Post-Human Body and Beauty
| Autor | Maria Teresa Russo - Nicola Di Stefano |
| Cargo | Institute of Philosophy of Scientific and Technological Practice, Campus Bio-medico University, Rome |
| Páginas | 457-466 |
MARIA TERESA RUSSO AND NICOLA DI STEFANO POST-HUMAN BODY AND BEAUTY
CUADERNOS DE BIOÉTICA XXV 2014/3ª
457
POSTHUMAN BODY AND BEAUTY
CUERPO POSTHUMANO Y BELLEZA
MARIA TERESA RUSSO AND NICOLA DI STEFANO
Institute of Philosophy of Scientific and Technological Practice
Campus Bio-medico University, Rome. Via Alvaro del Portillo, 21, 00128 Roma
m.russo@unicampus.it; n.distefano@unicampus.it
ABSTRACT:
The article calls into question the very possibility of a post-human aesthetics, starting from the following
premise: rather than post-human, it is more correct to speak of post-natural, indicating by this expression
a reality produced through a new type of evolution, which does not simply change human nature, but de-
natures it, radically transforming it into an artefact. This post-nature which aspires to be perfect, immortal,
invulnerable, is entirely devoid of beauty. In fact, while there may be an aesthetic of the artificial and of
the artefact if it is in relation to objects, there is, however, no aesthetic of the post-human body. This is
because is configured as a non-body and does not have the characteristics for what is commonly intended
as beauty (harmony between matter and form, a reflection of inner life, uniqueness). Also in this case, it is
more correct to speak of post-beauty, which in its properties appears to be the mirror image of beauty and
ultimately, represents its complete dissolution.
RESUMEN:
El artículo pone en duda la posibilidad misma de una estética post-humana, a partir de la siguiente
premisa: en lugar de post-humano, es más correcto hablar de post-natural, indicando con esta expresión
una realidad producida a través de un nuevo tipo de evolución, que no cambia simplemente la naturaleza
humana, sino que la des-naturaliza, transformándola radicalmente en artefacto. Esta post-naturaleza, que
aspira a ser perfecta, inmortal, invulnerable, es totalmente carente de belleza. De hecho, si bien puede
haber una estética de lo artificial y también del artefacto, en relación con los objetos, en cambio no puede
darse una estética del cuerpo post-humano, debido a que éste se configura como un no-cuerpo y no tiene
las características de lo que comúnmente se entiende por belleza (armonía entre materia y forma, reflejo de
interioridad, unicidad). También en este caso, es más correcto hablar de post-belleza, que en sus pr opiedades
parece una imagen especular de la belleza y, en última instancia, constituye su completa disolución.
Keywords:
Post human-body,
beauty, aesthetics.
Palabras clave:
Cuerpo-posthumano,
belleza, estética.
Recibido: 21/10/2013
Aceptado: 17/06/2014
Cuadernos de Bioética XXV 2014/3ª
Copyright Cuadernos de Bioética
1. Nature and post-nature: the body as an
artefact and the dissolution of the original
“The sky above the port was the colour of televi-
sion, tuned to a dead channel”. The opening words of
the well-known science fiction novel by William Gibson’s
Neuromancer efficiently express the transformation with
which the notions of beauty and nature are likely to suf-
fer in the technological age. We are no longer capable
of looking at the world and grasp the harmony and it
is considered a duplicate or a reference to the artificial,
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