Within a few generations, we’ll likely have to start evaluating whether and when we want to allow artificial improvements to the human species. It may be genetic engineering, cybernetic enhancements, some combination of the two or something else entirely, and whether you want to call it artificial evolution, transhumanism, or simply the Borg, the possibility of this sci-fi meme turning into reality is not something we can postpone forever.
Most people I know find the concept utterly abhorrent and incurably despicable – messing with nature, exacerbating class differences, playing god, what have you – but most people I know aren’t Dopers.
So what do you all think? Include whatever you think may be relevant to your opinion – your line of work, your religiosity, your experiences with discrimination, whatever. I’m deliberately leaving this as an IMHO instead of a poll because I’m more interested in organic responses.
Personally (not that this should color your opinion), I am enthralled with the idea because I think the continued survival and evolution of intelligent life as a whole is more important than any group of individuals, even (say) 5 billion humans who might greatly suffer and die as a result of their obsolescence. Yes, I realize many people would find this distasteful, cruel, genocidal and Holocaustic, but I think there’s a certain beauty in evolution by selective survival, and if we have to artificially continue it, so be it. But I’m really more interested in what you think.
Within a few generations? We already have millions of people walking around with artificial improvements in them as we speak. Titanium bones, artificial heart valves, pacemakers, plastic tits, wooden legs. Not to mention all those wonderful drugs we love to pump ourselves full of. I myself would still be nearly blind if it weren’t for my plastic lens implants. So I’m all for borgification. Let’s get moving already.
Yes, I don’t think it will take more than one generation to reach the bio-tech human stage. Immortality is approaching. We are close to switching off the cell-death code which means we will stop aging. When liver/heart/brain cells die new ones will grow as replacements.
Mind you, its a fraught process because cancer is rampant cell-growth so knowing how to stop it is essential.
Along with that there are nano-bots which will live in our bodies and repair problems as they occur. We haven’t quite reached a brain/computer interface but its conceivable and when/if it happens humans will become virtual beings. Capable of moving as a stream of photons so long as there is a sending and a receiving unit in which our knowledge and memories would exist.
I think I’ll be dead by the time it happens. And I’ll be happy that I’m not around to see it (or would be happy if I wasn’t dead). I predict nothing but disaster. Hopefully for the rest of you, intelligent machines will take over first and prevent any such nonsense.
A good point. Its all very well for we comfortable first world dwellers to contemplate a miraculous technological future. Unfortunately the vast majority of the 7 billion on Earth will not have access to the technology so what happens to them?