fight for every additional second to escape death. Will Salas, who lives in a poor area where people rarely have more than one day of lifetime left, is falsely accused of murder, since a rich guy has gifted him almost all of his remaining lifetime of more than 116 years. He travels to the richest area, where he eventually needs to flee with a hostage, who is no other than the daughter of the richest man in the world. Together they start to fight for a fairer world, in which lifetime should not be a privilege of the rich. Competences Speaking, reading, argumentative and creative writing, listening com‐ prehension, audio-visual comprehension, media competence Topics Transhumanism; longevity, genetic engineering, neurological en‐ hancement, mind uploading, transhumans, cyborgs, robots, artificial intelligence, ethical considerations Level Advanced Time 90 minutes Steps: combination of open learning scenario, TBLL (Task-Based Language Learning), Blended FBLL (Film-Based Language Learning) A. Pre-task 1. Lead-in a) T shows pictures of science fiction films (M1). b) S speculate about the plots, and discuss the question what the pictures have in common. 2. Relevance of topic a) T provides definitions of transhumanism (M2). b) S guess how this concept is related to the pictures and formulate their own definition. c) T asks why transhumanism is an important topic for the class to talk about. d) S think-pair-share and write down their results. 3. Introduction of project a) T explains the project and hands out the guidelines (M3). 138 Katharina Stark <?page no="139"?> b) S get together in pairs. c) T gives an overview of the film In Time (2011) as an example. d) S listen and take notes. e) T moderates a discussion about the social system in the film: “What do you think of this system? Would you like to live in such a world? What advantages and disadvantages do you see? ” B. Task cycle 4. Planning phase a) S choose the film (M4), working mode (either a film response journal or a presentation), and set up a time schedule for their task. b) T provides help whenever needed. 5. Homework (two options) S watch the science fiction film of their choice and fill in a film response journal OR prepare a presentation. Following lessons: presentations of the students plus C. language focus: dependent on the linguistic problems the students had to face (cf. Willis/ Willis model of TBLL) 3. Materials M1: Screenshots (deleted due to copyright reasons) (1) I, Robot (2004) (2) Ex Machina (2014) (3) Avatar (2009) (4) Ghost in the Shell (2017) (5) OtherLife (2017) (6) In Time (2011) M2: Definitions of Transhumanism What is transhumanism? The following definitions will give you an insight into the topic. After you have read them, summarise them and give a definition in your own words. (1) “The theory that science and technology can help human beings develop beyond what is physically and mentally possible at the present time: Trans‐ humanism asserts that with all the new technologies available, mankind will be able [to] solve every challenge it faces” (dictionary.cambridge.org). 139 Transhumanism in Films <?page no="140"?> (2) “Transhumanism is a way of thinking about the future that is based on the premise that the human species in its current form does not represent the end of our development but rather a comparatively early phase” (whatistranshumanism.org). (3) “Transhumanism is a class of philosophies of life that seek the continuation and acceleration of the evolution of intelligent life beyond its currently human form and human limitations by means of science and technology, guided by life-promoting principles and values” (More 1990: n.n.). (4) My own definition: __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ M3: Guidelines for the project The goal of our project is that each of you has watched a film in which you can identify at least one of the transhumanist motifs listed below. Your movie must either be described and analysed in a short presentation and a discussion phase afterwards, or a film response journal is handed in. Today’s task: 1. Find a partner or get together in a group of three. 2. Decide on a film you want to work with. You can find a list to choose from on worksheet M4. 3. Decide whether you take the film response journal or the presentation. 4. Set up a time schedule for your group. Tasks to fulfill at home: 1. Watch your film in English. If it is too difficult to understand, you can switch on the subtitles. Take notes on the plot, setting, characters, structure, and transhumanist motifs. 2. Watch the scenes that you find most important regarding transhumanist motifs again. Prepare yourself to describe at least one crucial scene in detail. 3. Summarise the plot of your film. 4. Decide on a topic or key scene for discussion. 5. Complete your film response journal or presentation. 140 Katharina Stark <?page no="141"?> Guidelines for the presentation: - Length: 10-15 min., additional 10 min. of discussion - Each student of your group needs to talk during the presentation! - You can show pictures or short parts of the film (not longer than 2 min.). - At least one of the motifs listed below has to be analysed: What motif is it? How is it presented? How is it supposed to be perceived by the audience? Why? - The discussion phase is moderated by your group (prepare a central question/ topic and arguments). Guidelines for the film response journal: - To be handed in within two weeks from now (insert date here) - Summarise the film (about 250 words). - Identify at least one transhumanist motif. Focus on the following aspects: What transhumanist motif is presented? What are the key scenes con‐ cerning this motif ? In which way is the motif presented? How is it supposed to be perceived by the audience? How do you assess the presentation of the motif ? Has the film changed your attitude concerning this issue? Why (not)? - Discuss one key scene which may cause ethical concerns (about 300 words). - Optional: write an alternative ending to the film. Motifs: Find information on the motifs with the help of the Internet, e.g. https: / / whatistranshumanism.org/ . 1. Longevity 2. Genetic engineering 3. Neurological manipulation 4. Mind uploading 5. Transhumans, cyborgs and robots 6. Artificial Intelligence M4: List of Films In the following, you find a list of films you can choose from. You may want to look up some trailers on YouTube to help you decide on your movie. If you wish to present another film, talk to the teacher first. As soon as you have decided on a film, please let the teacher know. A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) - Limitless (2011) - Avatar (2009) - Lucy (2014) - Blade Runner (1982) - OtherLife (2017) - Ex Machina (2014) - Self/ less (2015) - 141 Transhumanism in Films <?page no="142"?> Freejack (1992) - Superman (1978) - Gattaca (1997) - The Matrix (1999) - Ghost in the Shell (2017) - The Terminator (1984) - Her (2013) - Total Recall (2012) - I, Robot (2004) - Transcendence (2014) 4. Solutions My definition of transhumanism (2.b., S’s answer) Transhumanism is a philosophy which aims to enhance human beings beyond their current state by the means of technology. Relevance of topic (2.d.) e.g. timeless topicality, existential relevance, fascinating topics (search for immortality, eternal youth), uncertainty about implications, need of discourse on ethical issues Overview of In Time (3.c.) In a presentation of about 10-12 minutes, the main characters are introduced with additional pictures, and the plot of the film is outlined (cf. synopsis). The central motif of longevity is explained with the help of picture 6 (in M1). S learn how the system of longevity works in the film, and how it is graphically represented by the luminous digital clock on one’s forearm. When a person turns 25, the clock begins counting down, and when it reaches zero, this person dies. It is also pointed out that the audience perceives the system as bad because of the sympathy created for the main character - the viewer accompanies him during his daily life, getting to know his emotions and strokes of fate. Hence, an aversion to longevity is evoked in the viewer. To illustrate this, the film scene in which Will and his mother Rachel run towards each other trying to save Rachel’s life by transferring time from Will to Rachel, is shown. In Time (2011): social system (3.e.) Pros: population restriction, transparency of system Cons: social inequality, rich - poor dichotomy, exploitation of the poor, ghetto life, ruthless capitalism based on time as its universal currency 142 Katharina Stark <?page no="143"?> Bibliography Ayer, David (2016). Suicide Squad. Atlas Entertainment. Warner Bros. Baldwin, Jon (2015). “‘Self-Immolation by Technology’: Jean Baudrillard and the Post‐ human in Film and Television.” In: Hauskeller, Michael et al. (eds.). The Palgrave Handbook of Posthumanism in Film and Television. