New book explores Mill Valley resident’s ‘hunt for immortality’ – Marin Independent Journal

Mill Valley resident Zoltan Istvan is the subject of Ben Murnane’s “Transhuman Citizen.” (Frankie Frost/Marin Independent Journal)

There have been many philosophical questions around the world recently due to advances in artificial intelligence. In just a few years, the allure and dangers of transhumanism – a social movement that aims to use technology to radically change and evolve humans and the planet – have become far more real. Is it possible that humans will be displaced by their own creations – or even by newly evolved cyborg humans using artificial intelligence?

Oxford transhumanist Elise Bohan believes this progress is inevitable: “Your 185 millionth great-grandparents were fish. Their descendants will not be human forever.”

By the way, it’s a good time to bring out new literature on extreme life extension for readers: Ben Murnane’s Transhuman Citizen: Zoltan Istvan’s Hunt for Immortality (Changemakers Books) came out this week. It’s a semi-political biography that chronicles how transhumanism evolved into an activist movement, based on Mill Valley resident Zoltan Istvan’s successful U.S. presidential and gubernatorial campaigns from 2014 to 2020. Istvan founded the Transhumanist Party and authored the Transhumanist Bill of Rights, which garnered worldwide attention from media, governments, and various institutions such as the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, and the British Parliament.

I am in a unique position to review Murnane’s book because in 2021 I published At Any Cost: A Guide to The Transhumanist Wager and the Ideas of Zoltan Istvan – a book I spent six years writing about Istvan’s cult novel The Transhumanist Wager. My guide critically analyzed all aspects of
the book’s plot, characters, themes and controversies, including the antihero Jethro Knight, who starts a world war to achieve immortality through science. However, my book contained little information about Istvan and his life that was not directly related to his novel.

Murnane’s Transhuman Citizen expands considerably on the basic information about Istvan that my book provides. Murnane – who holds a PhD in literature from Ireland’s oldest university, Trinity College Dublin – takes us through Istvan’s formative years as the son of Hungarian immigrants; his rebellious youth and run-ins with the law; his adventures in Costa Rica; his character-building sailing trips; his studies at Columbia and Oxford; and his time as a journalist for National Geographic working in conflict zones.

It also covers his family life, his personal health issues that provide insight into the American health care system, his political efforts, and a nationwide campaign tour in a coffin-shaped bus that was featured in the award-winning documentary “Immortality or Bust,” which was acquired by Amazon Prime. The bus was built in Istvan’s front yard in Mill Valley.

Murnane documents much of the political drama—which keeps me eager to read—relating to Istvan’s top priority: advocating for greater resource allocation in life extension research, ultimately leading to unlimited life for all. The book deftly describes the tensions this creates for Istvan’s pragmatic “functionalist” philosophy. How much do you compromise fundamental principles to achieve a non-negotiable goal? As he gets older, Istvan becomes more strict with his time. Anything that distracts him from advancing transhumanism and longevity research can be cut. Even being with family and friends and his beloved surfing are increasingly seen as distractions he can ill afford if he wants to achieve his goal.

It’s satisfying to see that Murnane doesn’t hold back on criticism when he sees fit. This is not a fan-based book. It’s balanced. Criticism is usually followed by Istvan’s point of view as a counterargument. There is a tough but fair approach throughout, which is to be expected from any author with integrity, and Murnane certainly is one. His research and endless hours of interviews with Istvan, his family, and his colleagues are impressive. Although Murnane does not call himself a transhumanist, he has deep sympathies for life extension. Murnane suffers from a genetic condition called Fanconi anemia, a life-limiting disease.

“I am very grateful that Ben is still alive and seeing the release of his book,” Istvan wrote via email. “During our three years of interviews, I was always afraid that Ben would die. During COVID, he got sick and we discussed what would happen to the book and interviews if he didn’t make it. This was all very hard and that is exactly why I take life extension so seriously.”

But one undeniable fact is that we all die, even if many wish otherwise, moment by moment. The only mystery is when death will come to us – expected or unexpected? Violent or peaceful? As the age-old mantra goes: Death is the great equalizer that no one can escape.

But what if there was another option? What if we had a say in how long we lived? Not that we would live long and frail, but that we had the chance to enjoy an unlimited lifespan and a sustained healthspan. Would you make that choice? Would you take that risk? This is the transhumanist bet Istvan is asking us all to make. But to win it, we need scientific research and technological advancement. As Murnane points out, billions of dollars have been poured into transhumanism and its life-extending startups in recent years—from the likes of Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison, and other tech titans. There is hope.

It is estimated that 150,000 people die every day from age-related diseases. Istvan is driven by a soldier’s attitude, but his fight is against death itself.

“It’s really a tragedy if you don’t look at it as an everyday war that started a long time ago. Every single day that we don’t do our best, people die,” he says.

In his book, Murnane concludes: “That’s how he sees it. He just needs enough time to save everyone.”

Chris T. Armstrong, a former software engineer, now writes about transhumanism and related topics. Even God Herself is his first novel. His nonfiction books include At Any Cost: A Guide to The Transhumanist Wager and the Ideas of Zoltan Istvan and a chapter in the Transhumanism Handbook.