Humans are hardwired for worship. Even people who swear off all religion can’t help but worship something, whether that something is technology, entertainment, or themselves.

“In the absence of any guardrails or authorities they can trust, [people] will start worshiping just about anything,” says James Poulos of "Zero Hour."

Author and writer Joe Allen joins the show to discuss another thing – a particularly dark and sinister thing – that humans have begun to worship: transhumanism.

For those unfamiliar with the term, the Oxford dictionary defines transhumanism as “the belief or theory that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical and mental limitations, especially by means of science and technology.”

There’s a reason this concept has long been explored in the entertainment industry, and it’s not only because the idea has the makings of a great science fiction story; it’s because the obsession with transhumanism is very real indeed.

“I think the motivation behind [transhumanism], the broader worldview behind it, which is essentially a religious worldview – that's what's most important to communicate,” says Allen, whose book “Dark Aeon: Transhumanism and the War Against Humanity” just dropped this past August.

“Many transhumanists, post-humanists, futurist technologists – they would like to see it as some sort of scientific worldview, and it is, but ultimately it's a religious worldview that takes scientific fact and plays forward the historical progression of technology into something like religious prophecy,” he tells James.

“What is [transhumanism], and how do we know it when we see it?” James asks.

“Transhumanism is simply the desire to attain magical power, really, by way of technology,” explains Allen. “It's the dreams of all the wizards and occultists of old and priests, coming into reality by way of technology.”

Allen also explains that it’s important for people to understand that transhumanism has many names. “I think optimalism, futurism, accelerationism – those words will probably be the terms that really describe it going forward,” he says.

“What is being put forth for us as the measure of improvement or optimization?” asks James.

Allen explains that when the term transhumanism was coined back in 1956 by Julius Huxley, a renowned eugenicist, “it was really focused on improving the human mind, the human intellect, [and] human culture” via the classical Greek principles of “strength, beauty, and intelligence.”

However, the movement has since evolved — and not in a good way.

“The machine becomes the standard, so you have all the same sorts of classical principles of beauty, intelligence, [and] strength, but now rather than looking forward to the smartest human, the strongest human, the most beautiful human, you now are looking forward to the strongest, most beautiful, and most intelligent machine,” Allen says.

“People are struggling out there,” says James. “They look worse, their health is worse … sperm counts are dropping, IQ is not doing so good – just kind of across-the-board decline, and so why are we seeing that spread so swiftly and so powerfully at a time when ostensibly the people in charge are trying to boost us up into some kind of superhuman plane?”

To hear Allen’s fascinating explanation, watch the clip below.

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