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 19-27. Beattie, Stuart (2014). I, Frankenstein.. Hopscotch Features. Lionsgate. Besson, Luc (2014). Lucy. EuropaCorp. Universal Pictures. Burger, Neil (2011). Limitless. Relativity Media. Cambridge Dictionary. 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Colombia Pictures. 144 Katharina Stark <?page no="145"?> Transhumanism and Religion Lorenz Körner 1. Background For as long as humanity can remember, science and religion have been in an everlasting struggle with one another. Topics like the creation of our world or the explanation of unusual phenomenona have been subject of innumerable debates. Transhumanism, as “a philosophical movement that affirms the human ability and right to fundamentally influence our own evolution, guided by the highest ethical principles and values” (Rizzuto/ Fost 2012: 570), has also sparked controversial statements by theologians and ethicists. Whether transhumanists seek to alter human genetics through human germline engineering, replace body parts with robotic ones, or upload the human mind onto a computer, they try to take away a fear immanent to all creatures, i.e. the fear of death and the unknown - a field in which religions of all kinds have provided answers and relief for the longest time. Since religions like Christianity are slowly losing their impact on society, people increasingly expect answers to their questions from other fields, e.g. transhumanism. Not only does it provide answers, it acts as a new religion itself, albeit without a transcendental claim or using the word God. But how can we determine the term religion? Definitions range from Feuer‐ bach’s critical concept of religion as the projection of human inner nature or as illusion (Barth 2010: 20) to a substantialist concept of religion (relationship towards a transcendental being, cf. Mensching 1959: 18 f.), and a functionalist approach (use for the individual and society, cf. Durkheim 1973: 51). Religions have always proposed answers to the meaning of life, death, sickness and health. “Human beings are devoted to the task of meaning-making; we devise beliefs and practices to live by and institutions within which to live that allow us to perceive meaning in the world and our lives with reference to powers or beings greater and lesser than humanity” (Geraci 2012: 586). In this sense, transhumanism may be declared a religion, as it is engaged in “developing <?page no="146"?> meaning with respect to superhuman or subhuman forces and entities” (ibid.). Transhumanists, however, often denote their cause to be non-religious: “While not a religion, transhumanism might serve a few of the same functions that people have traditionally sought in religion” (humanity+) - which makes David Chidester call transhumanistic ideas “authentic fakes” (qtd. ibid.), a term he uses “to label systems wherein non-supernatural, initially non-sacred entities, practices, institutions, and persons take on the powers and aura of the sacred” (ibid.). One of the key points about transhumanism is that it aims towards something in the future, a point in time when humankind will be freed from pain, suffering and possibly even death. However, prior to this “end time”, an event that enables humans to reach these goals through technology must have happened. Ray Kurzweil calls this event the Singularity, i.e. a technological bootstrapping process in which each generation of new technology leads to a critical point, beyond which all subsequent development will be contained within one great superintelligence (Rizzuto/ Fost 2012: 570). This order is similar to the Christian belief that the eschaton, i.e. the time when God “will wipe every tear from their eyes” (New International Version, Rev. 21, 4), must be preceded by an event (the Last Judgement) which leads people into the new life. The very first Christians, and Apocalyptic Christians over all centuries, have awaited the dawn of a new age, with the return of Jesus, to happen in the very near future. In a similar way, transhumanists like Kurzweil expect the Singularity to happen very soon. “[Kurzweil] applies this logic to computational speeds, brain-scanning technologies, virtual reality development, […] to ‘prove’ that the Singularity will occur right around the year 2029” (Geraci 2012: 587). If one day these technologies are sufficiently powerful to create human beings who are significantly different from the human species we know, the question arises whether these beings can still be called human. Some insist that future descendants will be so profoundly different from us that they could no longer be called human in the usual sense (Cole-Turner 2017: 119), and may then ask whether they would still be included in God’s salvation plan in order to reach the eschaton. The same question already arose in the other direction, with science beginning to research the human origin 150 years ago. The human species has evolved over millions of years, and the question is if ancestral hominin forms like the Australopithecus can still be considered human and therefore part of God’s salvation plan. When Paul writes in Galatians, “there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (New International Version, Gal. 3: 28), he argues that “incarnation is to make one humanity out of previously divided classes and groups […]. The 146 Lorenz Körner <?page no="147"?> biblical and patristic writers, of course, simply could not have imagined forms of humanity that were not just ethnically but biologically different” (Cole-Turner 2017: 123 f.). It is, in fact, redundant to ask this question when the Christian belief that everything finds its cause in “[der] Wirklichkeit, der sich alles Dasein verdankt” (“the substantiality to which all existence is owed”) (Körner 2016: 12), is true. Just as the human species has evolved over millennials, it will continue to evolve. “Our distant ancestors differed significantly from us, and our descendants might differ even more from us. Past, present, and possible future forms of humanity are all part of the definition of what it means to be human” (Cole-Turner 2017: 111). According to theologian Karl Rahner (1965: 366), “Christianity must recog‐ nise that future utopias within this world are legitimate not only from the Christian standpoint, but are the destiny which God’s providence has assigned to man”, and that regardless to which extent the human modifies itself, no enhancement “can exceed, much less thwart, God’s intentions for humanity as a lineage created by and for self-transcendence” (Cole-Turner 2017: 125). Theology rejects transhumanist thinking because it sees technology as an alternative creation, different to the work of God or detached from God’s ultimate purpose (ibid.). Herein lies an important difference between the Christian idea of salvation and the transhumanist one. What Luther called the “Rechtfertigungslehre” (“Doctrine of Justification”), is the belief that every human finds salvation through God’s grace alone. While this had been the keystone of the evangelic belief for nearly 500 years, Protestants and Catholics declared their shared un‐ derstanding of humanity’s salvation in their “Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification” in 1999. Those humans who lived aeons before us and do not even fall under the category of homo sapiens, and those humans who will succeed and might be so different from us that they cannot be called homo sapiens or even homo in a traditional sense, will find, in fact already have found, salvation in God. The transhumanist salvation, on the other hand, will not be available for everybody. Modern technology certainly is not cheap and not everybody can afford its use. This could lead to the so-called socio-economic problem in transhumanism, i.e. a differentiation between those who are wealthy enough to enhance themselves and achieve technological salvation, and those who are not. In this two-layered society, humanity would be split into haves and have-nots, and salvation in the transhumanist sense would only be available for the former ones. In his dystopian novel Altered Carbon (2003), Richard Morgan portrays those few wealthy humans as beings who managed to free 147 Transhumanism and Religion <?page no="148"?