“Maybe we’re about to radically change the operating system of the human condition. If so, then this would be a really good time to make backups of our civilization.” – Bruce Sterling, American science fiction author
Transhumanism is a term symbolized by H+ and often used as a synonym for “human enhancement.” It has developed into an international and cultural movement supporting the use of sciences and technologies to enhance human mental and physical abilities and aptitudes. Transhumanism seeks to remove undesirable aspects of the human condition such as: stupidity, suffering, disease, aging, and involuntary death.
Various organizations desire to use emerging technology to create a human species so enhanced that they cease to be human. They hope to create post-humans with the potential of living forever. If these sciences are not closely monitored and regulated, transhumanists’ arrogant quest to create a post-human species will become a direct assault on human dignity and an attack on God’s sovereignty as Creator. We must decide on an unmovable line now, one that upholds human dignity based on biblical truth.
It is no longer enough to be pro-life; we have now entered a time when we must be pro-human. Education about the full implications of these emerging sciences is a key to be able to directly confront these assaults on humanity.
Artificial Intelligence. The term Artificial Intelligence (AI) was coined by John McCarthy in 1956 as “the science and engineering of making intelligent machines.” After 50 years of AI programming, researchers are creating systems that can understand speech, imitate human thought, beat the smartest test taker, and even create machines that can watch children for their parents. While many of these discoveries seem almost unreal, they are a part of the culture in which we live today. From creating a chip to implant into a person that would enable them to speak and understand a foreign language to creating a robot that could fight in times of war, the developments of AI are limitless.
The other side to this debate is the reality that, through technology, a superior race of human beings could exist. No longer would we watch the Olympic games and see skilled athletes, instead we would see athletes that had been programmed to run faster, breathe longer, and play harder. The prize that came to the athlete that trained the hardest would now go to the athlete who had been given the newest technological advancements.
Robotics/Cyborgism. From the movies Terminator to Blade Runner, images of cyborgs have captivated many audiences. Yet now, what once was seen as science fiction is a part of everyday scientific exploration. The term cyborg was first introduced in 1948. Today cyborgs are referred to as a human being who is technologically augmented by external or internal devices that compliment or regulate various human body functions.
Cyborgology refers to the development of various types of cyborgs leading to the formation of a cyborg society. Developments in this industry are a part of our everyday lives from pacemakers to prosthetic devices. Cyborgs can refer to an individual who has been altered externally or internally. Thus the future of cyborgology does not just include developing prosthetic arms, but also creating implants that would create superhuman capabilities. When blended with Artificial Intelligence, cyborgology has the capability to make humans immortal by downloading human consciousness and personality to a computer, then reloading it into a new body. While this seems futuristic, there are current studies taking place to create superhuman capabilities and redefine what it means to be a person.
In response to the potential advancements in cyborgology, Kevin Warwick, Professor of Cybernetics at Reading University, England noted, “There is no way I want to stay a mere human.” Which begs the question, at what point will being mere human not be good enough to be considered a person? If advancements continue, then there will begin to be a larger and more complex distinction between the social classes. Except this time the distinction will come with who can afford or have access to the newest cyborg intervention.
One future application of this field is respirocytes, which is a development in the field of cyborg sciences blended with nano-technology. These respirocytes are artificial red blood cells that mimic the action of the natural hemoglobin-filled red blood cells and can supplement or replace the function of much of the human body’s normal respiratory system. The nano device can be filled up with oxygen and carbon dioxide, making one complete transfer point at the lungs, and the reverse transfer with body tissues. Respirocytes could serve as an “in-body” Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus device or nano-lung.
A diver could hold his breath underwater for 2-4 hours, then surface, hyperventilate for 6-12 minutes to recharge, and return to work below. These cells could permit major new sports records, because the devices can deliver oxygen to muscle tissues faster than the natural lungs can provide. This could easily be abused in competitive sports where extended periods of sustained maximum exertion are required.
Respirocytes may one day be especially helpful for the treatment of cancer patients because the patients are usually anemic. X-rays and chemotherapy require oxygen to be maximal cytoxic (toxic or poisonous cells), so boosting system oxygenations levels into the normal range using respirocytes might improve a patent’s prognosis and treatment outcome.
The question remains: in search for technological advancements, are we risking losing our value as humans or, better yet, persons? Science will give society the opportunity to redefine what it means to be a person, yet the question is: what will our response be?