Knowing Humanity in the Social World

This book examines Fullers pioneering vision of social epistemology. It focuses specifically on his work post-2000, which is founded in the changing conception of humanity and project into a post- or trans- human future. Chapters treat especially Fullers provocative response to the changing boundary conditions of the knower due to anticipated changes in humanity coming from the nanosciences, neuroscience, synthetic biology and computer technology and end on an interview with Fuller himself. While Fullers turn in this direction has invited at least as much criticism as his earlier work, to him the result is an extended sense of the knower, or humanity 2.0, which Fuller himself identifies with transhumanism. The authors assess Fullers work on the following issues: Science and Technology Studies (STS), the university and intellectual life, neo-liberal political economy, intelligent design, Cosmism, Gnosticism, agent-oriented epistemology, proactionary vs precautionary principles and Welfare State 2.0.