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Shattered Vessels: Judaisms Encounter with the Postmodern

Session2:TranshumanismPosthumanism
FallBeitMidrashSeries@LSS

jrosenfeld@lss.org
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Shane Willis, Hands Fixing Hands [2007]

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I.TheEndoftheWorldHumanasWeKnowIt

1. 1st Humanist Manifesto, 1933

So stand the theses of religious humanism. Though we consider the religious
forms and ideas of our fathers no longer adequate, the quest for the good
life is still the central task for mankind. Man is at last becoming aware
that he alone is responsible for the realization of the world of his
dreams, that he has within himself the power for its achievement. He
must set intelligence and will to the task.
2. The Posthuman Manifesto [Robert Peperrell], 2005
VI. Statements on uncertainty

1.Thehumanisterawascharacterisedbycertaintyabouttheoperationoftheuniverseand
theplaceofhumanswithinit.Theposthumaneraischaracterisedbyuncertaintyaboutthe
operationoftheuniverseandaboutwhatitistobehuman.
2.Questionsariseintheposthumanerathatwouldhavenottroubledusinthehumanistera
Whatisahuman?Istheresuchathing?
3.Historically,wecouldsaytheposthumanera,theageofuncertainty,wasbornintheperiod
leadinguptoWorldWarIsincethiswasthetimewewereintroducedtoquantumphysicsand
cubism.Theconsequencesofbothmadeonethingclear:inthewordsofHeisenberg,There
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arenothings,justprobabilities.4.Uncertaintyisbecomingfamiliar.Thereisuncertainty
aboutlifetimeemployment,aboutpoliticalandeconomictheory,aboutwhatishappeningto
theenvironment,aboutwhetherscientificprogressisalwaysbeneficialandaboutwhere
technologyisleadingus.5.Whatcanwesayiscertain?Onlythatwhichwehavetoacceptas
certainforsomeotherreason.6.Inposthumantermsuncertaintyisnothingtofear.Theworld
hasalwaysbeenasuncertainasitisnow.Whathaschangedisthatitisnowmuchharderto
imposeauthoritysinceincreasedinformationflowdiminishesauthority:thereismore
information,therefore,thereislessfalsesenseofcertainty.Certainty,likebelief,onlyarisesin
theabsenceoffullinformation.7.Uncertaintyiscertain.

3. Ray Kurzweil, Interview with Rolling Stone Magazine; 2/19/09

II.(de)EmphasizingAnthropocentrisminJewishThought
4. Genesis 1:26-7

5. Mishnah Avot, 3:14

6. R. Moshe Cordovero, Tomer Devorah

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7. R. Judah ha-Levi, Sefer ha-Kuzari

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8. b. Sanhedrin 38a

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Our Rabbis taught: Man was created on Sabbath eve, in order that the heretics would not say
that [Man] was a partner with God in the creation of the world. Another thing is that if
someone would be inclined to let his mind soar, to him we would reply: a gnat preceded you in
the order of creation

9. R. Saadiah b. Yosef Gaon, Sefer Emunot ve-Deot [trans. Alexander Altman]; 4:1

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10. R. Moshe b. Gershom Hefetz, Melekhet Makhshevet (Venice, 1699)

I have no doubt that the whole universe, the heavens and their myriads were not created
for Man, as many, even of our own people believe. Rather, it is clear that whatever God has
created in the universe is only created for his own glory [purposes?], as is evident from our
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Rabbis. Even if from time to time there may be an indication otherwise, it is only to teach us
the other point of view, that we may be instilled with a love of God, thinking that the
universe has been created for usas we assume that we are at the center of the many
universes
This is the intention of the exhortation in the Talmud (b. Sanhedrin 37a) that every
individual must say: for me the world was created, and it is wise and good to educate the
masses in this way.
However, the truth of the matter is that the world and all its creatures were created for a
purpose that is unknowable to us, hidden by God for His own devices and plans. Man was
created to work for the world, not the world to work for him, as Maimonides has ably
demonstrated in The Guide.
Do not be swayed by, nor pay attention to, the words of some of our thinkers who in their
self-righteousness claim that the entire universe was created for Man this is but vanity
and vacuity

