reply to post by TechUnique
I'd certainly love to see the application of molecular nanotechnology reach the point where we could "print" our own replacement bodies.
It sounds a little goulish, but, from a medical standpoint it'd be a wonderful way of doing away with disease, irreparable mutations, aging,
mitigating physical traumas, injuries, amputations, and essentially everything that applies to anything that can go wrong with our bodies.
We could then hermit-crab to new, fresh bodies from time to time.
Pros to this would be:
1. a step in the direction of eliminating the "race", as well as "sex" card. Anyone could be White, Black, Brown, Red, Yellow, whatever, or have
come from such at one time or another. The same thing goes for male and female as a matter of choice/preference.
2. elimination of most mortality and physiological quality of life issues concerning health, and wellness.
Cons to this, however, are also plenty:
1. overpopulation is already a concern right now.
2. if no one dies of natural causes, and only so when extreme physical trauma takes place, this could effect societal moral conscience and regard
regarding treatment of others from a physical perspective.
3. if no one dies of natural causes, additional strain will be put on planetary resources with less people checking out.
4. with printable bodies, goulish practices with taboo markets for human meat could arise.
5. prostitution, slavery and other human exploitative abuses down to the lowest common denominator could become legal with printed bodies imprinted
with "artificial" software, and personalities.
6. expectations regarding employment, retirement, labor, and other such would likely become trouble and require addressing the more accessible
printed replacement bodies become. When, if ever, is it acceptable to retire, move on, and make room for new blood?
7. what if artificial software personalities, fully trained, pre-packaged with 1000 years of experience and learning, unshakably loyal and honest
with the 'owners', become better performing, more efficient, more trustworthy, and entirely more reliable in a printed body than a naturally born and
raised personality in the workforce, regardless the job or level of expertise and precision?
This list of cons could go on, and would far outweigh the benefits in number, if not addressed with appropriate laws regarding printed bodies for life
extension, replacement, and other such.
All in all, however, it'd be like any other advance where the world gets both better and worse at the same time. Mitigating the down-side would need
be a necessity of vast importance.
I'm all for transhuam, posthuman, metahuman next level development, but not without recognition of the problems such could also bring about, with
plans and mechanisms in place for managing such.
edit on 31-7-2012 by Druscilla because: (no reason given)