> themselves from death through consistent use of technological delimitation and therefore became like gods (Rüster 2018: 163), which leads to the question whether future humans with the ability to prevent death will be able to ascend to divine beings or gods. Some transhumanists like to imagine themselves becoming gods by being able to create, alter, elongate or end life however way they deem fit. If we define a god as a being with nearly unrestricted power over life and death, then humans might become gods one day. In his famous book Homo Deus, Yuval Harari notes that one has to imagine those gods more like “Greek gods or Hindu devas rather than the omnipotent biblical sky father. Our descendants would still have their foibles, kinks and limitations, just as Zeus and Indra had theirs. But they could love, hate, create and destroy on a much grander scale than us” (2015: 47). Those are gods who are moody, unpredictable, jealous and destructive, gods who fight and even kill each other over trifles and bring suffering to those around them - not like the loving and benevolent God of the New Testament. Gods like those have existed for a long time. Forces of nature like lightning, thunder, sun or moon were called gods, named Zeus, Sol Invictus, Thor or Amun-Re; even great heroes of ancient times like Heracles or Aeneas were made gods. Humans feared and at the same time were dependent on them, they performed sacrifices and magical rituals to appease them. Gods were perceived as “tremendum et fascinosum” (Otto 2014: 42), as something terrifying and fascinating at the same time - just as transhumanism fascinates and terrifies people at the same time. Around 3,800 years ago, a small Jewish nation started believing in one god above all other gods, and about 2,500 years ago, they started believing in one creator, one God, JHWH, alone. They realised that this God can only be one, and that he cannot be part of what he himself created (Körner 2016: 16). Aristotle calls this being “unmoved mover”, something that moves other things without itself being moved by anything prior. Even though not talking about the same god as Christians and Jews, the way he describes this being is strikingly similar to their belief. What transhumanists seem to forget when proclaiming that humans will become divine creators is that their creativity has been imparted to them by something greater. “The source of human creativity comes not from the self but is indeed a gift of God’s gracious love. To be created in the image of God is to experience the undeserved grace and love given in relationship by God, to be in community with self, God, and other. Like other creatures, we depend on God for life” (Pederson 2012: 564). A being that depends on something else to be able to live, be it God as Pederson writes, or technical enhancements 148 Lorenz Körner <?page no="149"?> which keep the whole body running, or even something mundane as air or energy, can by no means claim to be a god. It will always depend on something, and if one cuts it loose from its source of power, it will become ordinary and normal. Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr calls the thought that man can become omniscient and omnipotent an act of hubris and sin: “Man is ignorant and involved in the limitations of a finite mind; but he pretends that he is not limited. He assumes that he can gradually transcend finite limitations until his mind becomes identical with universal mind. All of his intellectual and cultural pursuits, therefore, become infected with the sin of pride” (1943: 178 f.). The kind of gods that transhumanism tries to create will always have their origins in humanity and therefore will inherit their flaws and fallibilities, they will be susceptible to greed, jealously and hatred. Even if future creations leave some of those flaws behind, even if Singularity occurs, and humans are able to create humans who are smarter than themselves, who can design human gods smarter than themselves, they will only ever be as smart and mighty as their predecessors were able to imagine them. Those gods would tread amongst other gods and humans, they could be seen and touched, and they could be proven. The God of Jews and Christians, on the other hand, cannot be proven. Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer points out that “a god who lets us prove his existence would be an idol” (qtd. in Körner 2016: 23). Bonhoeffer did not intend to say that the non-existence of God is evidence that he does exist. He rather wanted to point out that the understanding of God can only be incomplete, timely, within the boundaries of human imagination. When John the Baptist was captured and put into prison, Jesus proclaimed that “the time has come, […] the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news! ” (New International Version, Mk. 1,15). Repent finds its original translation in the Greek word “metanoeite” (Nestle 2014: 103), but Körner proposes a different translation leading to an even deeper meaning: “metanoeite” is a compound of “noein” (‘to think, to suppose’) and “meta” (‘beyond, above, bigger’) (Körner 2013: 5 f.). Jesus invites the reader to think bigger of God, beyond known standards - yet, even when thinking bigger of God, he cannot be fully grasped, he can only be adumbrated when communicating with him on an inner basis (Körner 2020: 4), as he is always bigger than the biggest a human can possibly imagine. 149 Transhumanism and Religion <?page no="150"?> 2. Procedure Title Transhumanism and Religion Synopsis Based on texts from the Holy Bible and other sources, this unit informs about goals, chances, effects and limits of transhumanism against the background of religious concepts like salvation and eternal life. Competences Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)/ bilingual lesson: English and Catholic R.E. (Religious Education); English: reading comprehension, speaking, lexical competence, pronunciation and intonation, method competence; R.E.: education for sustainable de‐ velopment, political education, value education Topics English: science, technology, environment; R.E.: Jesus’ message of God’s kingdom as source of our hope, dimensions of future-oriented actions Level Advanced Time 90 minutes Steps 1. Warm-up: T talks about current (religious) news in English. 2. Revision: T asks S what they remember about transhumanism. 3. T asks S whether they would like to live forever. 4. T describes aim and steps of the lesson. 5. T introduces unknown vocabulary and writes it down: • yeast - a baker uses yeast to turn flat, sticky dough into tall, fluffy bread • to dwell - to inhabit or live in something • beatitudes - blessings • repentance - the guilt you feel when you do something wrong • flourishing - a business which makes a lot of money is flourishing • superstition - an irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear 6. The class is divided into three groups. Each group gets a different text (M1, M2, M3). 7. Guiding question: “What does your text say about transhumanism and/ or salvation and eternal life? ” 8. S read the text, mark important passages, and write down key aspects. 9. T: “Discuss the text within your group. What are its arguments? Do you agree? Summarize it in three sentences.” 10. Rearranging groups: S gather in new groups of three students so that every text (M1 + M2 + M3) is represented in every new group (jigsaw technique, step two). 11. S summarize their texts for their new groups, listen to their classmates’ summaries, and exchange opinions. 12. Jigsaw, step three: T tells students to gather in their original groups again. S discuss their new knowledge and formulate a statement on what the transhu‐ manist and Christian concepts of salvation look like. 13. T asks groups (group speakers) to present their statements and invites them to discuss and reflect their opinions. 150 Lorenz Körner <?page no="151"?> 14. T asks S which statement they find the most fitting. S vote for the best statement by raising their hands. T asks if they want to add anything, and finally writes it on the blackboard. S copy the statement. 15. Homework: “Do research on possible ways to enhance the human body and mind.” 3. Materials M1: Bible Verses Task: Read these bible verses and write down how they depict the kingdom of God. Mt 13,31-33: The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast 31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” 33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” Mt 13,44-46: The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl 44 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. Rev 21,1-4: A New Heaven and a New Earth 1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth”, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. Lk 17,20-21: The Coming of the Kingdom of God 20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 151 Transhumanism and Religion <?page no="152"?