Postgraduate Graduation Showcase

On 6 September 2017, John Doyle (MD) was awarded his PhD in Philosophy prepared under Benda's supervision, with Prof Alex Antonites serving as co-supervisor.

In his thesis, What does it mean to be human? Humanness, personhood and the Transhumanist Movement, John addresses various aspects of the question, “What does it mean to be human?”. He approaches the issue from biological, philosophical and ethical perspectives. The emphasis falls on the philosophical and ethical implications of the transhumanist movement. Transhumanism is an intellectual movement that affirms the possibility and desirability of fundamentally improving the human condition through applied reason, especially by developing and making use of widely available technologies to eliminate aging and to greatly enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities. The contribution of the thesis lies in its critical consideration of the far-reaching philosophical implications of transhumanism on how we conceive of personhood. The fact that the meaning of being human has always inextricably been linked to mortality has implications for life-enhancing and life-prolonging technologies, such as pharmacological interventions and human cryonic suspension, which have the potential of fundamentally altering our philosophical understanding of the human condition. Following a review of bioethics, the notion of personhood was examined in philosophical, historical and biological contexts. The ethical ramifications of expected future developments in neuropharmacology, the concept of brain death and the eventual possibility of human cryonic suspension were critically investigated. In the final instance, the study considered the “bioconservative” criticisms levelled against transhumanism, concluding that these lack credibility, since they often  rely on emotion and intuition rather than evidence, logic and reason.

MORE: At the end of 2016, Darryl Wardle & Josias Tembo completed their Master's degrees in Philosophy under Benda's supervision. Both students were awarded their degrees cum laude during the Autumn graduation ceremony in 2017.

FOCUS AREAS: Darryl's study focused on existential meaning in Sartre and Nancy, whereas Josias critically reflected on the theoretical purchase of the concept of African identity.

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT: After having spent 6 months in the Netherlands at the Radboud University Nijmegen to conduct research for his D Phil thesis's research proposal, Darryl endeavours to graduate with a joint degree from both the University of Pretoria & the Radboud University Nijmegen. Benda is supervising him locally whereas Prof Gert-Jan van der Heijden is supervising him at the RU. 

Josias has been faring equally well! After having started his doctoral studies at UP under Benda's supervision, he was awarded a highly competitive four-year doctoral position in the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies at RU, where he now works as an AIO [Assistent in Opleiding/Assistant in Training] under the co-supervision of Dr Anya Topolski. 

Needless to say Benda is enormously proud of their achievements!