Homo Transformans

This story describes a new species of human, Homo transformans, and conflicts that arise from their ability to transform into different animal species including apex predators. Gene functions and the (imaginary) genetics of transformation support an innovative story of how some Homo sapiens became Homo transformans. The narrative describes the clash between morally corrupt organizations that use the capabilities of H. transformans to achieve dominance and the groups that defend and support them. Two factions emerge to determine the fate of the new species. In the end, the species defenders must face their mortal enemy in a battle they cannot win.

Originally published in 1972, Homo Sapiens examines how humans emerged from among the millions of other species and achieved our unique position within the animal kingdom. The book examines what direction future evolution will take and what may be regarded as the ‘meaning’ of human existence. It stipulates that these are the questions for which no real basis of discussion existed before the 20th century, and at the time of publication, some were still without a definite answer. The book sets out analyse these questions and the continuing debate that has arisen from their study. This is an account of the uniqueness of man in the animal kingdom, how this uniqueness arose during evolution, and what traces of it can be detected in animals other than man. The book describes the mental and physical evolution of man, from his earliest ancestors to the present day. He also gives an account of man’s cultural development seeking to establish that there is an underlying principal of cultural evolution, a principle that has been denied by many historians. Later chapters deal with the future and with possible forecasts of mankind’s further physical, intellectual and cultural evolution.

Homo dominus redefines what it means to be human. Starting with the component pieces of human uniqueness-cognition, self-awareness, language, technology, aggression, altruism, culture, the arts, and spirituality-it rebuilds the human species using a new conceptual blueprint. Sure to spark debate, Homo dominus offers a new vision of who we are and how we got here. Author Stephen Dennis draws from neuroscience, paleontology, psychology, and sociobiology to show that the impetus of human evolution is our propensity to control events and their consequences. This means simply that our root operating system is built on actions taken to bring perceptions into line with expectations. A pivotal genetic shift driven by ecological instability in the late Miocene era triggered this evolutionary divergence and propelled us out of apedom. From our hardscrabble origins on the forest margins to our current position of global dominance, Homo dominus recasts traditional human evolutionary theory in terms of basic control theory. It is a powerful organizing principle that puts our past in a new context and projects our future in a new light.

Converging evidence from disciplines including sociobiology, evolutionary psychology and human biology forces us to adopt a new idea of what it means to be a human. As cherished concepts such as free will, naïve realism, humans as creation's crowning glory fall and our moral roots in ape group dynamics become clearer, we have to take leave of many concepts that have been central to defining our humanness. What emerges is a new human, the homo novus, a human being without illusions. Leading authors from many different fields explore these issues by addressing a range of illusions and providing evidence for the need, despite considerable reluctance, to relinquish some of our most cherished ideas about ourselves.

The epic battles between Optimus Prime and Megatron have long thrilled Transformers fans. But these two giants weren’t always great leaders and bitter foes. This new novel continues the electrifying saga that started with Transformers: Exodus, unveiling the origins of the conflict—the explosive events that unfolded before Optimus and Megatron arrived Earthside, forever altering the destiny of their kind. Once allies, Optimus and Megatron are now enemies in a civil war. To prevent Cybertron from falling into Megatron’s hands, Optimus jettisons the planet’s heart, the AllSpark, into space, then sets out to find it with Megatron hot on his heels. Optimus is determined to defeat Megatron, bring the AllSpark home, and restore Cybertron to its former glory. But a saboteur lurks aboard Optimus’s spaceship, and ahead lie lost colonies, some of them hostile. Optimus needs help of the highest caliber, but from whom? Heroes such as Solus, Nexus, and Vector Prime are just names from make-believe stories of long ago. Or are they? Maybe it’s time for Optimus Prime to find out. Maybe it’s the only chance he has to vanquish mighty Megatron.

Raephela is the sequel to the novel Homo transformans: The Origin and Nature of the Species. Both stories reveal a world in which a new species of humans, H. transformans, developed the genetic ability to transform, provided they had the genes that conveyed the capability. This creates a rift in society between those who support and succor H. transformans and those who seek to exploit them. Raephela continues the saga of H. transformans wherein Raephela Cassius seizes control of the Cassius Foundation and uses its resources to bend all people to her will.

Transformers began with toys and a cartoon series in 1984 and has since grown to include comic books, movies, and video games — its science fiction story has reached an audience with a wide range second only to that of Star Wars. Here, in Transformers and Philosophy, a dream team of philosophers pursues the fascinating questions posed by humankind’s encounter with an artificially intelligent mechanical civilization: Is genuine artificial intelligence possible? Would a robotic civilization come with its own morality and artistic life, and would it find a need for romantic love? Should we be more careful about developing robots that may eventually develop ideas of their own? Transformers and Philosophy puts Transformers under a microscope and exposes its philosophical implications in an instantly readable way.