> 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.” Mt 5,3-9: The Beatitudes 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. The Holy Bible: New International Version. Zondervan, 1983. www.biblestudy tools.com/ niv/ M2: Read this book excerpt and write down its main arguments. “[…] First, the gift of salvation is made possible by the action of God in Jesus Christ, who assumes our human condition as necessary for the work of salvation. The Creator is the Savior, blessing and transforming at one and the same time. For this reason, Christians recognize the continuity of creation and redemption, not as the contrary actions of rival gods or even as two chapters in the actions of one God, but as one continuous action of creation and transformation, often aptly called ‘the new creation’. We are not saved from the world, either through disembodiment or escape from destruction, but in and with the transformation of the whole creation. Furthermore, the Creator is the Savior incarnate. The creation is not saved apart from human involvement, as if by divine action from a distance, for it is only in the humanity of the incarnate Christ that God acts to save the world. For Christian theology, the entire sweep of incarnate creation-transformation is one unbroken work of God, inclusive of all that we have now come to see as the history and future of the cosmos. The incarnate Creator is the Redeemer. Just as the work of creation is not divided from redemption, the work of God is joined with the action of creation by virtue of the Incarnation. On this basis, Christianity should not separate creation and redemption, nor should it divide the work of God from the action of the creature. In chapter 5 Ted Peters quotes the Lutheran theologian Carl Braaten on the distinction between futurology and eschatology: ‘A crucial difference between secular futurology and Christian eschatology is this: The future in secular futurology is reached by a process of the world’s becoming. The future in Christian eschatology arrives by the coming of God’s kingdom. The one is a becoming and the other a coming.’ Clearly we can distinguish between the becoming 152 Lorenz Körner <?page no="153"?> and arriving, between creation’s achievement and God’s gift. But on the basis of Incarnation, the two cannot be separated. For this reason, theology cannot dismiss technology or even set aside as if it were not part of the whole incarnate creative and redemptive work of God. Second, for Christianity, the pathway of salvation begins with an act of renunciation, what scripture often calls ‘repentance,’ which is a turning away from our old ways even if they are not particularly evil but just because they are our own. Repentance is not a rejection of creation but of willful disobedience and self-centered thinking. It is the simple recognition that to enter the new, we must let go of the old. We are to let go of our ‘old life’ in order to enter into a new kind of life, ordered not by our own plans or desires but by those exemplified in Jesus Christ, who wholly gives himself to the will of God in service of others. The paradox at the heart of Christianity is that by losing our lives, we gain true life. This is perhaps the sharpest point of divergence between Christianity and transhumanism […]”. Source: Cole-Turner, Ronald (2011), 197-198. M3: Read this excerpt from humanity+ and write down its main arguments. How does transhumanism relate to religion? Transhumanism is a philosophical and cultural movement concerned with promoting responsible ways of using technology to enhance human capaci‐ ties and to increase the scope of human flourishing. While not a religion, transhumanism might serve a few of the same functions that people have traditionally sought in religion. It offers a sense of direction and purpose and suggests a vision that humans can achieve something greater than our present condition. Unlike most religious believers, however, transhumanists seek to make their dreams come true in this world, by relying not on supernatural powers or divine intervention but on rational thinking and empiricism, through continued scientific, technological, economic, and human development. Some of the prospects that used to be the exclusive thunder of the religious institutions, such as very long lifespan, unfading bliss, and godlike intelligence, are being discussed by transhumanists as hypothetical future engineering achievements. Transhumanism is a naturalistic outlook. At the moment, there is no hard evidence for supernatural forces or irreducible spiritual phenomena, and trans‐ humanists prefer to derive their understanding of the world from rational modes of inquiry, especially the scientific method. Although science forms the basis for much of the transhumanist worldview, transhumanists recognize that science has its own fallibilities and imperfections, and that critical ethical thinking is 153 Transhumanism and Religion <?page no="154"?> essential for guiding our conduct and for selecting worthwhile aims to work towards. Religious fanaticism, superstition, and intolerance are not acceptable among transhumanists. In many cases, these weaknesses can be overcome through a scientific and humanistic education, training in critical thinking, and interaction with people from different cultures. Certain other forms of religiosity, however, may well be compatible with transhumanism. […] Won’t things like uploading, cryonics, and AI fail because they can’t preserve or create the soul? If we answer this question from a religious standpoint, there is no clear ground for ruling out these technologies as incompatible with teachings about the soul. There is no scriptural basis in the Bible for assuming that God can’t get to our soul if we freeze our physical body, nor is there a single word in the Christian or Jewish scriptures, or the Quran, the Dhammapada, or the Tao Teh Ching, that prohibits cryonics. Or, for someone who believes in reincarnation, there are no traditional beliefs that say reincarnation is prevented when someone freezes to death or whose body is frozen after clinical death. If there is a soul and it enters the body at conception, then cryonics may well work - after all, human embryos have been frozen, stored for extended periods, and then implanted in their mothers, resulting in healthy children (who presumably have souls). Uploading and machine intelligence may reveal new things to us about how the soul works. It is interesting to note that the Dalai Lama, when asked, did not rule out the possibility of reincarnating into computers (Hayward et al. 1992: 152 f.)”. Source: Humanity+ (2020). 4. Solutions Revision (Step 2) • Transhumanism seeks to improve humanity’s physical and intellectual capabilities with the help of modern technologies. • By using transhumanist technologies, humankind might be able to cure diseases and disabilities and even overcome death. • Overpopulation might become an even bigger problem. • Transhumanism could result in even more inequality and injustice. • … 154 Lorenz Körner <?page no="155"?> Eternal life? (Step 3) • S 1: “I would not like to live forever because death is part of life.” • S 2: “If my mind and body stayed healthy and young, I would like to live forever.” • S 3: “I’d like to be able to choose when I have to die.” • S 4: “I’d love to live forever and could even imagine uploading my mind onto a computer.” • S 5: … Summaries of texts M1/ M2/ M3 (step 9) (authentic S’s answers) M1: The kingdom of heaven is already among us, but it is very small and needs to work through our society first. It is something very valuable, and if someone finds it, he will be willing to work for it and spread it among the people. Nobody will be excluded from it, all people will be equal, there will be no more pain or death, and God will be among us. M2: In Christianity, salvation is a gift and arrives in God becoming the human Jesus Christ; thus, the human condition is necessary for the work of salvation, and salvation begins with an act of renunciation from “old ways” of wilful dis‐ obedience and self-centred thinking. In secular futurology (e.g. transhumanism), salvation is reached by a process of the world’s becoming. As God became part of his own creation, Christianity cannot dismiss technology, as it is part of the creation’s achievements. M3: Transhumanism serves a few of the same functions that people have traditionally sought in religion, like a sense of direction and a purpose. Transhumanism seeks to achieve its goals in this world through scientific and technological advancement and not by relying on supernatural powers or divine intervention. The idea that transhumanist innovations like cryonics, mind uploading etc. cannot preserve the soul is rejected because there are no explicit words against it in any religious writing. Transhumanist and Christian concepts of salvation (step 12) (authentic S’s answers) Group 1: “Transhumanism approaches the question of salvation from a scientific point of view based on empirical studies and science, while Christianity bases its answers on beliefs, hopes and assumptions. Transhumanism offers a very real solution for problems like diseases, suffering and death. Very soon, it may drastically change the way we live and die. Christianity and other religions are 155 Transhumanism and Religion <?page no="156"?