The technology has favored us in many areas in the process of improve our quality of life and forms of communication. Nevertheless, their progress exceeds the expectations of the communityit is no longer just imagining a futuristic house or cars with AI, but also carrying devices within our bodies that model the response of a bot.
The reason is that molecular nanotechnology promises to intervene in our cognitive abilities or that biotechnology expands our senses for the purpose of creating perfect and gifted individuals.
East human enhancement project promises to change some value judgments. If you think that this topic is fiction, you will reconsider it at the end of this post, because we will tell you what is being discussed now.
What is human perfection?
We know that medicine clings to the cure of diseases, therefore, safeguarding life. Nevertheless, multidisciplinary technology moves towards other interests giving way to Human Enhancement (HE) or human enhancement, which is defined as the modification of the human body while being healthy.
Specifically, it refers to alter either naturally, technologically or artificially the human body to optimize their mental or physical abilities. From the point of view of the HE precursors, they consider that it is about complementing the natural abilities of the individual.
Benefits of human enhancement
The great contribution that applied technology has had in science and medicine in all its disciplines is not disputed, since many people have improved in health and physical conditions, thanks to a pacemaker or a prosthesis.
In the field of human enhancement, the development of technology has also manifested itself in the reproductive area (in vitro fertilization), in the metal (nootropics) and physically with exoskeletons (for mobility) or microchips under the skin made up of radiofrequency techniques to facilitate daily operations such as paying a bill or identifying ourselves.
Other contributions related to HE published in Forbes Technology Council, veterans in this matter are listed:
- Sensory enlargement and visualization.
- Easy to search with the use of the Internet.
- The reproduction of innate language.
- Interaction analysis on digital sales.
- The ability to receive translations of conversations in real time.
- Achieve an interface between the brain-machine.
- Improved hearing aids compatible with iPhone.
- The use of exoskeletons for industrial safety.
- The CRISPR technique discovered in 2012, which induces genome editing.
- Neurologically manipulated artificial limbs.
Challenges of Human Enhancement
The visionary scientific community heralds the birth of the age of man with super abilitiesfar from science fiction, we point out what the experts predict in relation to post-humanism.
Let’s see:
- The transhumanist movement aims to create a culture open to Human Enhancement (HE), which admits genetic and organic modifications to enhance our intelligence and physical abilities.
- They persecute the ideology of the transhumanism movement, they argue for liberation from aging and death. From this thought, the creation of longer-lived people is longed for and help them control emotions.
- The techno-optimistic current predicts the era of an embodied technology of post-humans. It is that this approach is driven by the “Internet of things” (IoT or IdC), this describes the interconnection of objects of daily use with the network (augmented reality glasses, smartwatch, intelligent textiles, personal drones and body nanonetworks).
- experience a transition towards immortality.
- Claims to remake human nature towards a superior being that equals a machine.
Ethical limitations of human enhancement
The evolution of the human race It is a subject that is not only immersed in the technological and scientific aspect but also in the political, social, religious and cultural aspects that lay their foundations in human ethics. We tell you why this project of perfection has generated controversy.
Many experts raise ethical-moral questions regarding the use of biotechnology, cognitive science, information technology and nanotechnology to regenerate our natural abilities, so that, a struggle has been sparked between bioconservatives and bioprogressives. Some of the academics view with concern the fact that there could be negative effects on identitythreatening interpersonal relationships.
At the same time, a public controversy has been raised about the social inequality that it would cause. This panorama envisions possible confrontations between “improved people” and “non-improved”, including those with higher and lower purchasing power, causing segregation problems. In a conservative society, the idea of intervening in human nature not to solve a problem, but to transform the human species goes against the gift that has been given.
Then, It is here where the question arises between going beyond healing people to manipulating those who do not suffer from any pathology. A trend that is viewed with suspicion, regarding the possibility of opposing the moralistic foundationswhich is explained in the Nuremberg Code, in terms of originating experiments with humans where 10 ethical principles are established.
Likewise, the probability of going against the document on the Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights of UNESCO, approved by 77 national delegations present at the 29th session on November 11, 1997.
For its part, the Vatican, in 2020, held at an event held by the Pontifical Academy for Life on ethics, laws and health in AI, that digital innovation affects all aspects of life, it is necessary to establish a shared commitment, because it is very complex to foresee its effects, to which he called “humanizing the technique and not technologizing the human”.
Main human enhancement technologies
Currently, the specialties are based on different branches of technology, basically they are located in three:
Existing
Today the advances in HE are aimed at three ways: the mental which encompasses neurostimulation, the use of nootropics and also supplements that improve cognitive efficiencyeven the Internet, computers, mobile phones can be used for this purpose.
Physicswhich within this area belong those for aesthetic use, medicines to increase performance, electric exoskeletons, prostheses, medical implants (pacemakers), bionic lenses, dietary supplements and weights for physical training. the reproductivewhich uses preimplantation genetic diagnosis, in vitro generated gametes and cytoplasmic transfer to select embryos.
emerging
This type of technology performs experiments or trials for the improvement of people with human genetic engineering, that is, using gene therapy. It is also being tested with 3D bioprinting, cybernetic software and nanomedicine. In the same way neuro technology is included, which works on computer-brain interfacesin addition to neural implants.
speculative
For his part, speculative technologies are conditioned to the hypothesis of achieving endogenous artificial nutrition with HE to resynthesize glucoseamino acids and vitamins from food degradation.
Together with the mental transfer (mental load), which involves a process of copying, transferring or loading a mind (conscious biological brain) to a non-biological one, allowing its state to be replicated in a computer system. Likewise, the exocortex or additional biological cortex, evaluates a kind of external hard drive, processors with input and output devices for our brain with the purpose of increasing its level, in other words increasing its capacities.
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