The Human Instrumentality Project in ‘The Rebuild of Evangelion’

The Human Instrumentality Project” in the Rebuild of Evangelion is a multi-faceted ideology that directly correlates to transhumanism and positions human suffering as the key driving force behind the transhumanist project. The project is primarily orchestrated by the organization SEELE, who intend to replicate the events of the second impact through technological means coining ’The Third Impact’ with the objective of merging all humans with the Divine being known as Lilith to achieve a posthuman state. Thus, this reflects the ultimate objectives of transhumanism as outlined by theorists including Sorgner and Bostrom, respectively. SEELE’s rationale is founded on the transhumanist and posthumanist ideology that individual existence results in inevitable suffering, subsequently through technological means of synchronization, they believe that the merging of all consciousness into one entity with the Lilith will enable society to overcome human limitations as well as eradicate suffering and death by merging human consciousness with the Lilith. Additionally, NERV leader Commander Gendo personal motivation in the project is directly connected with his desire to reunite with his deceased wife, Yui Ikari who was killed during the events of ‘The Second Impact.’ Commander Ikari believes that by achieving SEELE’s project goals, he can transcend the limitations of human existence to reunify with Yui in a new form of existence through the synchronization technology of the Evangelion units. As a result, Anno utilizes Gendo Ikari’s motivations to illustrate that trauma serves as a significant catalyst for pursuing transhumanist ideals, where the boundaries of life and consciousness are expanded and significantly altered. The purpose of this paper is to explore the multi-faceted concept of the Human Instrumentality Project and its connections to transhumanism, focusing on the motivations of SEELE and Commander Gendo Ikari, and how trauma plays a pivotal role in driving these ambitions. This paper continues from the author’s foundational work, which analyzed The Second Impact, Tokyo-3, and the concept of synchronization. By understanding the context of The Second Impact and the subsequent establishment of Tokyo-3, as well as the synchronization technology that forms the basis of piloting, we gain crucial insights into how these elements set the stage for the ultimate transhumanist vision embodied in the Human Instrumentality Project. This paper therefore, broadens the discussion by examining how the culmination of these previous events and technologies leads to the ultimate posthuman vision of SEELE and the deeply driving motivations of Commander Ikari, positioning these catalysts within the larger philosophical and ethical discourse of transhumanism.