> artifacts of the past when people had no other answers to their questions. They have become obsolete and are slowly being replaced by science and technology.” Group 2: “Christianity and transhumanism have quite a few things in common. Both offer solutions to questions and fears humanity has had since the ear‐ liest days. Transhumanist answers result from achievements and knowledge humanity has gathered through technology and science. They offer salvation and eternal life in this world. Christianity, on the other hand, looks beyond this world. According to their belief, salvation is found through and within God, who became part of this world to grant salvation to all of humanity.” Group 3: “Transhumanists seek to reach salvation through technological pro‐ gress. Christianity believes that salvation has already been delivered by God’s grace alone. While the transhumanist idea runs the risk of saving only the ones who can afford such technology, the Christian salvation includes everyone, independent of any requirements.” Bibliography Barth, Hans-Martin (2010). 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Pederson, Ann Milliken (2012). “A Christian Theological Response to Aubrey de Grey’s Prospects for the Biomedical Postponement of Aging: Or: What Does It Mean to Live Long and Prosper? ” In: Haag, James et al. (eds.). The Routledge Companion to Religion and Science. Abingdon: Routledge, 558-565. Rahner, Karl (1965). Schriften zur Theologie: Band VI. Neuere Schriften. Cincinnati: Benziger. Rizzuto, Daniel/ Fost, Joshua (2012). “Transhumanism and Cognitive Enhancement.” In: Haag, James et al. (eds.). The Routledge Companion to Religion and Science. Abingdon: Routledge, 569-577. Rüster, Johannes (2018). “Ist das Körper oder kann das weg? Transhumanismus zwischen Literatur, Mythos und Religion - und die didaktischen Konsequenzen.” In: Spreen, Dierk (ed.). Kritik des Transhumanismus. Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag, 143-173. The Holy Bible: New International Version (1983). Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 157 Transhumanism and Religion <?page no="159"?> Human Enhancement Ben Maré Dutschmann 1. Background The human properties transhumanists intend to improve are intellectual (e.g. intelligence, memory, concentration), physical (health, ageing, vitality), and psy‐ chological ones (resilience, self-efficacy, moral enhancement) (Sorgner/ Grimm 2013: 12; Loh 2018: 51). They are also interested in giving humans completely new abilities, like hearing in ultrasonic range (Loh 2018: 53) or perceiving colours as audible vibrations (Tsui 2020). However, human enhancement is not just a matter of the future, but we are already using different kinds of technology, e.g. nanotech, robotics, biotechnology, information technology, to enhance ourselves, sometimes for therapeutical reasons. Loh (2018: 51) describes three types of already existing enhancement practices: physical modifications in cosmetics or through prostheses and training, mental optimisation with the help of pharmaceutical drugs or extended-mind technologies like mobile phones, and reproductive technologies, e.g. preimplantation genetic diagnosis or in-vitro-fertilisation. The two scientists Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier, who were awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in chemistry for discovering the genetic engineering technique CRISPR-Cas9, take part in the public debate about the safety and ethical rightfulness to modify genes in any cell or organism but also point out the benefits of using CRISPR-Cas9. In a video message for the 68th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting, Charpentier says: “Especially when it comes to editing the human germ-line, there are effects we can never erase. Where do we draw the line? I would like to argue that we need to move forward with innovative research, especially in human medicine, not for the enhancement of humankind but to better understand the fundamental mechanisms of life. Nevertheless, it is our responsibility as scientists […] to make sure that the technology is applied safely and in strongly regulated frameworks” (2018: 02: 13). Her colleague Doudna states in a collaboration video with the Guardian “that it’s very important to understand that the CRISPR technology has the potential <?page no="160"?> to do many beneficial things for society, and to reject that technology because we are uncertain about the way it may be used in the future, I think, would be a mistake” (2019: 01: 05). The ethical debate on human enhancement can be divided into three posi‐ tions. On the one hand, there are proponents, often referred to as bioliberals, who take an optimistic approach to novel technologies, believe in perpetual progress, and think people should be granted the freedom to enhance themselves (Gloy 2016: 219 f.; Giubilini/ Sanyal 2016: 2). On the other hand, opponents worry about the unpredictable consequences and are afraid that at some point these technologies will be beyond our control, supporting the notion that humankind has a “special status” in nature, and enhancement would “violate” it (Giubilini/ Sanyal 2016: 2). Giubilini and Sanyal note that their language has “recognizable relation to the tradition of conservative social thought, particularly terms such as ‘sanctity’, ‘playing God’, and ‘human dignity’” (2016: 2). In conclusion, Gloy suggests that “the two extreme positions […] express two opposing propensities of man: preservation and innovation” (2016: 219 f.). The third position adopts a moderate and cautious approach to human enhancement technologies. These scholars are not against enhancement in principle but think some of the techniques are more problematic than others, try to assess the risks on the basis of individual cases, and often have concerns as to social implications like access and safety (Gloy 2016: 219 f.; Giubilini/ Sanyal 2016: 2). Ethical issues, in general, arise in the context of arbitrariness, suffering and inequality, when people are marginalised, oppressed, or in a state of dependency. Values involved in the discourse are human dignity, respect, universality, equality, and fundamental rights (Pauer-Studer 2010: 12). As a result, some of the following ethical questions concerning human enhancement could be discussed: • What are the implications as to access, fairness, and equity? • Does it marginalise certain people? • What are the benefits compared to the risks for the individual? • Who makes the decisions, and who has to live with them? • Is human dignity threatened? • What characteristics are desirable and therefore should be enhanced? • Does enhancement always lead to something that is better? • Should we use technologies when we cannot foresee the consequences? Moreover, Moosman refers to the differentiation between enhancement and therapy (2012: 232), which is far from easy. Enhancement is defined “as the alteration of characteristics, traits, and abilities beyond what is considered to be normal” (2012: 230). But what exactly is “normal” and what is not? Moosman 160 Ben Maré Dutschmann <?page no="161"?> states that such a distinction “relies on notions of disease, normalcy, nature, and naturalness” (2012: 230), and due to the fact that ‘normal’ or ‘natural’ often depend on our experiences, habits, socio-cultural assumptions, and are concepts which evolve over time, he concludes “what is enhancement for one may be therapy for another” (2012: 234). Dealing with all these aspects leads to even more fundamental philosophical questions about identity, human nature, life itself as well as its end. What does it mean to be human? What is a “good life”? What is the meaning of life? Two technologies that both carry enormous potential for human enhancement as well as for medical purposes are genetic engineering and neural interfaces. Genetic Engineering has entered a new phase with the invention of the CRISPR-Cas9 technique by Nobel Prize winners Jennifer Doudna and Emma‐ nuelle Charpentier. Older genome editing technologies were mostly inefficient and very expensive, but with the help of CRISPR-Cas9, Doudna and Charpentier found a cost-effective and easy tool to edit, modify, regulate, and mark genes in cells and organisms (Doudna/ Charpentier 2014: 1). CRISPR-Cas9 originates from the adaptive immune system (CRISPR) in bacteria (Doudna/ Charpentier 2014: 1; Doudna 2015: 00: 50). Used as a genetic engineering tool, the protein Cas9 is able to seek and cut specific sections of DNA with the help of an RNA molecule (Doudna 2015: 01: 18, 04: 08). The Cas9-RNA-complex works like a pair of scissors, and scientists found a way to make use of this ability and programme it to look for specific DNA sequences (2015: 05: 18). Thus, they can delete or insert particular pieces of DNA in specifically targeted locations (ibid.: 01: 20). This could help correct mutations that cause genetic diseases (ibid.: 08: 10). It becomes obvious what major potential this cheap and easy technology has for gene therapy or genetic enhancement. One of the most widely discussed topics concerning CRISPR-Cas9 is its use in genetically modifying human embryos. Some scientists warn that genetic interventions in the human germ-line, even if they focus on improving health, “could start us down a path towards non-therapeutic genetic enhancement” (Lanphier et al. 2015). This refers to the blurred line between therapy and enhancement, which Mossman is worried about (cf. above). He states that “when the boundary between enhancement and therapy is unclear […] opportunities for enhancements expand” (2012: 229), and asks “in the face of unbounded demand, can the distribution and uses of enhancement technologies be con‐ trolled? ” (2012: 231) From an optimistic point of view, this could open the gateway into a beautiful future where we are able to enhance any human trait we desire. 