11. Maimonides, Guide of the Perplexed [trans. Shlomo Pines]; 3:131

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Clearly anthropocentrism is a myth and a mirage. It is wishful thinking. Man is just another organism
within a whole ecology. He may have superior abilities, his survival skills are more developed, and he
therefore can make better use of his surroundings. He may be able to control his environment though not
always to his best interest. From a religious perspective we look at man as part of an infinite universe.
God created this universe to last forever and man is one little organism that is part of this infinite entity.
The first and foremost priority is for the universe to survive with or without man. Mans abilities, the
abilities that developed as part of Gods will at creation, allow him to actively partake in this great
system. He has the choice of being productive and eventually take control of his environment or destroy it
and himself. That is the meaning of the Passuk we will be reading in a few days:

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28 And God blessed them; and God said unto them: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and
subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living
thing that creeps upon the earth.' [David Guttman, Believing is Knowing blog; 10/10/06]

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After this preamble, you should know that the final end of all that exists ought not to be
sought
It is likewise though that the finality of all that exists is solely the existence of the human
species so that it should worship God, and that all that has been made has been made for it
alone so that even the heavenly spheres only revolve in order to be useful to it and to bring it
into existence that which is necessary for it
Even if the universe exists for the sake of man, and the final end of man is, as has been said, to
worship God, a question remains to be asked regarding the final end of worship. For He, may
He be exalted, would not acquire greater perfection if He were worshipped by all that He had
created and were truly apprehended by them, nor would He be attained by a deficiency if
nothing whatever existed except Him Necessarily and obligatorily the argument must end
with the answer being given that the final end is: God has wished it as so, or: His wisdom has
required this to be so
12. R. Meir ibn Gabbai, Avodat ha-Kodesh [Ch. ha-Tahlit, pt. 1]

And Maimonides wrote in his famous book that the question of the purpose of
creation had been nullified and rendered moot, which is to say that one who would
entertain the notion that the purpose is humanity is mistaken.
And what the Rabbi (Maimonides) thought, namely, that he had much support from
the sources, is incorrect. In fact, these sources militate against his position, fighting
Gods war against it. His position fells the walls of Torah, and denigrates Mans tselem
Elokim, lowering the image of Humanity from its celestial form, as it is comprised of
the merkabah ha-elyonah. This is a wound in the edifice of that which is holy, and is
actually the damaging opinions of those who destroy the ramparts of truth. It seems
that our Rabbi learned this from the dark side of the ets ha-dat, as it is the position
of heretics and atheists
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III.Resurrection+TheImageofGod:BeyondthePhysical

13. R. Pinhas mi-Koretz, Imrei Pinhas ha-Shalem [Bnei Brak: 2003]; p. 131-2, no. 340

14. b. Sanhedrin 65b

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15. R. Tzvi Hirsch b. Jacob Ashkenazi, Resp. Hakham Tzvi; no. 93

16. R. Moshe Cordovero, Sefer Pardes Rimonim; Shaar he-Heikhalot [#24], ch. 10

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17. Maimonides, Hil. Teshuva; 8:3-5

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18. R. Abraham Isaac ha-Kohen Kook, Kevatsim mi-Ktav Yad Kodsho; vol. 2, 1:11

Tehiyat ha-Meitim is united, part and parcel of all of the advances of the elite
scientists. The value of evolution ad infinitum (=theosis) must also be fused with the
practice of the ethical and moral drives. The worry of pushing away The Makom
should not distress us, as we become aware of the infinitude of physical worlds, that
in light of our greatest advances it is no longer impossible that there should not be an
imagining of how to settle the myriad stars, and how to become used to the changing
conditions of the ways of life at the very least, however, that the conditions of the
advent of this resurrection can conform to the above...

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