Beyond the Human: Transhumanism and the Quest for Perfection in Ian McEwan’s Machines Like me
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Date
2025-07-10
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UNIVERSITY OF MOHAMED BOUDIAF- M’SILA
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Since the emergence of the study of human consciousness, the desire to transcend physical and intellectual limitations has shaped the evolution of philosophical thought and technological ambition. Guided by a longing for perfection and the dream of surpassing the natural condition, humanity has consistently sought to redefine itself through science, reason, and imagination. Yet this pursuit has never been free from contradiction. Philosophers and theorists across history from Descartes to Nietzsche, from Gödel to Haraway, have articulated the boundaries of knowledge, selfhood, and ethical responsibility, exposing the paradoxes embedded in our quest for mastery. These tensions are re-imagined and embodied in Ian McEwan’s novel Machines like Me, which stages the intersection of artificial intelligence, morality, and identity in an alternate vision of modernity. Through speculative fiction, McEwan transforms abstract philosophical dilemmas into lived experience, exploring how the dream of the transhuman collapses into the brokenness of the human. Thus, this dissertation aims to analyze the novel through the lens of philosophical inquiry, tracing how transhumanist ideals, posthumanist critique, and metaphysical uncertainty converge within its narrative. In doing so, it engages with the thought of thinkers alongside theoretical discussions on AI, posthuman ethics, and the illusion of perfection. The goal is to uncover how literature, through narrative and symbolism, not only reflects humanity’s aspiration toward perfection and transcendence, but also critiques the philosophical and ethical frameworks that underpin such ideals revealing the paradoxes and limitations within the transhumanist pursuit.
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Keywords
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness, Ethics, Identity, Limits, Posthumanism, Transhumanism