Libertarian transhumanism
Libertarian transhumanism refers to any or all of a variety of transhumanist political perspectives guided by a focus on individual liberty.
It enjoys widespread support in political transhumanism, particularly in the United States, and when the political perspective of the synthesis is not further specified, the idea is often associated with Silicon Valley technocratic libertarianism.
History
Common values and varieties
Strong synergies between the two philosophies focus on self-determination and opposition to regulation of emerging technologies.
Almost universal among libertarian transhumanists is a strong belief in morphological freedom. Varieties that emphasize property rights typically view this as a natural extension of self ownership, while anti-proprietarians (especially anarcho-transhumanists) view the two as conflicting value.
Anarchist
Main Article: Anarcho-Transhumanism
Extropian
Main Article: Extropianism
Objectivist
Main Article: Objectivist transhumanism
Other libertarian views
See also: Libertarianism, Survivalist transhumanism
Criticism
Social futurists and technoprogressives are critical of the libertarian limited social policy advocated by this group. Powerful fabrication and biotechnology capabilities in the hands of autonomous, unregulated parties is perceived by many to risk a variety of existential threats.
In fiction
Transhumanist technologies in various libertarian social contexts are a recurring feature in biopunk fiction, such as the attempted Objectivist utopia in which the BioShock series is set, and the future world of the webcomic Heliosphere.
Pen-and-paper roleplaying games with transhumanist themes often feature conflict between . Notable examples include Blue Planet, Eclipse Phase, and Shadowrun.
In the Deus Ex franchise, the tension between liberty and enlightened authoritarianism is the focus of ongoing conflicts for control of various emerging technologies.
