Abstract

The present paper tries to tackle the philosophical, ethical and social problem of posthumanism through an analysis of Michel Houellebecq´s novel The possibility of an island. We will defend that, when dealing with future and uncertain phenomena like posthumanism, literatura constituyes an extremely adequate tool. Through Houellebecq´s novel, we will reflect on posthumanist issues as body and immortality, the problem of the Other and human – posthuman relationships, as well as the peril of posthuman life turning out senseless and empty. We will conclude that literatura, and The possibility of an island concretely, allows us to better understand and, therefore, better discuss and decide upon the important problems posthumanism puts forward.