Редактирование: Feminism and transhumanism

'''Feminism and transhumanism''' are contemporary intersectional topics of discussion due to a possible [[Transhumanist demographics|under representation]] in the movement.
== Contemporary positions ==

Transhumanism has an established following and support from [[transgender]] individuals in the context of [[postgenderism]]. Notable individuals include entrepreneur [[Martine Rothblatt]] and activist [[Khannea Suntzu]]

A 2016 Pew survey suggested that woman are often less interested in life extension than men, except where it also incorporates [[healthspan|health benefits]].<ref>[https://www.leafscience.org/intrinsic-resistance-to-the-idea-of-life-extension-or-wrong-messaging/ Intrinsic Resistance to the Idea of Life Extension or Wrong Messaging?]</ref><ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4718974/ Great Desire for Extended Life and Health amongst the American Public]</ref> The [[Life Extension Advocacy Foundation]]'s [[Elena Milova]] empathises the health and care-mitigation benefits of life extension tech often of increased interest for women.<ref>[https://www.leafscience.org/aging-population-why-women-can-benefit-the-most-from-rejuvenation-technologies/  An Aging Population: Why Women Can Benefit The Most From Rejuvenation Technologies ]</ref>

== Cyberfeminism ==
[[File:Cyberfeminism.jpg|thumb|Snippet from [[A Cyberfeminist Manifesto]]]]
[[Donna Haraway]]'s 1984 [[A Cyborg Manifesto]] provided the foundations of [[cyberfeminism]], intertwining the technological promise of technological [[postgenderism]] feminist critique of patriarchal structures.<ref>[http://hplusmagazine.com/2009/07/21/importance-being-cyborg-feminist/ On the Importance of Being a Cyborg Feminist]</ref>

<blockquote>Monsters have always defined the limits of community in Western imaginations ... Transhumanists point to the pinnacle of what it believes humanity could become; where it might be going, and asks, "why not?" and "how do we get there?" Cyberfeminists (and postmodernists in general) look at the abject, the debased, the grotesque and the marginalized and ask "why is it so? How did this become the fringe?</blockquote>

The modern cyberfeminist movement emerged in 1991 under the name VNS Matrix until the early 2000's, producing a variety of media for digital and online distribution.<ref>[https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/4x37gb/we-are-the-future-cunt-cyberfeminism-in-the-90s 'We Are the Future Cunt': CyberFeminism in the 90s]</ref><ref>[https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/z4mqa8/an-oral-history-of-the-first-cyberfeminists-vns-matrix An Oral History of the First Cyberfeminists]</ref>
== Areas ==
=== Intersectionality and economics ===
[[File:Deathism.jpg|right|thumb|[[Deathism]] is sometimes related to feminism]]
In 2016 author [http://www.charoshane.com/ Charlotte Shane] has expressed at length her concerned that transhumanism and life extensionism is only of interest to cis-gendered white men in "Life extension technology gives us a bleak future: more white men".<ref>https://splinternews.com/life-extension-technology-gives-us-a-bleak-future-more-1793857274</ref>

Intersectional feminist author and columnist [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurie_Penny Laurie Penny]'s 2016 book [[Everything Belongs to the Future]]<ref>https://www.tor.com/2016/06/10/excerpts-everything-belongs-to-the-future-laurie-penny/</ref><ref>https://www.amazon.co.uk/Everything-Belongs-Future-Laurie-Penny/dp/0765388286</ref> features a future Britain plagued with the author's concerns, elite-controlled life extension drugs, an oppressive police state and runaway social and economic inequality in a kind of a [[oligarchic transhumanism|patriarchal oligarchy]].

Signs of such politicisation of the technological singularity have been compared to the premature and sometime problematic embrace of climate changes by political activists.<ref>[https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23731613-300-apocalypse-not-now-but-the-fate-of-civilisation-is-in-our-hands/ Apocalypse not now but the fate of civilisation is in our hands]</ref>

=== Immortalism ===
Author [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dara_Horn Dara Horn] released [[Eternal Life: A Novel]]<ref>https://www.amazon.com/Eternal-Life-Novel-Dara-Horn/dp/0393608530</ref> in 2018 tells the story of a multi-thousand year old woman who finds today's 21st century [[immortalism|obsessed with immortality]] and the implications it brings. Horn's op-ed in the New York Times is highly critical of figures such as [[Peter Thiel]] and other [[Silicon Valley]] longevity advocates, whilst optimistically suggesting that newly health-obsessed men will be a positive feminising influence on the world.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/25/opinion/sunday/silicon-valley-immortality.html The Men Who Want to Live Forever]</ref> Science writer [[Ronald Bailey]] responds, critical of this gendered approach to life extension.<ref>[https://reason.com/blog/2018/01/26/is-immortality-gendered Is Immortality Gendered?]</ref>

=== Artificial intelligence ===
There is a strong pattern to voice automated announcements<ref>[https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/03/why-do-so-many-digital-assistants-have-feminine-names/475884/ Why Do So Many Digital Assistants Have Feminine Names?]</ref> and later artificial assistants with female voices<ref>[https://www.ibm.com/blogs/insights-on-business/ibmix/good-men-growing-population-ai-voices-predominantly-female/ Few good men: Why is the growing population of AI voices predominantly female?]</ref> with some concerningly sexist implications.<ref>[https://www.wired.com/2015/10/why-siri-cortana-voice-interfaces-sound-female-sexism/ Siri and Cortana Sound Like Ladies Because of Sexism]</ref> Academic [[Kathleen Richardson]] suggest weaker disembodied voices are more frequently portrayed as female in contrast to more sophisticated male robots.<ref>[https://www.livescience.com/49882-why-robots-female.html Rise of the Fembots: Why Artificial Intelligence Is Often Female]</ref>

Writer [[Gray Scott]] describes the character of AVA from [[Ex Machina]] as "the ultimate feminist. Strong, brilliant, and powerful.", praising the portrayal of powerful feminine super-emotional-intelligence over weaker portrayed characters such as Rachel in [[Blade Runner]].<ref>[http://www.seriouswonder.com/ex-machinas-ava-is-a-feminist-ai/ Ex Machina's Ava Is a Feminist AI]</ref>

=== Sexuality ===
[[Sex robots]] are unwelcome developments for some feminists, possible no more so than feminist academic Kathleen Richardson who founded the [[Campaign Against Sex Robots]].
=== Reproduction ===
The possibility of [[artificial womb]]s accelerating trends already in place via commercial surrogacy options are concerning to some feminists.<ref>[https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/feminism/2017/11/artificial-wombs-could-liberate-elite-women-expense-reproductive-classes Artificial wombs could liberate elite women at the expense of the reproductive classes]</ref>

== External links ==
* [https://rossdawson.com/blog/list-of-the-worlds-top-female-futurists/ List of the world’s top female futurists]
* [https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/patriarchal-race-colonize-mars-just-another-example-male-entitlement-ncna849681 Marcie Bianco The patriarchal race to colonize Mars is just another example of male entitlement]

== References ==

[[Category:Transhumanism]]
[[Category:Opposition to transhumanism]]
[[Category:Opposition to life extension]]
[[Category:Feminism and transhumanism]]
[[Category:Life extensionism]]