Episode
Understanding Transhumanism With Help From Tolkien, Lewis, and Ancient Literature
- Podcast
- Know Why Podcast
- Published
- Apr 22, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2539
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Summary
Sam Altman talks about uploading his brain to the cloud. Elon Musks says humans should merge biological intelligence with digital intelligence. Peter Thiel isn’t sure if the human race should continue without that kind of human-tech merger. What do these tech leaders have in common? Transhumanism—the idea that humans should be able to change, or even eradicate, their physical bodies by merging with technology. This may sound sci-fi, but the core tenets of transhumanism aren’t actually new. In fact, humans have been moving toward this idea for a long time. Some even predicted it. In this episode, Liberty discusses how ancient and classic literature and thinkers of the past, including J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, can help us understand transhumanism and the “brave new world” we find ourselves in. More Resources: Do You Want to Live Forever? A Tolkienian Critique of Transhumanism by Julie Miller https://press.ratiochristi.org/product/do-you-want-to-live-forever/ The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis https://www.amazon.com/Abolition-Man-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060652942 Christians Reading Classics by Nadya Williams https://zondervanacademic.com/products/christians-reading-classics Inside the alarming cyborg future 'transhumanists' Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Sam Altman are already preparing for https://nypost.com/2026/04/15/tech/inside-the-alarming-cyborg-future-transhumanists-elon-musk-peter-thiel-and-sam-altman-are-preparing-for/ How Ben Sasse is Living Now That He's Dying https://youtu.be/7CFo6-6BN9k?si=yGBbvXL3TcK-zw0E