Stefan Lorenz Sorgner

Stefan Lorenz Sorgner is a German metahumanist philosopher,[1][2] a Nietzsche scholar,[3][4][5] a philosopher of music[6][7] and an authority in the field of ethics of emerging technologies.[8][9][10]

Life

Sorgner was born on 15 October 1973 in Wetzlar (Germany). He studied philosophy at King's College London (BA), the University of Durham (MA by thesis; examiners: David E. Cooper, Durham; David Owen, Southampton), the Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen and the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena (Dr. phil.; Examiners: Wolfgang Welsch, Jena; Gianni Vattimo, Turin).[11] He taught philosophy and ethics at the Universities of Giessen, Jena, Erfurt and Erlangen.[12] Currently, he teaches at a US Liberal Arts College, John Cabot University.[13] Sorgner is a member of several editorial and advisory boards.[12]

Nietzsche, posthumanism and transhumanism

In issue 20(1) of the Journal of Evolution and Technology, Sorgner's article “Nietzsche, the Overhuman, and Transhumanism” was published in which he shows that there are significant similarities between Nietzsche's concept of the overhuman and the concept of the posthuman according to the view of some transhumanists.[14] His interpretation brought about a response both among Nietzsche scholars as well as among transhumanists. The editors of the Journal of Evolution and Technology dedicated a special issue to the question concerning the relationship between transhumanism, Nietzsche and European posthumanist philosophies (posthumanism). Vol. 21 Issue 1 – January 2010 of the Journal of Evolution and Technology was entitled "Nietzsche and European Posthumanisms"[14][15] and it included responses to Sorgner's article, for example by Max More,[16] Michael Hauskeller.[17] Due to the intense debate, the editors of the journal decided to give Sorgner the chance to react to the articles.[18] In vol. 21 Issue 2 – October 2010, Sorgner replied to the various responses in his article "Beyond Humanism: Reflections on Trans- and Posthumanism".[19] In addition, herein he also put forward some aspects of his own philosophical position which was strongly influenced by his teacher Gianni Vattimo.[20] He accepts Vattimo's pensiero debole, but criticises Vattimo's understanding of the history of the weakening of being.[21] As an alternative, Sorgner suggests a this-worldly, naturalist and perspectivist interpretation of the world, which he explained in more detail in his 2010 monograph "Menschenwürde nach Nietzsche: Die Geschichte eines Begriffs" (WBG, Darmstadt 2010).[22] Sorgner regards "Nihilism", as described by Nietzsche, "entirely a gain":[23] „From the perspective of my perspectivism, this also means that the prevalent conception of human dignity has no higher status in hitting truth as correspondence to reality than the conceptions of Adolf Hitler or Pol Pot."[24] After bioethicists, and transhumanists had discussed the relationship between Nietzsche and transhumanism, the debate was taken up by some leading Nietzsche scholars: Keith Ansell-Pearson, Paul Loeb and Babette Babich wrote responses in the journal the Agonist which is being published by the Nietzsche Circle New York.[25] Sorgner's perspectivist metahumanism and in particular his monograph "Menschenwürde nach Nietzsche" (WBG 2010) was dealt with in a symposium organised by the Nietzsche Forum Munich which had been co-founded by Thomas Mann.[26] Leading German philosophers, e.g. Annemarie Pieper, responded to Sorgner's radical suggestions concerning the need to revise the prevalent conception of human dignity at this event. In May 2013, the weekly newspaper Die Zeit published an interview with Sorgner in which several of his suggestions concerning human dignity, emerging technologies and trans- and posthumanism were summarized.[27] In Autumn 2014, an essay collection entitled "Umwertung der Menschenwürde" (edited by Beatrix Vogel) was published by Alber Verlag in which leading international theologians, philosophers, and ethicists wrote critical replies to Sorgner's suggestions concerning the notion "human dignity".[21] Sorgner has been an invited and keynote speaker at many important events and conferences, e.g. Phil.cologne,[28] TED,[29] and the World Humanities Forum, ICISTS-KAIST.[10] According to Prof. Dr. Zimmmermann of the Identity Foundation, a recently set-up German private think tank, Sorgner is “Germany’s leading post- and transhumanist philosopher” („Deutschlands führender post- und transhumanistischer Philosoph“).[30]

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gollark: What *is* this mysterious heatsinked thing?

