Günther Dichatschek
The idea that man can find his way to something better and thus to something new already exists in earlier religious history. The idea found its way into secularized modernity via Christianity. The focus of the discourse on images of man and a new man can be found at the end of the 19th and in the 20th century. The goal was new social utopias. Under fascism and Soviet communism, the ideas and conceptions became more radical, going as far as the exclusion and extermination of people considered inferior. Ernesto 'Che' Guevara’s conception found supporters in the student movement of Western industrialized countries. With the fall of communism in 1989/1990, the discourse seemed to be coming to an end. 'Neuroenhancement' attempts to medically enhance performance. The performance principle vs. social principle controversy is reactivated.
