For decades now, science fiction writers and philosophers alike have struggled with the question "what does it mean to be human?" The question is still for the most part academic, but in the years and decades to come, the problem will become more and more pressing. We are fortunate, then, that Ndbag has chosen to address this issue now, before it's too late.
In this chapter, Ndbag and Pandaman give us some examples of what transhumanity will look like, and pose troubling questions about the nature of those transhumans. More importantly, he examines how they'll be treated by the main stream of mankind.
As one would expect, our boogeyman starts by looking at those aspects of human enhancement that are already with us. Pandaman, we're assured, is kind of cute. This isn't in doubt; we can see that the cuteness quotient is at least 0.7. But can humans achieve such a level? They can, and more and more, they do. However, in many cases it's artificial, which cosmetic surgery making up for any perceived lack in what nature has to offer. This, we realise, is likely to increase in the future, with traditional methods coupled with more advanced techniques that have yet to manifest themselves.
Of course, enhancement isn't limited only to the superficial; as we find out in the second panel, our senses are likely to follow suit. Ndbag tells us that we are on the verge of being able to rebuild or even improve on our cochlear hair cells, giving us vastly improved hearing. We will truly be great listeners. As the enormity of this breakthrough sinks in, we realise that it's limited not just to hearing; all our senses will be enhanced. We'll see farther, and in more of the spectrum. Infra-red will no longer be infra, but a new colour of redder. We'll be able to smell pies from fifty metres away. We'll be able to tell how many grains of sand are on our fingertips simply by touch.
Enhancements inside our body will radically change us, too, we are told. As the efficiency of our digestive system increases, we'll extract more energy from our food, making us ever cheaper to feed. We'll be able to exude pheromones that make others happier to see us; we'll be friendlier.
But just as we revel in the possibilities of the future, Ndbag gives us a stark warning. These changes, he says, will not be available to all, and we must take great care in their use. The great danger, we learn, is that those enhanced humans will consider themselves better people. Worse, the unenhanced may consider themselves inferior. The boogeyman warns us that we risk going from the random changes espoused by Thomas Huxley to the Brave New World of his grandson Aldous.
We can only hope that Ndbag's warnings have come in time, and that they are heeded.
No comments:
Post a Comment