Does the James Bond genre promote a transhumanist message? You could interpret this essay as arguing yes, in that Bond does many things which you can learn to do in real life which make you more capable than most people, starting with the fact that he went to real places instead of science-fictional places. Like Bond, you can condition yourself physically, learn martial arts, develop proficiency in the use of firearms, study foreign languages, dress well, drive cool cars, play baccarat and so forth. I don't know the part about hooking up with beautiful women you've just met in luxury hotels, however. Apparently you can't even try to pick up ordinary women at atheist conventions, despite all the christian propaganda about atheists' promiscuity, without causing unedifying scandals and the creation of new atheist factions like Atheism+.
Why James Bond Fans Are Better Than Sci-Fi Geeks
The argument is fun, but I'm not sure how well it pans out. Most fans of anything probably don't end up amounting to much. Competent SF fans won't end up piloting spaceships, but they may end up with a career at NASA Jet Propulsion Lab.
The general good point is that being an espionage geek will get you obsessed over history, politics, psychology and linguistics trivia, which is all applicable in many real life areas, while getting immersed in fantasy fiction has you learning lots of stuff that doesn't tie into the real world in any particular way.
The James...
I just watched this, a very pretty version of "don't try to make yourself different, just accept who you are", and I realized that self-directed change in fiction is a worthwhile topic.
What I'm looking for is stories where main characters change themselves in ways which are basically improvements-- getting beyond the usual human is a plus, but for purposes of this discussion I'm including any significant positive change.
Another big plus would be the character needing to learn which of their goals make sense, and which methods work.
**ETA:** That was a bit of a stub-- HPMOR is partly about Harry and Hermione changing themselves, generally for the better I think (I've only read it once). It would be interesting to see what happens if Quirrell decides he needs to upgrade himself.
*Stranger in a Strange Land* is an interesting partial example-- the Martian language is presumably an upgrade for the human race, but it was developed by and for Martians, and needs some modification.
A *lot* of relatively recent fiction has people learning martial arts. I think appearance makeovers (typically for women) have become less common. I don't think there's a lot of fiction about appearance makeovers for men-- *The Stars My Destination* has one, but it's offstage. It wouldn't surprise me if *The Count of Monte Cristo* (frequently referenced with TSMD) has one.