ABSTRACT
This article seeks to deconstruct the language employed by critical posthumanism, specifically the term “human animal.” It explores the implications of its use as a blockade against the equitable inclusion of Black bodies in human enhancement. Essentially, it suggests that human advancement has universal implications. This is especially important in considering how enhancement will be distributed among those who do not fit normative humanistic descriptions. The reality of my context is that many Black folks in the United States are just beginning to explore what it means to be both Black and human within the bounds of “equality.” There remains within Black subjects a tremendous amount of baggage associated with historical objectifications, stemming from ancestral experiences and communal narratives. So, when white scholars propose a futuristic critical framework without employing a thorough assessment of race, skepticism from Black scholars regarding equity should be expected. This is especially true when human animality is a key component of that framework.
