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Strong argument for The Singularity for sure.
For sure, but where does it end? I am all for exploring what technology can do to help save or extend the life of people, the scary part is when people become more machine then human. Also is there a moral or ethical issue with relying on technology to extend ones life? What if technology allows us to live till 150 or even 200 years, should we? The human body, its organs, tissues, cells etc. have limits, once we go beyond the capacity of our physical body its almost like you are living on borrowed time.
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Another note, too, is that by having new generations replace the old, we allow evolution to do its work and select against bad genes. By prolonging the life of one generation, we lose out biological selection to do its work. In a way, cancer and other aging diseases are a benefit to our species in the long term because they prevent the older generation from eclipsing the young with their resource usage.
sounds_sound · 4653 days ago · link ·
I don't think it does end. A fundamental characteristic of being human -separate from nature- is about our dependence on technology. I wear running shoes because it enhances the performance that my slow evolving body cannot match. Once we open the door....
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But you don't need the running shoes to be able to run, that is very different that becoming totally dependant on a prosthetic heart for instance. Where do you draw the line between using technology to accentuate existing physical abilities and using it to gain somewhat unhuman abilities, like immortality?
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sounds_sound · 4653 days ago · link ·
Hmm. Tough to say. Let me answer your question with another question: What are you afraid is going to happen?
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I guess I am afraid that our accomplishments will become meaningless. Take the Olympics, I just think that our bodies have a limit, and eventually in order to beat records we will rely on technology to perform better, such as the case with the Speedo LZR swimsuit. If that swimsuit made the difference between setting the world record or not was it really worth it?
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thenewgreen · 4653 days ago · link ·
All future accomplishments will come with an asterisk: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/21586470/
thenewgreen · 4653 days ago · link ·
I often think about this in context of the right to life/choice debate. Many times the argument from the Choice side is that personhood occurs at the point when the child could live outside of the womb. As technology advances, this occurs at an earlier and earlier fetal age. It's this that leads me to conclude that abortion is ever more a moral and ethical argument and not a medical one.