Human society in 2040 defying aging and gravity: Thinking from the two'Homo Deus' 100 years ago and today

Oct 22, 2026

The text compares two works both titled “Homo Deus,” one a 1924 classical science fiction novel by Felicien Champsaur and the other Yuval Noah Harari’s 2015 bestseller. Framed around a 100th-anniversary seminar, it examines how “Homo Deus” represents human godlike potential—especially fighting aging and freeing humanity from constraints such as gravity. The discussion proposes using DNA-based and technology-based evolution and a phenotype lens to speculate on the shape of human society in 2040.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Symposium background and comparison of two Homo Deus works

Exploring the next generation human (Homo Deus)

Phenotype concept and evolution framing

Extended phenotype and urban environments

Human society in 2040 defying aging and gravity: Thinking from the two"Homo Deus" 100 years ago and today Tomonori KAWANO Department of Life Science and Biotechnology, Faculty of Environmental Engineering, The University of Kitakyushu, Japan Abstract: I have two books of "Homo Deus" in my hands. One book is "Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow" written by Yuval Noah Harari, which became a worldwide bestseller. The other book is also entitled "Homo Deus", but written as a classical science fiction novel authored by Felicien Champsaur in Paris, France in 1924. Since last year was the 100th anniversary of the publication of the latter "Homo Deus", I held a public seminar titled "The 100th Anniversary of the Publication of Homo Deus: A Century of Science and Science Fiction" at the Science Museum in Kitakyushu City (Space Labo, Oct., 2024) . Whether in books from 100 years ago or today, "Homo Deus" means the ultimate human figure with Godlike abilities. Yuval Noah Harari's "Homo Deus" depicts how humans are using science and technology to fight against their aging and how to free themselves from various constraints such as gravity. In this symposium, I would like to discuss the shape of human society in 2040 from the suggestions depicted in two "Homo Deus" . Keywords: Extended phenotype, Future, Homo deus, Science Fiction, Science History Introduction The author was invited to a highly unusual and intriguing event for a medical school symposium: a symposium session discussing science fiction about defying gravity to eliminate falls in daily life by 2040. While specializing in bioengineering and environmental biology, the author also embraces the role of a “futurist” as a life's work, collecting historical scientific materials and proposing visions for the future. This invitation was therefore deeply gratifying. The perspective the author wished to share at the symposium was the comparison between two books, both titled “Homo Deus,” revealing humanity's imagination, the scientific progress made over a century, and the profound societal changes triggered by that scientific advancement. One “Homo Deus”was published in France a century ago, while the other, published in 2015 (Harari, 2017, US edition), became a global bestseller and is very familiar to us today. Figure 1 shows photographs of both editions of “Homo Deus” from my bookshelf. Also shown is the covers of the books published in Japan translating the new book. Both books use science as their subject matter, discussing humanity's ultimate potential and its future. However, the book from 100 years ago is science fiction born from imagination, utilizing the essence of the science and technology of its time. The book published in 2015 is a contemplation of humanity's future brought about by the progress of science and technology. Comparing the imaginative visions of “humanity's future” offered by these books from 100 years ago and today reveals fascinating insights. As some critics suggest, scientific progress has advanced by technology catching up to the fantasies provided by science fiction. My presentation aims to discuss the near future of 2040, projected along the extension of this pace of scientific advancement. Fig. 1. Old and new“Homo Deus” published in 20th and 21st centuries. Exploring the next generation human (Homo Deus) through DNA-based and Technologybased Evolutions The two editions of Homo Deus discussed above explore the capabilities of the next generation of humanity likely to emerge after Homo sapiens. The use of the term Homo deus for this next generation, rather than Homo sapiens, is a metaphorical expression signifying that human capabilities will advance to the point of reaching the realm of the divine. It does not actually posit a new species of humanity. Therefore, in this presentation, the author (myself) proposed describing the difference in capabilities between current humanity and the next generation as a difference in phen

FAQs

What are the two “Homo Deus” works compared in the text?

One is Yuval Noah Harari’s “Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow” (2015). The other is a 1924 classical science fiction novel titled “Homo Deus” by Felicien Champsaur.

What does “Homo Deus” mean in the author’s discussion?

It is treated as a metaphor for the next generation of human capabilities, advancing to the realm of the divine rather than proposing a new species.

How does the text use the concept of phenotype to frame future humanity?

It links observable traits (phenotypes) to the idea that present humanity and the next generation differ in capabilities, building on Mendelian inheritance and extending through evolutionary discussion.

Oct 22, 2026

Uploaded by Taylor Morgan