Redesigning yourself with cybernetics

It wont be long before the technology will be available to connect our brains to computer systems. A few years back a stroke victim at Emery University in Georgia, was wired to a computer and was able to use a speech synthesiser to speak again. As the field of cybernetics continues to develop, we will soon be able to rebuild, add to and modify ourselves.

I can only begin to start imagining the limitless possabilites of the things that can be done both positive and nevative. I would have no doubt that governments, military organizations, and corporations will persue these things.

Do you feel that people should have the right to redesign themselves or add to their existing design? Im not asking about those who will benefit for the medical values but for those who wish to do this for personal reasons.

I have also thought about the possibility of humans being able to modify themselves physically with drugs and cybernetics.

I totally disagree with it because they will want to get ripped and good looking. For the people that worked out forever to get ripped, that is just cheating and unfair.

Personally I believe it morally unacceptable to deny medical treatment of any kind to those who wish it. Though the social and philosophical implications are limitless. Identity Theft would take on a whole new meaning as no software is totally secure, biological viruses may no longer be as big an issue as software viruses causing brain damage and catatonic states and the most inoppurtune moments. Terrorists could now hijack the pilots instead of the planes and world leaders would be even less trustworthy a la The Manchurian Candidate.

No doubt the cybernetic field would be restricted to those with the money to pay for such implantation, which in turn could create a new socioeconomic gap between the upper and lower classes. No longer would your status be read by your Lexus and Rolex but by your state of the art full spectrum ocular implants. We would now have to make a distinction between natural humans and enhanced humans, with the enhanced humans now being the ruling elite. Overtime this could develop into a feeling with in the elite classes that the natural humans are a lower order of life, that cybernetics is the next step in human evolution, leaving those of us without the resources for such evolution victim to a new form of segregation.

Perhaps this is just my pessimistic dystopian opinion based on reading too many cyberpunk novels, but I think the issues brought up would be in need of serious consideration before we throw ourselves blindly into such a future.

*edited for spelling and typos

[edit on 31-1-2005 by Shadowflux]

Originally posted by dexterium

I totally disagree with it because they will want to get ripped and good looking. For the people that worked out forever to get ripped, that is just cheating and unfair.

Unfair to who? Those people that get ripped how do you think they do that now, Steroids,HGH, Creatine ect... people go so far as getting things like chest,chalf implants. Many people no matter how much they work out will ever get ripped it has alot to do with genetics.

Is it cheating for a women to get bigger breast if she wants, Is that unfair to the natural women with big breasts.

Genes are not fair atleast implants can attempt to give us all level playing ground.

[edit on 31-1-2005 by ShadowXIX]

Yeah, my comment was going to be on plastic surgery too. It's the same idea except that not only can physical appearance be altered, but all characteristics, both physical and mental. Everything from strength to memory could theoretically be altered. Shadowflux's comments could become very real concerns if the age of full-on cybernetics comes. No doubt it'll be a dangerous era to enter into, and I'd think much caution would be advised. Laws would HAVE to be asserted to control who can recieve them and what they are allowed to recieve. All-in-all I fear what the military might do with such technology.

At what point of cybernetic alteration do you think you'd loose your soul/conciousness as an individual and essentially die into something else entirely?

Originally posted by Greyhaven7

At what point of cybernetic alteration do you think you'd loose your soul/conciousness as an individual and essentially die into something else entirely?

I dont know I would imagine when to went over to a full cybernetic brain.

This reminds me alot of Ghost in the Shell, with people with full cybernetic bodies but still had a soul (ghost) that could never be reproduced artificially. Its a good show in the way they portray the future of Cybernetics. The difference between man and machine really blurs over into the academic.

Im not sure that I agree that these technologies would be available to the upper classes only. At first yes, but as more people do this the cheaper itll get and those who market these will need to make their money. Not to mention there will always be an underground market.

The possabilites Shadowflux and Greyhaven7 mention are a big concern and more with what I was thinking about. soldiers with communications implants, infrared or thermal sensoring implants, and other physical or mental amplifications.

But theres also a whole range of poitive possabilities. Not just the more obvious medical benifits to those who are either born with an issue or those who are injured. Even those mentioned above could be very usefull for legitimate purposes. But theres thousands of commercial purposes also. Imagine night vision for those who drive or work nighttime shifts, multichannel communications between groups or individuals, sensory recorders, wireless networks and computer access, data storage implats, language translation implants, EM blankets that could block all incomping and outgoing signals, and etc...

ShadowXIX made a good point also, that this levels the playing ground some especialy in the medial areas, but also this could make the world a bit more level in the job market also. Those who are born able to compute large numbers easily saved themselves $x, where I can purchase an implant which would assist.

I also agree there needs to be lots of oversight and checks and balances. But I dont think thatll be enough. If country X has the resources to persue quietly building an army of super techno-men, I dont think there would be any hesitation. We know by example of today that with such technologies like bio, chemical, and nuclear sciences are being persued even with treaties and laws banning or limiting them. Not to mention theres just some companies alone who I would not trust an implant from or its software.

I would say Im all for the different possabilties we could have. I look foreward to the day when I can access my entire music collection by thought or from an internal data storage implant. I would also like to connect to a game server by thought and be able to play. With sensory manipulation implants the effects could possibly be indistinguishable from the world we are in now.

Laws and Regulations? You would trust the government to say what you can and cannot put into your body...erm you know what I mean. I believe this technology should be Open-Sourced if that ever becomes possible and it should be available to everyone. Or else it will create a whole new form of Social Elitism, that I do not look forward too. Allthough just to cover my a "ALL HAIL (FUTURE)OVERLOAD GATES!"

I'd implant more memory and download everything into the memory so I know everything about anything.

Maybe we are one step closer to being able to punch someone through the internet in some form?

I would probably download an organizer program to finally get all my thoughts stored in one place instead of randomly floating by. That's my biggest problem is I will have great thoughts and then I forget them. And maybe a RAM boost, get some PC 3700 installed.

As a matter of fact!?...yes, I mean fact...it's already here...

...A team of neuroscientists have successfully implanted a chip into the brain of a quadriplegic man, allowing him to control a computer...

www-cgi.cnn.com...

My rule of thumb is that if it's being presented on the news to the public now...than the (elite) government had already developed a more complex, better working version of the above claim...

Punching someone over the internet is achieveable without cybernetics - that would be a simple case of some kind of online VR beat em up game, and wetsuit style outfits with pressure delivery capabilities that match up to the game movements.

Ghost in the Shell, and it's sequel, are amazing films. I haven't seen the Stand Alone Complex yet. Insofar as modding your own body with electronics, the basics have been done, but really it's not that much different from before cars and after cars - if people ignore meaning and ignore purpose and ignore the soul, then things stay sh*tty. It doesn't matter how fancy the tech. gets or how complex. They won't really think of anything to do with it that is evolved.

It's like high speed fibreoptic reality TV, with the same dialogue as the least evolved soaps currently on the telly. Fruitless and sterile. Same old arguements that were never real anyway, same old boring soul-less concerns.

Originally posted by duff beer dragon

Ghost in the Shell, and it's sequel, are amazing films. I haven't seen the Stand Alone Complex yet.

I have only seen the first movie but watch Stand Alone Complex now that its on TV its great. I remember we had a thread on ATS not to long ago about animals being created with human organs for transplants and such. On one of the episodes they had this very thing they went to a type of "Organ farm" Where they keep pigs with human organs for their clients. This way you could have a perfect DNA match organ waiting for years if you needed it.

Im always amazed on how Sci-Fi gets more Sci all the time.