The post-human is a Concept not-scientist, resulting in particular from the fields of the Science-fiction and Contemporary art.

The appearance of the concept of post-human is closely related to the development of new technologies after the Second world war, and the Biotechnologie S in particular. Following the invention of the Data-processing , the genetic cartography of human DNA, parallel to that of other alive species, operated an off-centring comparable with those operated by Copernic and Darwin. In both cases, the report/ratio of the man in the world was always done with a " amoindrissement" of this last within the macrocosm, corollary of a " désenchantement" world in which it was accustomed to live.

The philosopher Peter Sloterdijk, in his Rules for a human natural park , ratifies this idea while recommending to the man “to preserve his statute postponed” within limits fixed by itself, to continue to live in a world where technology extends its impersonal capacity.

The first representations of post-human are directly drawn from imaginary from the science fiction, in particular of the Cyberpunk, where appear human " connectés" , overloaded prostheses in any kind, semi-men, semi-machines. The artist Stelarc produced machines and structures which take this leitmotiv literally. The figure of the post-human Mutant, equipped with extrasensory capacities, also appears in the novels of Maurice Dantec. In Elementary particles , of Michel Houellebecq, the narrator is the last man, who write his account before the advent of the machines, result of the choice conscious of a humanity arrived in his term. In the possibility of an island , they are generations of clones which constitute this post-humanity at the very least distressing.

Bonds

• Bio-art

• Patricia Piccinini
• Matthew Barney
• Maurice Dantec
• Michel Houellebecq
• Transhumanisme