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Ted Chu, “Human Purpose and Transhuman Potential: A Cosmic Vision of Our Future Evolution”ISBN: 1579830250 | 2014 | EPUB | 486 pages | 2 MBFor millennia, great thinkers have contemplated the meaning and purpose of human existence; but while most assumed that humanity was the end point of creation or the pinnacle of evolution, Ted Chu makes the provocative claim that the human race may in fact be a means rather than an end—that humankind will give rise to evolutionary successors. In this wide-ranging and authoritative work, Chu reexamines the question of human purpose in light of the extraordinary developments of science and technology. Arguing that a deep understanding of our place in the universe is required to navigate the magnitude of the choices that lie ahead, he surveys human wisdom from both East and West, traces the evolutionary trajectory that has led to this point, and explores the potentials emerging on the scientific frontier. The book addresses the legitimate fears and concerns of “playing God” but embraces the possibility of transcending biological forms and becoming or creating entirely new life-forms.Editorial ReviewsReview“Ted Chu is a pioneering visionary whose futurist concern deserves close attention. He is keenly aware that technological expertise is on the brink of reshaping our world and humanity dramatically.” —from the Foreword by John Haught, professor Emeritus of Theology at Georgetown University, author, Deeper Than Darwin”Ted Chu brings an astonishing breadth of philosophical, religious, and technological reflection to bear on the most important questions we could ask: where are we headed as a species?” —James Hughes, Ph D., Executive Director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, bioethicist and sociologist at Trinity College, author, Citizen Cyborg”Ted Chu’s elegantly written and well-researched book is the finest in this field since Kurzweil’s The Singularity Is Near.” —Michael E. Zimmerman, Professor of Philosophy, University of Colorado at Boulder”Do not postpone your reading of this book. It comes at a crucial time … There is no doubt that any reader will feel empowered and will feel very differently after reading it, both about their own lives and about the universe itself.” —Hans R. Herren, PhD., Entomologist and agronomist, president of the Millennium Institute and the Biovision Foundation”I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a detailed and judicious yet joyful account of a Cosmic Vision toward which we all may aspire and work.” —Michael LaTorra, Assistant Professor of English, New Mexico State University, author of A Warrior Blends with Life: A Modern Tao”This seminal book is essential reading for every pioneering spirit on Earth… Dr. Chu is a wise guide, and I for one will gladly learn from his immense erudition how we can best participate in the next quantum jump.” —Barbara Max Hubbard, President and Founder, Foundation for Conscious Evolution, author, Conscious EvolutionAbout the AuthorTed Chu was formerly chief economist of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (the Middle East’s largest sovereign wealth fund) and was also chief economist at General Motors. He has spent the last 15 years in the intensive study of posthuman evolution. He lives in Abu Dhabi. BiographyBorn and raised in China, and spending much of his adult life in America, Ted Chu is currently a clinical professor of economics at New York University (Abu Dhabi, UAE). His ongoing research is focused on globalization, frontiers of technology and institutions, and “posthuman economics,” inclusive of the philosophic and ethical dimensions of transhumanism. Chu graduated from Fudan University in Shanghai, and earned his PhD in economics at Georgetown University.During his twenty-five years as a business economist, his work included corporate strategy, public policy research, multinational operations, and global financial markets—including roles as chief economist of General Motors and chief economist of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds. Dr. Chu also held positions as macroeconomist for the World Bank and Arthur D. Little.For the last fifteen years, his second career has been conducting independent research on the ethical and philosophical question of humanity’s place in the universe, with special reference to advanced technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. This focus was foreshadowed by his PhD thesis on the production efficiency frontier at Georgetown University. Chu has also read widely and deeply in evolutionary theory, history, politics, philosophy, and religious studies (East and West).Dr. Chu is the founder of the nonprofit CoBe (Cosmic Being) Institute in Michigan, a senior scholar at ChangCe, a Beijing-based independent think tank, and a former president of Greater Washington Professional Forum. He has received a national award for dedicated community service and has served as a policy advisor for governments and many multinational institutions. Ted Chu’s extensive lines of interdisciplinary research have combined in-depth theoretical analysis and the fruits of practical, real-world experience.Amazon : https://www.amazon.com/Human-Purpose-Transhuman-Potential-Ev…