Problematization of the human: an incompletely completed project

Philosophy «Problematization of the human: an ongoing project» (special issue)

Abstract

From the standpoint of the author, the project of the human is complete and at the same time incomplete. It is ‘complete’ in the sense that philosophy and religion, in their millennial quest, gave an answer to the universal question about the origin, essence and purpose the human, about the highest spiritual meaning of his being. The answer provides a stable worldview foundation that allows one to overthrow skepticism and relativism, for which there is no criterion distinguishing between the good and the evil and everything that happens is covered with a mist of relativity and uncertainty. A modern form of skepticism is postmodernism, which answers topical questions concerning digitalization and at the same time separates the human from both the real world and transcendence, plunging him into the space of ‘simulacra’. It is, indeed, an unfinished, extremely open, unstable and unreliable space. But the philosophy of the East and West, in its centuries-old search, has found reliable ways to refute skepticism in all its historical forms and determined the firm, unshakable foundations of the human existence in the world, the ‘ultimately signified’ of his. Having in its repertoire the result obtained by hard work, philosophy can become a reliable support in the interpretation of the concept of transhumanism, inspired by the success of ‘emergent technologies’. At the same time, the project is incomplete in the sense that the human has to overcome the base, animal nature, which encourages vicious desires, thoughts and actions, and to make an ascent to the spiritual, divine Source. This process can be considered unfinished, open, endless. Human physicality will also improve due to the advances of modern technologies, but under the guidance of spiritual and moral principles – Faith, Love, Conscience. These positions are supported in the article by reference to the concepts of Orthodox philosophy (Ivan Ilyin) and Islamic philosophy (Abu Hamid al-Ghazali).