Rich 'may evolve into separate species'

Rich 'may evolve into separate species'

www.telegraph.co.uk

The super-rich may evolve into a separate species entirely in the future due to enhancements in biotechnology and robotic engineering, American futurologist Paul Saffo has said.

But Mr Saffo says these improvements would only be affordable to the super-rich. And because of this, he says, advancements may lead to a divide between the classes and eventually could lead to the super-rich evolving into a different species entirely, leaving his not-so-rich counterpart behind.

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Hm, interesting,

I can see his point, that the rich may become a super species, but I don't think it would be evolution.

I suppose it depends on the level of genetic engineering and gene alteration. But advances in robotics wouldn't be evolution, however I can seriously see the super rich becoming super humans.

Evolution is usually concerned with making genetic changes to give the new generation some advantage over the previous generation. Is it still evolution if it's done in a lab?

I don't know. But I do see the super rich removing genetic diseases from their offspring,added to robotic engineering there could be some really freaky but cool kids coming to a family near you.

I feel a novel coming on!


www.telegraph.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by kiwifoot


It could happen, but only for a relatively short period of time. You see as the years would drag on, the technology would become much more affordable.

Sure there would be newer models, but an enhanced human is an enhanced human.

I think our entire species will be going towards some form of machina state in some way or another, simply because there are A LOT of positive outcomes when it comes to disease and loss motor skill/function.

~Keeper

This sounds a lot like the book Oryx and Crake. The rich can have there children genetically engineered to be whatever they want. There's also alot more that can be done.

reply to post by kiwifoot


I agree 100%. Not only is it probable that the human species is close to breaking apart into two separate species I think it is inevitable.

The genetic manipulation and robotics of the future are going to create divide between organic humans those augmented by machines/genetic manipulation. There will be nanobots in their blood stream, replacement organs and limbs grown in labs as well as advanced bio-tech limbs so super-strength, super-perception, and super-longevity will become available to those who can afford the price tag.

Disease and fitness will no longer be a matter of inoculation or exercise, instead we will be able to shut off the gene for being fat and speed up the metabolism and we will be able to genetically alter immunity.

All this transhumanism will create a break in the general public as the Middle-Class joins the super-rich in being able to afford some of these changes while the lower class begins living in slums built only for the filthy "organics". Discrimination and lack of resources for the organic people will cause them to either remain human or become something else all the while the transhumanists will be evolving at a fast rate into super-beings.

I also predict either a robot civil rights movement where they become equated with people or a Clone civil rights movement, we'll see...



[edit on 25-10-2009 by Titen-Sxull]

They are probably all doing stuff already, like how kissinger, never seems to age does he.

Do we really care what these people do, you are never going to be in there group, so why bother.

Those people must be scum to be around though.

The super rich are also self destructive and unhappy people. Yes, believe it or not, they are unhappy. When you have everythign, there is nothing to look forward too.

They will find a way to self destruct.

Hmmm...unless they can overcome the brains natural degeneration and general atrophy that occurs, changing into a cyber-gene humanoid wouldn't do much to prevent eventual death. I really don't believe it will get to such a point for at least another 200 years.

reply to post by kiwifoot


They can only become a different species if the at least the following two conditions are met:

1) the changes are inheritable. Individuals don't evolve, populations do. surgery and implants only affect the individual. There would have to be an inheritable genetic change involved.

2) the two populations don't interbreed. It's pretty difficult to keep your nice new technologically enhanced DNA out of the other potential species if you keep screwing your maid.

Now the folks that move off planet, have a good chance of evolving into something other. That is the future of human evolution.

Foreshadowing a future reminiscent of the Deus Ex plot, lol.

If you are interested in this subject, I have to say there are some extremely interesting books about it at most local libraries. There have been large leaps in cybernetics since like the 50's (and during WW2). And apparently a lot of the info is open access at the library, but almost never spoken of in media. Crazy experiments.

I know a lot of people will want augmentation and get them, but I won't accept any upgrades.

Here is why,
because there will be uncomfortable (or possibly serious) side effects or complications from experimental cybernetic augments. You could be seriously injured by it malfunctioning or even die.

Genetic manipulation also bears similar risks to your sanity and health.

It's Russian Roulette this early in our development technologically speaking.

Wow, just when I though classism couldn't get any better. I may be poor but at least I can call myself a human being!

