Hermínio Martins was a distinguished Portuguese sociologist. ‘The Technocene’ is a selection of some of the most important philosophical essays – a few unpublished – that he wrote following retirement from the University of Oxford. The essays address the ethical and societal consequences of the commoditization of the human body and mind.

Hermínio Martins was one of the key pioneers of the sociology of science and technology. He published extensively in Portuguese and was recognized for his academic contributions with an honorary doctorate at Lisbon (2006) and two Portuguese Medals of Honour. Following his retirement from the University of Oxford, he wrote prolifically in English on a wide range of topics that examined the ethical and societal consequences of the commoditization of the human body and mind. These essays are deep philosophical reflections on our contemporary world, and draw extensively and eclectically upon a wide range of theoretical influences including continental philosophy, history and psychology, to name but a few disciplines. ‘The Technocene’ is a selection of some of these insightful essays, made available to a global audience for the first time.

Preface; Editor’s Introduction: Hermínio Martins and the Technocene; 1. The Technocene: On Bodies, Minds and Markets; 2. Technology Sublime: Paths to the Post-Human; 3. Perpetual Augmentation: From Eugenics to Human Genetic Capitalism; 4. The Body Vanishes! Momenta of Discarnation in Technoscience Today; 5. When Universities Become Body-Shops; Select Bibliography of Hermínio Martins’s Works; Index.