Radical Life Extension: Intersecting Bioscientific Possibilities and Islamic Sensibilities
摘要
Continuing the discussion on transhumanism from Chapter 7 , I examine an example of life enhancement known as Radical Life Extension (RLE) and dissect this through the bioscientific and Islamic lenses. After an introduction to RLE, its context, and philosophical underpinnings, I describe current scientific endeavors and the latest research findings that corroborate the prospect of RLE, while delineating their constraints. I also elaborate on the Islamic perspective on the human life, aging, and longevity with references to the Qurʾan and ḥadīth. Next, I present two Qurʾanic accounts and two ḥadīth relevant to human longevity and life-extension, examining the different ways of how some terminologies in the ḥadīth texts can be interpreted. This scriptural evidence is then juxtaposed with the empirical evidence derived from contemporary demographic data and anti-aging research. I apply the epistemological framework of Chapter 2 to appraise both the revelatory and empirical proofs specifically with respect to their epistemic strength. Thus, I demonstrate that both evidence types are presumptive (ẓannī) and that no actual conflicts exist, rendering RLE a possibility. Finally, I elucidate other potential conflicts between RLE and Islamic perspectives, highlighting that they reside not in the empirical realm but at the level of philosophical/theological commitments.