Transhuman, Thinking Human: A comparative analysis between "Depth" by Minkyu Park and “El astronauta Michael Garcia,” by Edmundo Paz Soldán

This paper examines the representation of transhuman in Park Min-kyu's "Depth" and Edmundo Paz Soldán's "Astronaut Michael Garcia." It considers how the limitations that transhuman is meant to overcome paradoxically highlight the unique value of humans. Both novels use transhuman to materialize the problems of technological advancement. They also shed new light on the distinction between human, transhuman, and posthuman that Bostrom and other transhumanists have made. In Park's work, the boundary between human and transhuman is crossed through the figures of dippers, who take risks and challenge the limits. This process prompts the fundamental question of 'what is a human being' and 'where did my consciousness come from'. In contrast, Paz Soldán draws on a bioconservative perspective to suggest that one of the problems with human enhancement is that it could lead to identity confusion due to the loss of personal narrative. The transhuman in both novels serves as a crucial device for exploring and understanding humanity. This is evidenced by the fact that the transhuman depicted in the novels is more "human" than transhuman in other science fiction. Park and Paz Soldán contemplate transhuman through human and human through transhuman, with both concern and anticipation for the "future to come" or "the future that has already come."