Transhumanism

[DefunctTheory]

Because that's the question that made me realize how quaint the idea of robotic body replacements are. We'll all be old, gray, or dead by the time machines can repair themselves like our bodies can (Nano/Microbots). Who cares if you can run 45 miles an hour when a twisted ankle requires a trip to the shop and a hefty insurance premium?

I think bionic (mechanical) limbs and organs are really only the beginning. Genetherapy and deliberate manipulation of a living person's DNA, along with biomechanical restructuring and organ replacement is really where it's at. Of course, these things are even further away, but they will hold the key to what we all want: being young and strong and beautiful (or whatever) for as long as we want to be alive. Posthumans are almost definitely not going to occur in our lifetimes, extended though they might be, but that's irrelevant to me. I can still look forward to it for my children's children's children and maybe, just maybe, somehow I'll stay alive long enough to take advantage of some of the awesomeness they'll be able to enjoy.

I don't think we have to discuss biological replacements here. It will take at least 80-100 years to get to a point to where it can be done reliably and stably, another 50 years to get past the FDA (And foreign equivalent), and about 50 years after that until the apocalypse comes.

Honestly, I'm glad I'll be dead by the time it happens. I do not envy the fight between the medical industry, the government, and the religious right.

 

[HapexIndustries]

I don't think we have to discuss biological replacements here. It will take at least 80-100 years to get to a point to where it can be done reliably and stably, another 50 years to get past the FDA (And foreign equivalent), and about 50 years after that until the apocalypse comes.

If were are going to relegate the discussion to things that are likely to happen in our lifetime it will get boring fast, but I guess people prefer something more tangible than pipe dreams of biomechanics. Still, we are working on mind-machine interfaces in a number of directions, not the least of which have involved: perceiving what eyes are seeing on a computer screen, moving a computer cursor with ones mind, and hooking a brain up to a robot arm and having it actually do something. Chances are good that the real transhumanist (again, not just replacements for things but NEW things) breakthroughs will result from this research and probably within our lifetimes. I doubt I'll get to access google with my brain but maybe it'll just be a question of having enough money instead of being totally impossible.

 

[SwimmingRock]

I'm all for transhumanism, modding humans, grinding, whatever the hell you wanna call it. The sooner we can replace these temporary, needy human bodies with mostly self-sufficient mechanical ones, the better. Then we just need to figure out a way to turn off emotions. I'd much rather be a science and literature studying machine.

 

[guntotingtomcat]

The body's just a tool of the mind, as far as I'm concerned. As long as I can function in society, attach whatever you want to me.

 

[Angerwing]

Say what you will about human augmentation, it will definitely make warfare fucking interesting.

 

[Koeryn]

I will say this: I fully support flash-supressing, 1-30x variable magnification, thermal option, with customizable HUD eyes.

What? I'm a Shadowrunner!

 

[Brandon237]

There are certain parts of me that both myself and my future wife would like to be... well... me but as for the rest, repair and slight enhancement is A-Okay.

I also think that prosthetic limbs and even organs are definitely a good idea, far better than donors.

 

[ryo02]

the body is a mere tool upgrade it replace it genetically or cybernetically as you please.

the brain however you have to be carefull with some parts can be replaced or upgraded and you can certainly add to it (both software and hardware) but be carefull what you cut out.

 

[mooncalf]

Go nuts, just don't hurt anyone.

 

[Hap2]

If I could replace my tendons with something synthetic with minimal repercussions, I would do it. I'm all for transhumanism.

 

[RobCoxxy]

Fuck yes. Gimme gimme gimme.
Any way I could make my body awesome, enhance my intellygence inteljens my brain think-goods, I want them.

Also. If this paves the way for longer lifespans and Mass Effect style biotics, I'm up for that.

Capthca
illoes Yorúbáland (what?)

 

[fezzthemonk]

For me, my belief in trance humanism came as more of aggravation with the majority of the population. I feel that we have become to complaisant. That we feel that we have stopped evolving, the "I'm number 1, why try harder" mentality. So because I'm to impatient to wait, I think transhumanism is the next step in human evolution. We need it as a species to move past the ceiling we've hit.

 

[Lord Legion]

For me, my belief in trance humanism came as more of aggravation with the majority of the population. I feel that we have become to complaisant. That we feel that we have stopped evolving, the "I'm number 1, why try harder" mentality. So because I'm to impatient to wait, I think transhumanism is the next step in human evolution. We need it as a species to move past the ceiling we've hit.

