Enhancing Humanity or Repeating History: Unravelling the Dystopian Dimensions of Transhumanism in Ramez Naam’s The Nexus Trilogy

S. Jerlin Supriya
Junior Research Fellow (NTA Ref No:220520001528), Research Scholar (Reg. no: 23213154012015),
Department of English, S. T. Hindu College, Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India – 629 002.
(Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli – 627 012)
Email ID: sonaanusree2712@gmail.com

Dr. R. M. Uma Maheswari
Associate Professor & Research Supervisor, Department of English,
S. T. Hindu College, Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India – 629 002,
(Affiliated to Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli – 627 012)
Email ID: rm.uma.2079@gmail.com

Abstract
The concept of transhumanism has gained significant attention lately due to its vision for a techno- utopian future, where the human race transcends its biological limitations and reaches an ideal form of existence. Transhumanists claim that the human physiological limitations make it impossible to unravel the astounding capabilities of human intelligence. They strive to free themselves from this trapped existence by enhancing the human body through exoskeletons, neural interfaces, or gene-editing techniques. While this transhumanist perspective appears phenomenal at a glance, it hides a lot more of the repercussions that can spring out of this seemingly perfect vision. Through an analysis of Ramez Naam’s The Nexus Trilogy, this paper explores how the ideals of transhumanism mirror the same destructive ideology that fuelled Nazism and paved way for the mass murder of approximately six million Jews during the Holocaust. The transhumanist quest for enhancing the human race can bring back the dark history when those deemed biologically inferior were killed as cows in slaughterhouses.

Keywords: Transhumanism, Augmentation, Dehumanisation, Nazism, Dystopia.