Transhumanism vs Bioconservatism.

[Pip Boy]

Writing a paper on this, and while your comments won't actually count as citeable material that can help with my assignment, I thought it would be interesting and enlightening to hear everyone's opinions on the matter.

Transhumanism is the philosophy of openly accepting new forms of artificial human enhancement.

Bioconservatism is the philosophy of keeping humans free of such enhancements.

While any society that goes completely in one direction is doomed to failure, there is a lot of middle ground. So what are your takes on Stem Cell research, Neural Implants, Physical and Mental performance enhancers etc? Will it make us into a utopian society without disease or strife, or will it further separate the upper and lower classes until we lower beings are ruled by a genetically modified master race (Or we all get assimilated by the Borg)?

[Tev]

I'm actually more down with biological enhancements than I am with technological implants when it comes to Transhumanism. I hate the idea of being saddled with an obsolete modem in my head because hardware upgrades wouldn't fit right.

I'm really only Bioconservative enough to care about not buying into "first-gen" or "experimental" bio-upgrades. When animal/human splicing technology comes along you most likely won't see me near the front of the line.....but I'd be open to dating the first or second catgirl out of the vat.

[Nique]

Uhh, I guess I would say Bioconservatism in princepal, and Transhumanism by nessecity. I guess such a view might be outmodded if we reach a point where the tech becomes indistinguishable, or more effective, than our biological components (Cylons?).

[Krylo]

Originally Posted by Pip Boy

While any society that goes completely in one direction is doomed to failure

Why?

Also: Define failure.

[Pip Boy]

Originally Posted by Krylo

Why?

Also: Define failure.

Well, since many things like Vaccines are technologies derived from medical research that improve the quality of human life, to be 100% bioconservative would mean to abandon any technology that directly interacts with human biology meaning we have...

No vaccines
No unnatural methods of childbirth
No unnatural methods of conception
pretty much no medicines whatsoever, since nearly all medicine is biotechnology in this sense.

On the other hand, a 100% transhumanist culture that totally jumps that the opportunity to ebrace any and all new human enhancements runs into other problems. We'll have people running around with massive modifications to their physical abilities, but still the same mental and emotional flaws and an ordinary human being. All these technologies won't come to exist at the same time, so odds are the more dangerous and simple ones will come before we find the DNA sequence for morality and enlightenment.

[Tev]

Originally Posted by Pip Boy

On the other hand, a 100% transhumanist culture that totally jumps that the opportunity to ebrace any and all new human enhancements runs into other problems.

Actually this is my fear about technological human enhancements and our instant-gratification iWhatever culture.

I would much rather go for the harder, more invasive, "requires more signatures than you have ink in two pens for" gene-splicing treatments that are the result of a lot of research and development than having someone cut into my brain to install a chip-deck that may be out-moded by Christmas.

Besides, if we get the technology to alter the human form on a genetic level consistently, then doing it more than once shouldn't be as hard as trying to find space for another USB port in your arm.

[Kim]

Originally Posted by Pip Boy

We'll have people running around with massive modifications to their physical abilities, but still the same mental and emotional flaws and an ordinary human being.

Which is why we should ban guns among the civilian populace.

[Kim]

I look forward to our cyborg clone future.

[Tev]

Originally Posted by NonCon

I look forward to our cyborg clone future.

With cat ears!

[bluestarultor]

Originally Posted by Tev

With cat ears!

Somehow I don't think Tripod is the future. In fact, why the hell does that even exist anymore?



I have to say that I'm pretty well against human enhancements. Curing stuff? Great! If blind people can see, deaf people can hear, lame people can walk, etc., I think we're doing the right thing. But plugging mutant genes into our eyes to see into the UV spectrum or putting chips in our brains, in my opinion, destroys a little bit of what makes us special. That kind of attitude says being human isn't good enough, which I think is wrong. Humans are a wonderful work of art that doesn't really need "improvement" that way and I personally think it ruins our appreciation of ourselves.