Abstract
“Historicity” describes the human condition during one’s life course,
marked by contingency and freedom, temporality and finitude. The
concept also occurs in evolutionary biology, social sciences and
psychology, highlighting history and context. Hannah Arendt
situates the capacity for new beginnings at the essence of human
beings (natality), allowing for new generations. Transhumanist
narratives are shown as foreign to the concept of historicity due
to a view of human nature, the load of accumulated past, and
directed evolution. Finally, the “back to dust” motif is related to
finitude, suggesting that new technologies may move us away
from humanness.