“I’m so three thousand and eight, you so two thousand and late.” So say the Black Eyed Peas, who have clearly grasped the importance of transhumanism. This movement advocates the enhancement of the human body using emerging and bio-technologies as to avoid the unnecessary and undesirable characteristics of the human condition. Symbolised by H+, it has been labelled by Francis Fukuyama as ‘the world’s most dangerous idea’. This is because it entails nothing less than the ability to shape the future of our species, viewing our current stage in evolution as ‘a possibly quite early phase’.
Transhumanist thinkers predict that we may be able to transform ourselves to such a high level as to merit the use of the term ‘posthuman’, and hence our species in three thousand and eight may be very different to that which we recognise now. Some critics of the movement (labelled ‘bioluddites’ or ‘bioconservatives’) argue that changing the body’s capacity is unnatural. Arguably, however, the process of using technology to improve ourselves has already begun, even though it is still very much in its infancy.
For example, contact lenses enable short-sighted people to see as well as normal-sighted people can, but with hardly any noticeable difference in terms of external looks and internal intrusion. And if a cure for cancer could be discovered, or an end to ageing, or even something as simple as being able to have better than 20/20 vision (for example not having to use binoculars to see long distances) then you can be sure that the critics would be the first to sign up for an enhanced life.
Imagine being able to remember everything – no more forgetting people’s names, panicky exam revision and fear of Alzheimer’s disease. Education could be streamlined so that we had more time for social interaction, and cameras would be just a distant memory, with everything recorded and captured by the eyes alone. Nano-robots in the bloodstream would destroy harmful bacteria, and the wastefulness of the number of hours of sleep currently required would be greatly reduced. The amount of food needed to sustain ourselves could also be greatly diminished, significantly reducing world poverty and allowing more efficient use of the world’s natural resources.
Even our mental potential could be improved; one day we may download information directly into our brains and upgrade its memory. This would greatly bridge the gap between the staggering amount that we do not know and the almost pitiful amount we currently do.
In millennia to come, people will be born into societies where such technological advances are so commonplace that they will be thought of as being natural. To achieve such a future for humans is an intriguing proposition; in the words of Aqua, ‘life in plastic is fantastic’. Ultimately, however, it remains to be seen what effect a move along the transhumanist path will have on our lives.
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