Perfecting Human Beings: From Kant and Nietzsche to Trans- and Posthumanism1

In this article, I will provide some reflections concerning the question which concept of human perfection can be seen as plausible. I will progress as follows. I will deal with three types of perfection which are currently particularly relevant within academic bioethical debates: Moral sainthood, the Renaissance ideal and authenticity. I will dedicate one section to each of these types of perfection. Furthermore, each type of perfection will be presented within a historical as well as in a contemporary philosophical framework. In each section, I will initially focus on a historical figure who upholds the type of perfection in question, as thereby the related challenges come out best, because their anthropologies have already been dealt with in detail by many scholars. In the second part of each section, I will focus on a contemporary figure who upholds a similar position. By critically presenting each of the various types of perfection, it will become clearer which concept of human perfection can be seen as most plausible.