Transhumanism

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Human beings continually modify their environments, along with themselves in these environments. For example, we have built cars, to allow us to go further and faster. We have built corrective lenses to address a flaw in the workings of the eyes of some individuals. We have developed cities to organize productive efforts. We have developed medicines that will allow us to heal, heal better, and live productively despite flaws.

Well, this thread is devoted to the idea, of what if we went further? Instead of just modifying the environment, and making mere corrective actions to ourselves, what if we took it a step further, to increase our abilities rather than just correct for deficits and make things "proper" in our lives? What if instead of seeking to just be human, we strove to make ourselves better than human, whether it is genetic modification, cybernetic enhancement, chemical enhancement or something else, that pushed us to a limit where we were unlike past humans to a substantial degree? Is it right to do this? Is it morally required that we do this? Is it inevitable that our species become different than it is? What are the implications? How far can this modification go?

Should humans eventually become something other than just human?

I think that assuming I live to see the technology become useful, accessible and safe, I will be the first guy in town to get bionic ears. I've seen documentaries theorizing all the sorts of stuff you could do with them, and I always get excited about the ability to TURN YOUR EARS OFF. Imagine that!, you could probably also replace the ambient sound with music and also manage to have super earing when needed, that's great.

I also like the idea of brain implants, but they seem more far-fetched. In theory, you could even manage to download whole languages to your brain implant and become able to speak those languages. Or why not knowledge instead of languages? But the qualm I have with it is that, if the Draconian control of media content cartels survives until the days of the bionic brain, they may come up with obscenely, monstrously things like brain DRM. Sorry guys, but if I put stuff on my brain, I hope I'll at least get to choose it to be 100% free software.

im a transhumanist mainly because im interested in Indefinite Life Extension and of course Space Travel

I support the idea of building redundant biological systems. Some infectious agents, such as parasitic worms or amoeba, can trick your body's immune system in ways that prevent it from dealing with them. Sometimes, your own immune system works too hard and ends up damaging irreplaceable tissue, such as retinal or neural tissue, in response to these invaders. So if you had an engineered 'smart' white blood cell (perhaps with some kind of nano-computer that incorporates nucleotides and antigen recognition) your body could have that much better defense. Or even smaller machines that constantly repair your DNA and RNA and prevent extensive damage over time, perhaps ending aging. Perhaps, since we likely will one day be a terraforming species, we will likely engineer organisms for specific roles in the process, perhaps even including Humans capable of dealing with lower or higher gravity, or of breathing a slightly different atmosphere mixture... I tend to think of trans-humanism in terms of biological tech like that I guess, I don't think I'd actually be down to have robot arms

Why do I keep thinking of the Borg from Star Trek?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh9GDlGZm7Y[/youtube]

Cybernetics for someone whom lost an arm in an accident fine, but there should be limits or we may end up with problems.

Borg? Sounds Swedish

I would consider replacing my pharynx with one of those Borg sub-vocal processors. I'd sound like a more evil (then usual) Stephen Hawking

Robot arms seem pretty cool. So does the ability to download knowledge. Though every bar fight would look like an extra scene from the matrix.

I am of two minds on the subject. I have read 'Singluarity is Near' and watched every presentation from the singularity summit for the past few years. It does seem like we could possibly get some of these things in our lifetime. I see huge benefits, such as, upgraded immune systems. However I am struck by the near universal enthusiasm for these things that I see among the proponents of such technologies. I recommend anyone who is interested should read both 'Singularity is Near' and the much shorter 'Why the Future Dosent Need Us' by Bill Joy. The latter can be found in complete form through google.

its not ok if they are powered MS Windows

brain freeze!

Imagine a writer interface where that stupid little paperclip bastard pops up as an 'internal' hologram and bothers you

I think being able to boost how quickly you go through knowledge would be nice, although I doubt this would require implants, an improved(improved in this case meaning more energy output) and efficient metabolism(which could likely be maintained through diet if not drugs) along with chemicals that improve the standard operations of the brain. I wonder what would happen if a drug that lowered the charge needed to fire a neuron, which is to say I wonder if a brain could handle that kind of activity in a useful way or if other functions would also have to be improved.

Have studies on this been done?

as a transhumanist for nearly 2 years(doubt most people on this site have even heard of this movement before now) i suggest you check out the Immortality Institute at www.imminst.org

my username on there is milkdude94