161 Human Enhancement <?page no="162"?> Loh, however, argues this kind of “common sense” that any optimisation in traits, skills, or competences is perceived as improvement has to be called into question (2018: 52 f.). Who decides which traits are desirable? Do we have to define universal criteria for beauty and happiness? Opponents of human germ-line engineering also claim that inheritable genetic modifications change the “essence” of humanity itself (Bostrom/ Savulescu 2009: 4 f.). But what is human nature? Arguments like this belong to what is often called the playing God objection (Gloy 2016: 223). Yet nature itself does not stand still, it is evolutionary: “The thesis of a stable ecological system is a romantic assumption” (ibid.). So should humans take charge of their own evolution? And if so, are we really in control of all the unintended repercussions? Modifying the human germ-line would make irreversible changes to the human gene pool. Do we need the consent of future generations to make such changes? What are the social implications if we go down this path? Could a form of negative or positive selection lead us to a new kind of eugenics? Besides genetic enhancement techniques, new enhancement technologies based in the fields of neuroscience and information technology have recently joined the debate. Neural interfaces are defined as “devices that interact with the nervous system” either from the outside or inside of our brain (The Royal Society 2019: 3). The technology of brain-computer interfaces has made quite some progress in the last years, and big companies such as Facebook or people like Elon Musk (Neuralink 2020) are developing implants that are less invasive and wireless. At the moment, neural interfaces are mainly used to treat different kinds of medical conditions, for instance cochlear implants, which help people with hearing loss, or deep brain stimulation (DBS), which supports people with Parkinson. Scientific research also focuses on treatments for depression or epilepsy (The Royal Society 2019: 20). Neural interfaces could give us the opportunity to communicate via impulses and thoughts without talking to each other. This could make us directly connected to mobile devices and computers, so that we are able to control them just by thinking about what we want to do. It may enhance our memory and concentration capacity as well (Corbyn 2019). Enhancement technologies like these always raise questions about access and fairness. Can only the wealthy pay for it? Will the gap between rich and poor get even wider? (Mossman 2012: 231) Moreover, what about privacy? If there is an implant in our brain that can collect all the brain-data, how do we protect it? Using neural interfaces to treat mental disorders like depression also raises the question of what we see as “normal” (The Royal Society 2019: 66). 162 Ben Maré Dutschmann <?page no="163"?> 2. Procedure Title Human Enhancement: Curse or Blessing? Synopsis Text group A: The shortened article Designer babies: an ethical horror waiting to happen? by Philip Ball deals with the use of the Crispr-Cas9 technology in human reproduction. The author critically examines the possibility of designer babies in the future and the use of genetic engineering for non-therapeutical enhancement. Text group B: The text iHuman Perspective: Neural Interfaces is a shortened version of the report concerning neural interfaces by the Royal Society. It explains what neural interfaces are, how these technologies might be used in the future, how they are already employed today, and what ethical issues the world might face when using them. Competences Speaking, reading, writing, presenting, text competence Topics Technology, biology, visions of the future, human enhancement, ethics, society, genetic engineering, neural interfaces Level Advanced Time 90 minutes Steps (pre-while-post-model) A. Pre-reading stage 1. Revision of the concept of transhumanism (e.g. first lesson: this volume) 2. T-S talk: “How would you enhance yourself ? Why? ” 3. T explains tasks, S get together in their expert groups (A1, A2, B1, B2), and T hands out texts for the expert groups A1, 2 (genetic engineering, M1) or B1, 2 (neural interfaces, M2). While-reading stage: group work 1. T writes guiding task for the first reading on the board: “Explain how in your example human capabilities are enhanced.” 2. S silently scan the text, and mark relevant lines in the text. 3. S answer question 1 on their own, and then discuss their answers in their group, while T acts as counsellor and monitors time. 4. T writes guiding question for the second reading on the board: “What are the positive and negative effects of this innovation? ” 5. S read the text critically for a second time, and answer the question on their own. C. Post-reading stage 1. T asks S to draw a table for securing the solutions on a sheet of paper (M3). 2. T tells each group to reflect on their innovation on a more general level and condense their discussions into four pros and cons each. 163 Human Enhancement <?page no="164"?> 3. Group work: S complete their discussions in their expert groups, write down their solutions in the table (M3), and choose someone who presents their ideas to the class. 4. Presentations: One expert group (A1 or A2) presents their solutions on the visualiser to the class. Backup group (A2 or A1) adds their results. Other S listen closely to the presentation, ask questions and fill in the table. 5. T gives feedback. 6. The same procedure starts again with expert groups B1 and B2. 7. Good Angel/ Bad Angel a) T explains technique: to illuminate the positive and negative sides of something; groups of three; one S taking on the role of bad angel, the other that of good angel; both trying to convince the archangel (neutral S), who sits in the middle, with their arguments; final vote by the archangel. b) In groups of three, S discuss the question: “Should we enhance ourselves and become partly artificial? ” c) The archangels of the various groups present their decisions to the class. Homework: Write a short essay (at least 3 points) about the ethical challenges of human enhancement. You may use either or both of the enhancement techniques. 3. Materials M1: Designer babies: an ethical horror waiting to happen? (https: / / www.theguardian.com/ science/ 2017/ jan/ 08/ designer-babies-ethical-ho rror-waiting-to-happen, abridged) Nearly 40 years since the first ‘test-tube baby’, how close are we to editing out all of our genetic imperfections - and should we even try to do so? Comfortably seated in the fertility clinic with Vivaldi playing softly in the background, you and your partner are brought coffee and a folder. Inside the folder is an embryo menu. Each embryo has a description, something like this: Embryo 78 - male • No serious early onset diseases, but a carrier for phenylketonuria (a metabolic malfunction that can cause behavioural and mental disorders. Carriers just have one copy of the gene, so don’t get the condition themselves). • Higher than average risk of type 2 diabetes and colon cancer. • Lower than average risk of asthma and autism. • Dark eyes, light brown hair, male pattern baldness. • 40% chance of coming in the top half in SAT tests. 164 Ben Maré Dutschmann <?page no="165"?