References
  1. "Selak, Marija". Retrieved June 2015. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. "Posthumanism, Transhumanism, Antihumanism, Metahumanism, and New Materialisms" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-05-01. Retrieved June 2015. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  3. Prof. H. James Birx in Philosophy Now (2010-11-29). "Sorgner and Nietzsche". Philosophy Now. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  4. Several Scholars (2010-11-29). "Comments on Sorgner's Nietzsche Interpretation". University of Marquette Press. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  5. Russell Blackford (2010-11-29). "Nietzsche and European Posthumanisms". IEET. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  6. Alber Verlag (2010-11-29). "Book Series: Philosophy of Music". Alber Verlag. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  7. University of Chicago Press (2010-11-29). "Music in German Philosophy". University of Chicago Press. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  8. Russell Blackford (2010-11-29). "Editorial". Journal of Evolution and Technology. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
  9. University of Manchester (2010-11-29). "Beyond the Body". University of Manchester. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
  10. KAIST (2015-06-14). "Shaping the Future". KAIST. Archived from the original on 2015-06-29. Retrieved 2015-06-14.
  11. stefan lorenz sorgner (2010-11-29). "Stefan Lorenz Sorgner | Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg - Academia.edu". Uni-erlangen.academia.edu. Archived from the original on 2012-12-13. Retrieved 2011-01-28.
  12. "Institut für Geschichte und Ethik der Medizin: Stefan Lorenz Sorgner" (in German). Gesch.med.uni-erlangen.de. Archived from the original on 2012-12-13. Retrieved 2011-01-28.
  13. http://www.johncabot.edu/directory/Faculty_Form.aspx?IdFaculty=578
  14. Blackford, Russel (2010). "Editorial: Nietzsche and European Posthumanisms". Retrieved 2011-01-27. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  15. Sorgner, Stefan Lorenz (2009). "Nietzsche, the Overhuman, and Transhumanism". Retrieved 2011-01-27. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  16. More, Max (2010). "The Overhuman in the Transhuman". Retrieved 2011-01-27. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  17. Hauskeller, Michael (2010). "Nietzsche, the Overhuman and the Posthuman: A Reply to Stefan Sorgner". Retrieved 2011-01-27. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  18. Blackford, Russel (2010). "Editorial". Retrieved 2011-01-27. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  19. Sorgner, Stefan Lorenz (2010). "Beyond Humanism: Reflections on Trans- and Posthumanism". Retrieved 2011-01-27. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  20. PHILOSOPHIE.CH (2015-06-14). "A weak Nietzschean transhumanism". www.philosophie.ch. Archived from the original on 2015-07-14. Retrieved 2015-06-14.
  21. Beatrix Vogel (2015-06-14). "Umwertung der Menschenwürde". Alber Verlag. Retrieved 2015-06-14.
  22. "WBG - Shop - Menschenwürde nach Nietzsche" (in German). Wbg-wissenverbindet.de. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2011-01-28.
  23. Stefan Lorenz Sorgner, Menschenwürde nach Nietzsche, Darmstadt WBG, 2010, p. 239: "durchaus als Gewinn".
  24. Stefan Lorenz Sorgner, Menschenwürde nach Nietzsche, Darmstadt WBG, 2010, p. 242: "Dies bedeutet auch, dass dem vorherrschenden Konzept der Menschenwürde aus der Perspektive des Perspektivismus kein höherer Status hinsichtlich der Erkenntnis der Wahrheit in Korrespondenz zur Wirklichkeit zukommt als den Konzeptionen Adolf Hitlers oder Pol Pots."
  25. Tuncel, Yunus (2012). "Nietzsche and Trans- and Metahumanism". Retrieved 2012-04-09. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  26. "Humans as riddle: Human dignity after/according to Nietzsche" (in German). Nietzsche Forum Munich. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2012-12-12.
  27. "Hirnschrittmacher für alle". Die Zeit (in German). Retrieved 2013-05-16.
  28. Phil.cologne (2015-06-14). "Phil.cologne 2015". Phil.cologne. Archived from the original on 2015-07-11. Retrieved 2015-06-14.
  29. TEDx (2015-06-14). "Rules for a (Post-)Human) Zoo". TEDx. Retrieved 2015-06-14.
  30. Identity Foundation (2015-06-14). "Phil.cologne 2015" (PDF). Identity foundation. Retrieved 2015-06-14.
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