Technoculture as Praxis: Posthuman Theory in Action

The proliferation of digital and biotechnological innovations has intensified debates concerning the ontological status of the human, rendering identity a contested and continuously reconstituted category (Hall, 1996). Contemporary developments in artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, synthetic biology, and neurotechnology increasingly challenge conventional distinctions between the natural and the artificial, the organic and the synthetic. While such innovations are frequently celebrated through narratives of enhancement, optimization, and progress, they simultaneously raise fundamental questions regarding the ethical limits of technological intervention and the future of human existence. Central to these debates is transhumanism, which envisions technological augmentation as a means of transcending biological constraints and directing human evolution toward posthuman futures.

This paper situates these concerns within a broader philosophical framework derived from Rigvedic thought. Vedic society may be understood as a proto-technocratic order in which authority was mediated by epistemic elites—the ṛtvijas and Brahma Jñātas—whose knowledge was oriented toward preserving ṛta, the principle of cosmic order governing both the natural world and human conduct. Unlike contemporary technocratic rationality, which often privileges control, efficiency, and innovation, Rigvedic philosophy conceptualizes knowledge as a normative practice inseparable from ethical responsibility and cosmological balance. The ṛtvijas functioned not merely as possessors of knowledge but as custodians of equilibrium, ensuring that transformative human actions remained aligned with the larger order of existence.

Drawing upon ṛta theory, this paper examines contemporary speculative fiction as a critical site for exploring the cultural logic of technoculture and transhumanism. Speculative narratives frequently imagine societies in which technological expertise acquires the authority to redefine embodiment, consciousness, and evolutionary destiny. Such representations illuminate the tensions between technological transformation and existential balance, raising questions about whether posthuman aspirations constitute an extension of cosmic order or a rupture from it. By placing selected novels in dialogue with Rigvedic philosophy, the paper argues that ṛta provides a critical framework for evaluating the ethical and ontological consequences of technocultural change, particularly as humanity increasingly seeks to engineer its own evolutionary future.