> There are 200 of these embryos to choose from, all made by in vitro fertilisation (IVF) from you and your partner’s eggs and sperm. So, over to you. Which will you choose? If there’s any kind of future for “designer babies”, it might look something like this. […] Novelist Kazuo Ishiguro, whose 2005 novel, Never Let Me Go, described children produced and reared as organ donors, last month warned that thanks to advances in gene editing, “we’re coming close to the point where we can, objectively in some sense, create people who are superior to others”. Ishiguro’s dire forecast was spurred by the gene-editing method called Crispr-Cas9, developed in 2012, which uses natural enzymes to target and snip genes with pinpoint accuracy. Thanks to Crispr-Cas9, it seems likely that gene therapies - eliminating mutant genes that cause some severe, mostly very rare diseases - might finally bear fruit, if they can be shown to be safe for human use. Clinical trials are now under way. […] Because of unknown health risks and widespread public distrust of gene editing, bioethicist Ronald Green of Dartmouth College in New Hampshire says he does not foresee widespread use of Crispr-Cas9 in the next two decades, even for the prevention of genetic disease, let alone for designer babies. However, Green does see gene editing appearing on the menu eventually, and perhaps not just for medical therapies. “It is unavoidably in our future”, he says, “and I believe that it will become one of the central foci of our social debates later in this century and in the century beyond”. He warns that this might be accompanied by “serious errors and health problems as unknown genetic side effects in ‘edited’ children and populations begin to manifest themselves”. For now, though, if there’s going to be anything even vaguely resembling the popular designer-baby fantasy, Greely says it will come from embryo selection, not genetic manipulation. Embryos produced by IVF will be genetically screened - parts or all of their DNA will be read to deduce which gene variants they carry - and the prospective parents will be able to choose which embryos to implant in the hope of achieving a pregnancy. […] M2: iHuman perspective: neural interfaces (https: / / royalsociety.org/ -/ media/ policy/ projects/ ihuman/ summary-neural-int erfaces.pdf, abridged) Neural interfaces are devices that interact with the nervous system of an individual. They are electronic devices placed on the outside or inside of the brain, nerves or other components of the central and peripheral nervous system to record or stimulate activity - or both. Interfaces placed inside the brain or 165 Human Enhancement <?page no="166"?> body are known as internal, invasive or implanted technologies, as opposed to external, non-invasive or wearable devices. […] Current technologies and applications include: • Brain implants to treat Parkinson’s disease and tremor; • Electrical foot stimulators to aid stroke recovery; • Cochlear implants to convey sounds to people with hearing loss; • EEG (electroencephalography) headsets used by gamers to control digital objects; and • Transcranial stimulation used to boost memory or concentration. Potential future applications may include: • ‘Typing by brain’ and use of a ‘mental mouse’ to control computers and devices; • Direct brain-to-brain communication, whether simple impulses or com‐ plex thoughts; • Wider medical applications, such as for Alzheimer’s disease and mental health conditions; • Monitoring of brain activity to support health, safety and security; • Enabling immobile people with paralysis to walk again; and • Augmentation of human memory, concentration and learning. […] Beyond medicine, interfaces offer benefits that are as unimaginable today as the smartphone was a few decades ago: better health; better memory; better concentration; healthier ageing; a more collaborative world. But, they also pose new risks: the risk of thoughts or moods being accessed by companies, governments or others; risks to privacy and human rights; and the risk of widening social inequalities. Widespread use of neural interfaces may pose more fundamental ethical issues. For example, do they change what it means to be human? Or are they just another example of an ever-expanding toolkit of capabilities? […] M3: Table Genetic engineering Neural interfaces Pros Cons Pros Cons 166 Ben Maré Dutschmann <?page no="167"?> 4. Solutions First reading: summary (Step B.3.) Group A: In this text, human capabilities are enhanced by gene editing in human reproduction. It explains how through in vitro fertilisation, we may have the possibility to eliminate all our genetic imperfections and create designer babies. Group B: In this text, human capabilities are enhanced by neural interfaces. These are devices that interact with our nevous system and are placed on the outside or inside of the brain. Such implants could help to treat a lot of medical conditions, but also enhance our everyday life and link human brains to artificial intelligence. Second reading: pros and cons (Step B.5.) Group A • Pros: gene therapies eliminating mutant genes; prevention of genetic disease; designer-babies coming from embryo selection (“parents will be able to choose which embryos to implant in the hope of achieving a pregnancy”) • Cons: unknown health risks; “serious errors and health problems as unknown genetic side effects in ‘edited’ children”; widespread public distrust of gene editing Group B • Pros: treating Parkinson’s disease and tremor; aiding stroke recovery; conveying sounds to people with hearing loss; headsets for gamers to control digital objects; boosting memory or concentration; controlling computers and devices; supporting health, safety and security; augmen‐ tation of human memory, concentration and learning; healthier ageing; more collaboration • Cons: the risk of thoughts/ moods being accessed by companies/ govern‐ ments; risks to privacy and human rights; widening social inequalities; fundamental ethical issues (What does it mean to be human? ) 167 Human Enhancement <?page no="168"?> M3: Table completion Genetic engineering Neural interfaces Pros Cons Pros Cons Babies are more likely to be born healthy, and fewer children may suffer from mobbing. It feels like playing god. What about the side effects? Will we lose control when altering the human germ-line? Different kinds of medical treatment (for Alzheimer’s, paralysis etc.) have a huge impact on living a happy life. It may lead to abusing human rights. What if ev‐ eryone has access to personal thoughts and mem‐ ories? People are likely to have a longer, healthier life. It does not matter what people look like or how smart they are. Who de‐ cides which traits to improve? If everyone can af‐ ford the tech‐ nology, living in such a society will become fairer. If only rich people can afford it, the poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer. We could cure ge‐ netic diseases. We cannot foresee the consequences of new techniques yet. New diseases may emerge. Improving skills means even more progress. Down‐ loading skills makes school obso‐ lete. There are risks like cybercrime or ma‐ nipulating human thoughts. Will tech‐ nology control us? Enhancing intelli‐ gence could mean more progress. Creating humans who are superior to others divides a so‐ ciety even further. Giving people ac‐ cess to others’ thoughts improves mutual under‐ standing. Mind reading is dangerous, uncon‐ trollable and open to misuse. Homework: essay (authentic S’s answers) (1) On the one hand, using genetic engineering for human enhancement could stop a lot of suffering, help humankind improve, and make this a better world. Having the ability to wipe out diseases by genetically modifying human embryos or enhancing genetic imperfections, for instance bad eyesight, will lead us into a world where people live a long, healthy and happy life. If one thinks of all the pain genetic diseases create in this world, who would not wish to protect their loved ones from this agony? On the other hand, genetic engineering could endanger the freedom and safety of future generations. If parents decide to modify their embryos and choose what their children should look like, or what traits they want to enhance, their future child cannot give his or her consent in this matter. Furthermore, 168 Ben Maré Dutschmann <?page no="169"?