This exactly word for word...
We pretty much hit the ecological wall, we are such a dominant force on our planet we shape it instead of the other way around. The only way we are going to be able to go any further is to take the puppet strings for ourselves. There is an escape velocity for evolution as well as gravity.

Humanity has made an unprecedented moment in the entire history of life on the planet.

Although I would like to stress one thing, this will create a huge divide between the haves and the have nots. It will test to the core how people define themselves, and if anyone is really born a human, or if instead they work themselves up to that status.

 

[Emergent]

We're almost all transhumanists at heart, we just don't know it yet. Put it this way: If you're on your deathbed, dying of something horrific, and I tell you "all we have to do is put this genetically engineered thingymabob inside you and it's all better" you're gonna fucking take it, often even if it comes with it's own horrendous side effects (remember, almost all side effects are better than death). Once people accept life-saving therapies (note: we already have) everything else is just a matter of time and ability. End of story.

 

[DJDarque]

-snip-

-snip-

You also make valid points, and I must apologize for my lack of clarity (still) as to what I mean. Perhaps saying that altering our natural state was poor wording. All of the things you listed are indeed modifications to our natural state, but also most of them are a little more medically relevant that just giving yourself a pair of functional wings or extra arms. I absolutely agree that human augmentations could have huge benefits in curing, even eliminating disease, and fixing disabilities and injuries. It's when you get into all the extra modifications, such as adding extra limbs or replacing completely functioning limbs with cybernetics. I hope this makes what I am against a little more clear.

I don't begrudge anyone for wanting to be able to do this. I, also, find it fascinating that we have come this far with science that we're even able to talk about this with an actual possibility of it happening in the foreseeable future.

Even more so, I'm not even going so far as to say that it should be illegal or unethical to be able to make these kinds of modifications to the human body. I'm just saying that if some day people are able to modify absolutely anything about their body, I'm not going to be jumping on that bandwagon.

 

[Broken Boy]

I'm all for it if they can fix my back. I say what ever people want to do with their bodies is their choice. Who is anyone else to judge.

 

[lawrie001]

Biology will always out compete mechanics and cybernetics in my view, the human brain is far more complex and powerful then any super computer ever made, biology is adaptive and far more mallable then cybernetics. Which is why if modding the human body comes around it will be by genetics rather then augmentation by bionic components. But to be honest why change what we are? Evolution has created us this way so why change what fundamentally makes us, us. Changing a defective gene is fine but make it that a human has a 3rd arm or something like that is stupid.

 

[Squeaky]

Wouldnt mind a new back, neck, knees and my right ankle as iv kinda screwed all those joints but id never mess with my brain or nervous system.

Replacing your back and neck would most likely require MASSIVE modification to your central nervous system.

I ment more numbing or inhancing it behond the average human i dont want to be super human, just beable to bend would be nice.

To fix those issues, you'd have to replace parts of your spine, which in turn would most likely require patch work to be done on your spinal cord, if not entire sectional replacements (Which they have in today's medicine, in a crude sort of way).

Its a very tough place to work on.

Yeh il wait a bit till it becomes a standard surgery or sounds less likley to go wrong.

 

[DefunctTheory]

Wouldnt mind a new back, neck, knees and my right ankle as iv kinda screwed all those joints but id never mess with my brain or nervous system.

Replacing your back and neck would most likely require MASSIVE modification to your central nervous system.

I ment more numbing or inhancing it behond the average human i dont want to be super human, just beable to bend would be nice.

To fix those issues, you'd have to replace parts of your spine, which in turn would most likely require patch work to be done on your spinal cord, if not entire sectional replacements (Which they have in today's medicine, in a crude sort of way).

Its a very tough place to work on.

Yeh il wait a bit till it becomes a standard surgery or sounds less likley to go wrong.

Why not just go through spinal fusion on your back? It'll probably even relieve a lot of your neck pain.

 

[Squeaky]

Wouldnt mind a new back, neck, knees and my right ankle as iv kinda screwed all those joints but id never mess with my brain or nervous system.

Replacing your back and neck would most likely require MASSIVE modification to your central nervous system.

I ment more numbing or inhancing it behond the average human i dont want to be super human, just beable to bend would be nice.

To fix those issues, you'd have to replace parts of your spine, which in turn would most likely require patch work to be done on your spinal cord, if not entire sectional replacements (Which they have in today's medicine, in a crude sort of way).

Its a very tough place to work on.

Yeh il wait a bit till it becomes a standard surgery or sounds less likley to go wrong.

Why not just go through spinal fusion on your back? It'll probably even relieve a lot of your neck pain.

Will sound very childish but i hate doctors and id rather have the pain than go though surgeory.