ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this volume. The central notions of transhumanism, posthumanity, and critical posthumanism are explored and contextualized in the double-edged reality of the early 21st century: on the one hand, the fourth industrial revolution—characterized by a set of emerging technologies that are transforming how we live, express ourselves, connect with others, and even our sense of self—and, on the other, the Anthropocene, which marks recent awareness of the geological impact of human action and ‘progress’ upon Planet Earth. Thus, we engage in the relationship between the accelerated development of ever newer technologies and how this affects the notion of the human as a (bio)technologically enhanced transhuman, and also in the emphasis laid on the post-anthropocentric stance proposed by critical posthumanism, with its claims for an ethical, non-hierarchical relationship between human and non-human others.
