Stefan Lorenz Sorgner

Stefan Lorenz Sorgner is a philosophy professor at John Cabot University in Rome, Director and Co-Founder of the Beyond Humanism Network, Fellow at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET), Research Fellow at the Ewha Institute for the Humanities at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, academic Advisor of Humanity+, and Visiting Fellow at the Ethics Centre of the Friedrich-Schiller-University in Jena. He is editor of more than 10 essay collections, and author of the following monographs: Metaphysics without Truth (Marquette University Press 2007), Menschenwürde nach Nietzsche (WBG 2010), Transhumanismus (Herder 2016), Schöner neuer Mensch (Nicolai, 2018), Übermensch (Schwabe 2019), On Transhumanism (Penn State University Press 2020), We have always been cyborgs (Bristol University Press 2022), Philosophy of Posthuman Art (Schwabe 2022), Transhumanismus (mit Philip von Becker, Westendverlag 2023), Homo ex Machina  (together with Bernd Kleine-Gunk, Goldmann 2023, in German), Homo ex Machina  (together with Bernd Kleine-Gunk, Mirae N Co, Ltd 2024, in Korean translation), Philosophy of Posthuman Art (Epikentro 2024, in Greek translation). In addition, he is Editor-in-Chief and Founding Editor of the “Journal of Posthuman Studies” (a double-blind peer review journal, published by Penn State University Press since 2017). Furthermore, he is in great demand as a speaker in all parts of the world (World Humanities Forum, Global Solutions Taipei Workshop, Biennale Arte Venezia, TEDx, Colours of Ostrava) and a regular contact person of national and international journalists and media representatives (Die Zeit, Cicero, Der Standard; Die Presse am Sonntag, Philosophy Now, Il Sole 24 Ore). CV & www.mousike.de

Comments on Stefan Lorenz Sorgner, the "Bad Boy of Philosophy" (Max Rauner, SWR 2), and some of his writings:

»In Stefan Lorenz Sorgner’s work, the profound originality is accompanied by a vast knowledge of the philosophical tradition. His exploration of the philosophical meanings of post-humanism has become a point of reference that contemporary culture cannot ignore.«

Gianni Vattimo, University of Turin 

»Stefan Lorenz Sorgner counts as one of the worldwide leading experts on trans- and posthumanism.«

Wolfgang Welsch, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena 

»Stefan Lorenz Sorgner, Germany's leading post- and transhumanist philosopher«

Rainer Zimmermann,  University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf 

»Stefan Lorenz Sorgner has the makings of becoming Peter Sloterdijk’s evolutionary successor.«

Steve Fuller, University of Warwick 

On „We have always been Cyborgs” (2022)

“An eye-opening, wide-ranging and all-inclusive study of transhumanism. Sorgner’s account avoids both the utopian trap and the bogeyman spectre. He makes a compelling case for placing ourselves on the transhuman spectrum. How we continue to use technologies is in our hands. Sorgner’s book is both a comprehensive introduction to transhumanist thought and a clear-sighted vision for its future realisation.”

 Julian Savulescu, University of Oxford

"With an encyclopaedic knowledge of transhumanism and a deep philosophical grounding, especially in Nietzschean thought, Stefan Sorgner tackles some of the most challenging ethical issues currently discussed, including gene editing, digital data collection, and life extension, with uncommon good sense and incisive conclusions. This study is one of the most detailed and comprehensive analyses available today. Highly recommended for anyone interested in transhumanist/posthumanist ideas and in these issues generally." 

N. Katherine Hayles, University of California, Los Angeles 

On „Philosophy of Posthuman Art” (2022)

“A deeply considered survey of the posthuman future of art. Sorgner’s philosophy of posthumanism provides a path away from the dominant 20th-century aesthetics that still inform our conception of art today. Through the innovative concept of the ‘twist,’ Sorgner’s encyclopedic text frames posthumanism as the foundation of an anti-totalitarian future of art.”              

Eduardo Kac

“Philosophy of Posthuman Art impressively examines the aesthetics of　the monstrous, of hybridity, of smoothness and of the amorphous, to name a few. It is an articulate and informed analysis not only of particular artworks but also their philosophical underpinnings of Critical Posthumanism, Transhumanism and Metahumanism. It not only includes examples of bioart, body art, performance art and cryptoart, but also techno, digital and cyborg music. It is a time when we transition from the ontology of Being to the ontology of Becoming. We are now in a liminal age of the hybrid and the chimera. And as Stefan Lorenz Sorgner reminds us, with a twist, we have always been cyborgs.”     

Stelarc