> if anything goes wrong and we create a new disease by editing the human germ-line, future generations have to cope with that. (2) Human enhancement via neural interfaces will lead us into a future full of prosperity and happiness. Neural interfaces will help people with severe medical problems to live a happier life. For instance, they could make those with damaged limbs walk again, or even treat Alzheimer’s disease, so that people having lost their memory can remember again. Moreover, through enhancing our brain, we could learn faster, make better decisions, solve problems more quickly and free from prejudices, which could raise our intellectual level in the whole society. However, neural interfaces may also maintain or even increase social inequal‐ ities and endanger fundamental human rights. If only rich people have access to human enhancement technologies, the gap between rich and poor will be widened, which could lead to the wealthy classes being completely superior to others. Bibliography Bostrom, Nick/ Savulescu, Julian (eds.) (2009). Human Enhancement. New York: Oxford University Press. Charpentier, Emmanuelle (2018). Emmanuelle Charpentier on CRISPR/ Cas9. www.youtu be.com/ watch? v=okyzHgShZrQ (accessed 06/ 09/ 2020) Doudna, Jennifer (2019). Crispr-Cas9 Explained: the Biggest Revolution in Gene Editing. www.youtube.com/ watch? v=_PU5bCflzEM (accessed 06/ 09/ 2020) Doudna, Jennifer (2015). How CRISPR Lets Us Edit Our DNA. www.youtube.com/ watch? v=TdBAHexVYzc (accessed 06/ 09/ 2020) Doudna, Jennifer/ Charpentier, Emmanuelle (2014). The New Frontier of Genome Engi‐ neering with CRISPR-Cas9. Science 346.6213, 1258096. https: / / science.sciencemag.org/ content/ 346/ 6213/ 1258096 (accessed 04/ 02/ 2021) Giubilini, Alberto/ Sanyal, Sagar (2016). “Challenging Human Enhancement.” In: Clarke, Steve et al. (eds.). The Ethics of Human Enhancement: Understanding the Debate. New York: Oxford University Press, 1-24. Gloy, Karen (2016). “Post-Humanistic Thinking and Its Ethical Evaluation.” In: Deretić, Irina/ Sorgner, Stefan (eds.). From Humanism to Meta-, Post-, and Transhumanism? Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 215-226. Lanphier, Edward et al. (2015). Don’t Edit the Human Germ Line. Nature 519, 410-411. https: / / www.nature.com/ news/ don-t-edit-the-human-germ-line-1.17111 (accessed 03/ 02/ 2020) Loh, Janina (2019). Trans-und Posthumanismus. Hamburg: Junius Verlag. 169 Human Enhancement <?page no="170"?> Mossman, Kenneth (2012). “In Sickness and in Health: The (Fuzzy) Boundary between ‘Therapy’ and ‘Enhancement.’” In: Tirosh-Samuelson, Hava/ Mossman, Kenneth (eds.). Building Better Humans? Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 229-254. Neuralink (2020). About Us. www.neuralink.com/ about/ (accessed 03/ 02/ 2020) Pauer-Studer, Herlinde (2010). Einführung in die Ethik. Wien: facultas.wuv. Sorgner, Stefan/ Grimm, Nikola (2013). “Introduction. Evolution Today.” In: Sorgner, Stefan/ Jovanovic, Branka-Rista (eds.). Evolution and the Future: Anthropology, Ethics, Religion. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 9-20. The Royal Society (2019). iHuman: Blurring Lines between Mind and Machine. https: / / ro yalsociety.org/ topics-policy/ projects/ ihuman-perspective/ (accessed 03/ 02/ 2020) Tsui, Karina (2020). Transhumanism: Meet the Cyborgs and Biohackers Redefining Beauty. https: / / edition.cnn.com/ style/ article/ david-vintiner-transhumanism/ index.ht ml (accessed 03/ 02/ 2020) 170 Ben Maré Dutschmann <?page no="171"?> Contributors Jun.-Prof. Dr. Roman Bartosch Roman Bartosch is Associate Professor at the University of Cologne, Co-Di‐ rector of the Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Teaching in the Humanities (IFDG), and works on ELT and Anglophone literatures and cultures. He is particularly interested in the intersection of literary and cultural theories and literature and media pedagogy and has expertise in inclusive and sustainability education. His latest book, Cultivating Sustainability in Literature and Culture Pedagogy, is forthcoming with Routledge in 2021. He currently works on literacy and the notion of resilience in literary and political education. Prof. Dr. Klaus Bredl Klaus Bredl, Dr. phil. is Professor for Digital Media at Augsburg University. Before he had held a professorship for Social Informatics at the University of Applied Sciences Neubrandenburg. After studying Educational Sciences, he started as an assistant professor at the Institute for Information Systems at the University of Regensburg, where he worked for a nationally funded interdisciplinary research project on consultants’ competence development. He did his doctoral thesis on this subject. In Augsburg, his team focuses on research and teaching in the field of Digital (Social) Media, Technology Enhanced Learning and Interactive Virtual Learning Environments. Prof. Dr. Werner Delanoy Werner Delanoy is Professor of English Language Education in the Department of English and American Studies at the University of Klagenfurt, Austria. His main areas of research are interand transcultural learning perspectives, literature teaching, language education in a digital age, and contemporary British culture and literature. His main publications include Fremdsprachlicher Literaturunterricht: Theorie und Praxis als Dialog (2002), Cultural Studies in the EFL Classsroom (2006; with Laurenz Volkmann), Future Perspectives for English Language Teaching (2008; with Laurenz Volkmann) and Learning with Literature in the EFL Classroom (2015; with Maria Eisenmann and Frauke Matz). His most recent publication is “What is Culture? ”, a contribution to the The Cambridge Handbook of Intercultural Communication (2020). <?page no="172"?> Dr. Stefanie Fuchs Stefanie Fuchs is a lecturer at the TEFL Department of the Ludwig-Maximi‐ lians-University of Munich. She studied German and English at the University of Erfurt, where she also worked as a research assistant for the Department of Psy‐ chology and obtained her doctorate. After taking her second state examination, she has worked as a teacher. Her research interests encompass psychological aspects of language learning, teacher education, gender and diversity studies as well as media literacy. One of her current research projects focuses on non-native students’ perception of English grammar. Arthur Haberlach Arthur Haberlach is teaching English, history and social sciences at the Gymna‐ sium der Benediktiner in Schäftlarn. He studied these subjects at the University of Regensburg, while focusing his research on the influences of technological progress on society and the economy as well as Shakespeare’s impact on pop-culture. His main ambition is to fill his lessons with accessible, progressive, and exciting elements in order for his students to be prepared for their life after school. Prof. Dr. Peter Hohwiller Peter Hohwiller is Professor of TEFL at Paderborn University. A former high school teacher involved in pre-service and in-service teacher training, he is experienced in each phase of teacher education. He focusses his interests par‐ ticularly on teaching culture and contemporary literature. Englisch unterrichten: planen, durchführen, reflektieren is his most recent publication, and, together with a team of curriculum designers, he is about to complete the new English curriculum of Rhineland-Palatinate. Dr. Nicolina Pullmann After doing her doctoral thesis on William Shakespeares Römerdramen - Ihre didaktische Evaluation unter Berücksichtigung der Gender Studies für den inter‐ disziplinären Englischunterricht, Nicolina Pullmann is teaching English and Latin at Gymnasium, using her first-hand experience at school to write and publish contributions to TEFL. Prof. Dr. Engelbert Thaler Engelbert Thaler is full Professor of TEFL at Augsburg University. After teaching English at Gymnasium for 20 years, he did his doctoral thesis on Musikvideoclips im Englischunterricht and his habilitation at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich on Offene Lernarrangements im Englischunterricht. Rekonstruktion, Konstruktion, Konzeption, Exemplifikation, Integration. 172 Contributors <?page no="173"?> His research foci are improving teaching quality (Balanced Teaching), teacher education and training, developing coursebooks, media literacy, and teaching literature. He has published more than 650 contributions to TEFL, including Englisch unterrichten, Short Films in Language Teaching and Lit 21 - Teaching Post-Millennial Fiction. Thaler is also editor of several coursebooks and language teaching series. 173 Contributors <?page no="174"?> ISBN 978-3-8233-8495-3 010 Onco-mice and cloned sheep, drones and auto-automobiles, neuro-enhancement and prosthetic therapy: I s transhumanism a “movement that epitomizes the most daring, courageous, imaginative, and idealistic aspirations of humanity” (Ronald Bailey 2004), or rather “the world’s most dangerous idea” (Francis Fukuyama 2009)? This volume attempts to elucidate what we understand by the term “transhumanism”, what topics and problems we face, what media are suitable for classroom use, what lesson scenarios seem effective, what benefits we may reap, and what challenges we have to cope with when we teach transhumanism in English language classes. www.narr.de E. Thaler (ed.) · Teaching Transhumanism Engelbert Thaler (ed.) Teaching Transhumanism 18495_Umschlag.indd 1,3 18495_Umschlag.indd 1,3 04.05.2021 14: 04: 45 04.05.2021 14: 04: 45