“I get confused by discussions of trans-unicellularism”, said the first prokaryote life form. “because the idea implies two different things.”, it continued. “Does the end goal of trans-unicellularism a cell that’s just stronger, smarter, faster, longer lived etc. as a result of the forces of nature?” it pondered.
“Or, does the end goal of trans-unicellularism look like a group of Eukaryotic cells, something that shares the same sort of relationship to life that a virus shares with a prokaryote, something that has unicellular origins but no longer resembles a single-cell structurally or biologically?”.
It continued: “I'm totally in support of the former, for evolution to make a better bacteria is a very worthy goal, which would cause all gains and no losses for life. However, I'm opposed to the latter: unicellular life is far from perfect but is beautiful and to me, that would be akin to destroying a great — but flawed and imperfect — work of art and making something totally new with the same sketches, instead of just fixing the flaws.”
Transhumanism is not an end but a transition. It is a conscious step to avoid stagnation and attempt to fix the limitations of our biology. A willful decision to attempt to transcend natural selection. With our limited creativity, imagination and perception, we cannot begin to fathom what will come, just like a prokaryote could not have the ability to conceive of you and me, two colonies of over 32.2 trillion cells exchanging thoughts at the speed of light across a network whose reach extends the globe, trying to understand the future. It would not have the physical structures to have fun, experience laughter or love, or be aware of its own mortality. From that perspective, its definition of a work of art could have severe limitations on scales that only we can fathom.
The only reason you're pondering this is because you were that first lifeform.
You've spent over three billion years adapting, evolving, replicating, dying and surviving. Transhumanism is you, us, becoming not just aware of this journey but being lucid of the malleability of it going forward. You will adapt, evolve, replicate, die and survive. It won't all be neon lights and techno-telepathy. It won't just be beautiful seemingly immortal humans or incredible spiritual super-intelligent machines. It'll be a cambrian explosion the likes of which you've never been through before.