Posthumanist

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. Connected with the philosophical perspective that explores the future condition of humans beyond current limitations
2. Pertaining to beliefs and theories about transcending traditional human experiences and boundaries
3. Associated with concepts that examine how humanity might evolve or transform through technology or culture

Etymology: "Posthumanist" is a plain compound: "post-" (from Latin "post," meaning "after" or "behind") attached to "humanist," so the word means something like "after humanism" or "beyond humanism." The prefix "post-" has been productive in English for pairing with concept nouns and adjectives, as in "postmodern" and "postcolonial," and "posthumanist" follows that pattern, using "humanist" in its older sense of a person devoted to human concerns and values. The philosophical sense the word now carries grows out of this literal meaning. Thinkers working under this label ask what humans might become once their biological, cognitive, or social limits are reconsidered, and they treat the classic humanist centering of the human as a starting point to question rather than a settled truth. The word therefore names a perspective that looks past the idea of the human as it has traditionally been understood, rather than one that simply rejects human concerns outright.