Who knows what horrors people will inflict upon themselves because they're not happy with themselves.There are consequences for everything that man do because he's imperfect therefore he will create imperfection, kinda reminds me of the Borg (seeking perfection but can never attain it).

This thread reminds me of the Movie the Time Machine (2002).

Where a 19th century inventor travels 800,000 years into the future, where he finds humankind divided into two waring races.

There are the rich powerful elite who are mentally superior and have technology. This rich elite employ a worker slave race of super strong but animalistic humans who were engineered to be workers long ago.

There is also a free race of natural humans who are forced to hide out and live on cliff-sides to protect themselves from the animalistic beasts who hunt them for food and I believe, breeding stock.

[edit on (10/26/09) by AllSeeingI]

The rich may evolve into separate species.
Hmm.

So the greedy corporate elitists, corrupt political figures, and religious Zionists, are still considered as part of our species at the present?

While I have no doubt, that the obscenely rich will enjoy advancements in medicine and life extension, I don't think they will diverge too much from us in the near future.
Ask me this same question in a few hundred years.





[edit on 10/25/2009 by reticledc]

reply to post by kiwifoot


I've seen Wall-E, I'm pretty certain that if the rich do evolve into a different species then I'll be quite happy to be poor.

reply to post by kiwifoot


The rich already see themselves as a separate species from the rabble.

If you have ever worked in a service industry that caters to the very wealthy you would know how it feels to be a non human. Just worker bees to service the elite. And the gap is getting wider. Much wider!!


If the elite can genetically manipulate themselves to be even more special; they will.


[edit on 25-10-2009 by whaaa]

Can you imagine how much power and influence could be consolidated by such an advancement . Scientists backed by huge money, attempting to push `the number` out.

At the top of the oligarch pyramid. an uber elite .
Served no doubt by a cycle of poor `mortals` , and a scrambling middle tier jockeying for position .

I cannot see this technology , even if it could be made relatively cheap, being released to millions of people .

Such a technology would be seriously controlled .
With populations exploding ,and current medical advancements adding years to our lives , we face a crisis with pensions etc already .

Once upon a time , people died within a few years of retiring , we now view it as another phase of life .

I would imagine that despite their longevity , these genetically enhanced humans would become more risk adverse, as there years grew. Leaving an underclass to engage in any dangerous endeavours, but i suppose that isn`t any different than today really.

Earths experiment with consciousness has delivered us to this moment.
We are rare, unique but still an animal shaped by our environment .

The ability to consciously manipulate our genes will have profound consequences no doubt.
Maybe it will work out for us ...... or maybe we will destroy ourselves in the process ........ opening up a new niche on Earth for some other species to exploit .

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shades of Aldous Huxley s ~ Brave New World
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And whilst we debate about our perceived loss of nationality, as the worlds economic/political blocs merge. To question what it means to be human will become a lingering theme well into the next century imho .

Of course this all hinges on the survival of `the system`, from which all these technological advances are made possible . Should some calamity be fail mankind, it would zero the clock ~ things would get seriously physical again .

Either way ,its an amazing time to be alive . The science fiction of our youth, on the cusp of being made real .

I would think they would do the opposite. They would devolve. They may have implants and such, but after a while, they would probably piss off or of gotten rid of the people around them, and would lack the ability to fix said enhancement. If anything, the Poor would adapt to a super species having to take care of so many jobs for the rich, that the poor would become stronger, more versatile beings, while the rich became a blob like snail creature.

I think the cluster of personality disorders known as psychopathy/sociopathy/pathological narcissism and related conditions are already a step on the way to a division in the species. These are people who exist basically without the moral contstraints that most "normal" humans have. Since society rewards backstabbing and so forth, these people increasingly climb to the top of whatever ladder they are pursuing, become rich, and end up intermarrying with each other.

Come to think of it, this process has been underway ever since the dawn of settled communities and the end of hunter-gatherer societies in most places, which happened 7-10 thousand years ago...a blink of the eye in evolutionary terms.

This reminds me of a william lycan book I read in college.

The jist is. That if we replaced a persons cell by cell with robotic cells without them knowing and in the end, they still acted, looked and said they felt the same... would they still be the same person even though none of their organic cells remain?

If your up for a mind bender of a read here is the "Paper"

Scribd.com William Lycan and Consciousness