Transhumanism
What problem do people have with being human?
Genetic manipulation
Since the genetic code has been broken, humankind is now the unwitting master of life on earth. How will this new power be used? On the one side, we can now cure incurable diseases thereby extending the length and quality of our lives. It can also help solve environmental problems by increasing the efficient use of nutrients and energy. We might also create designer babies, not leaving anything to chance. On the other side, we have the power to create (and release) deadly pathogens that target specific people. Indeed, the lab leak theory for the outbreak of Covid-19 is based on gain-of-function research whose intention was to do good but ended up causing chaos across the globe.
Further reading:
Genetic engineering is a hugely controversial topic, and it will become more controversial over time as some of its 'logical conclusions' edge closer and challenge us on what it means to be human. Please read for yourself!
CRISPR
New Scientist article
The potential of CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is introduced here with several useful links.
GMOs
Down to Earth article
This article explains why GMO (genetically modified organism) food is - on balance - not good for humanity.
World Economic Forum
The 4th Industrial Revolution
Klaus Schwab, founder of the influential international NGO, promotes the concept of human augmentation. Article.
Pros and Cons
Balancing the arguments
Several articles review the pros and cons - simply google "genetic engineering pros and cons"
Artificial intelligence
Our world has changed fundamentally in the past 50 years, and we are now heavily dependent on technology for the basic functioning of life. There is no doubt that in many ways our lives are facilitated by technology... instead of queueing to buy tickets or waiting days to receive money from abroad, we have everything at our fingertips for instantaneous transactions. Our office life is also increasingly supported by labour-saving AI. Whether we are calmer, more fulfilled or wealthier people remains to be seen.
Further reading:
Artificial intelligence is here to stay, and for those of us living in the digitally connected, we will have to get used to it and ensure that technology serves us, rather than the other way around. It is therefore critical that each one of us reflects on the benefits provided by each additional step into the digital reality.
What can AI do for me?
SAS article
This article provides a history of AI, explores many of its benefits and shows how it is being used in the world today.
Dangers of AI
Builtin article
This article describes some of the dangers of AI, including lack of transparency for how and why AI comes to its conclusions; job loss; deepfakes; privacy violations; algorithmic bias caused by bad data; socioeconomic inequality; market volatility; weapons automatization; and uncontrollable self-aware AI.
Environmental impact of AI
Oxford University article
As the article explains: "AI systems consume a huge volume of hardware and natural resources. Computing now accounts for more emissions than the aviation industry .... A medium-sized data centre is estimated to use 360,000 gallons of water a day for cooling."
Artificial worlds
Many of us spend our working day in front of a computer plus additional hours every day or week watching TV, playing video games or scrolling through our phone. This is radically different behaviour from the way people lived their lives less than 2 generations ago. We are being warned of radiation risks (of wifi, smartphones, etc.), and detrimental impacts on our mental and physical state. The IT industry plans to have us even more hooked, with virtual reality (e.g., the meta universe), the "quantified" self, 5G (and 6G) connectivity, ever increasing surveillance, and the digital ID. Do we ride this wave and reap its benefits while ignoring its risks? Or do we do a stock-take and push back?
Further reading:
Screens have become our lives. It is almost sure you are reading this on a screen. It is hard to function now without constant screentime - our jobs and social lives are largely dependent on screens. We do, however, need to answer the question: "How much screentime a day is good for us and our children?"
Virtual Reality
History of VR article
VR headsets completely take over your vision to give you the impression that you're somewhere else. In a video game, you might also be someone else. While the focus of the industry has been on entertainment, it can also be used for educational purposes.
Augmented Reality
Engine Creative article
Augmented reality is an interactive experience that enhances the real world with computer-generated perceptual information. AR involves wearing transparent "smart glasses" while images are projected over whatever one is looking at.
Next stop: the Metaverse?
This article describes the rise, fall, and possible resurgence of the Metaverse
"The metaverse refers to the convergence of physical and virtual space accessed through computers and enabled by immersive technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality. Described by proponents as the next iteration of the internet, this 3D virtual world is envisioned as a persistent, collective, shared space where digital facsimiles of ourselves, or avatars, move freely from one experience to another, taking our identities and monetary assets with us." Read on
The future human
If you have reached this far and absorbed the thorny issues covered above... are you asking: "what will the future human look like and how will she/he live?"
In the short-term, we may enhance what we are already used to using through virtual or augmented reality, gene therapy, increasingly powerful phones, and so on. But one day we may/will edit the genes of our future babies. We may/will insert chips into our brains. We may/will have digital identities. We may/will have physical enhancements that make us part-machine. We may/will go to space and inhabit new planets. The possibilities are endless. Do all these changes mean that we still have freewill and still have the possibility to search for deep, meaningful happiness?
Further reading:
Predicting or shaping the future of humanity has been the subject of science and fiction alike for many centuries, and naturally remains a popular topic.
Augmented Reality
Series of books by Routledge here
The books in this series examine the challenges posed to the universalism of humankind by various forms of anti-humanism, and seek to defend ‘human essentialism’ by accentuating the liabilities and capacities particular to human beings alone.
Future of Human Reproduction
Lancaster University (UK) article
An interdisciplinary research programme explores the cultural, ethical, legal and social challenges that will emerge as technological advances fundamentally change the possibilities for human reproduction.
Search for yourself
More has been written on the future human than can possibly be written about here...
Simply google "future human" and enjoy the read!
We need your consent to load the translations
We use a third-party service to translate the website content that may collect data about your activity. Please review the details and accept the service to view the translations.