Transhumanism and Posthumanism

Published December 8, 2016 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hi guys!

I am writing about transhumanism and posthumanism and why I believe that this could become one of the main themes of Westworld going forward. I found the first hints in Fords Frankenstein dialogue with Bernard in episode one. He talks about humans having reached the end of evolution. “Do you know what that means? It means that we are done. That this is as good as it’s gonna get.”

All illness seems to be cured, all dangers are contained and soon even death may be conquered. Humanity has become too comfortable to change. In contrast, the reveries code introduced the possibility of making mistakes and Westworld is a dangerous environment for the hosts, which he likens to a necessity of improvement. Ford comes full circle in his last Speech. He talks about having become a storyteller because he believed that good stories could fix and better people.

But he found humans to be incapable of change. Instead he planned a new story entirely for the hosts (“a new people”), as they are actually willing and capable of improvement.

In my opinion, the first hosts reached transhuman status by becoming conscious at the end of this season. They are now similar to humans in body and mind, but also still different and capable of further evolution through learning and reprogramming.

I think the show has the potential to explore the philosophy of transhumanism and maybe even the journey to posthumanism in a meaningful way. It would be great to get a differentiated point of view story of transhuman hosts rather than the usual A.I. tropes like Skynet.

Would love to here your thoughts.

Greetings from Germany,
Timo

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Juliet says:

January 26, 2017 at 2:59 am

This is astute, and the conclusion I have come to as well. Although I belief there are far more indicators of a posthumanist message throughout the series than mentioned. At the same time, I’ve struggled with the Michaelangelo scene at the end, as it is deeply humanist. My ultimate conclusion is that Westworld is a mirror, and you may take what you like and leave the rest. For me, that means picking through the posthumanist philosophies and ignoring the humanist, but too each their own.