Transhumanism: A Cult for Our Times?

This article explores whether the transhumanist movement exhibits cult-like characteristics. Using Robert J. Lifton's eight criteria for identifying cults, the author analyzes transhumanism's information control, mystical manipulation, purity demands, confession culture, sacred science, loaded language, doctrine over person, and dispensing of existence. The author argues that transhumanism displays similarities to cults in its closed-mindedness, exclusionary practices, and apocalyptic salvation narrative. While not geographically centralized, transhumanism's online communities foster strong group identity and suppress dissent, showcasing blind optimism towards future technologies and devaluation of non-believers. The article concludes that the future trajectory of transhumanism will depend on whether its technological predictions materialize and how its adherents react to reality.