Transhumanizm według Scotta Westerfelda: „brzydki” czy „śliczny”?

Transhumanism, seeking the enhancement of human features beyond the limitations of biology, has claimed a considerable space in contemporary culture. Thence extensive research aimed at the elimination of debilitating diseases, combatting the ageing processes and the attempts at augmenting human skills and reflexes through the use of genetic engineering and modern technologies. As such, transhumanism appears as an offshoot of posthumanism, coupled with a firm belief in the rightness of the creation of the perfect world, with no weakness, ugliness, vice or death. The paper “Ugly” or “Pretty”? Trahshumanism in Westerfeld’s Uglies series investigates the elements of transhumanist thought present in The Uglies cycle (2005-2007) by Scott Westerfeld. Although primarily critical of human enhancement, the author leaves space for doubt: the main heroine, Tally Youngblood, having become Special, with a modified body and a modified brain, never takes the cure for becoming “normal” again, although it backlashes on her ability to relate to others and to control her own behaviour. This example, and many others from the cycle, create an ambiguous picture of the place of “transhumans” in the society, provoking deep bioethical reflection on the things to come.