I think that the ultimate quest of man to become better is plausible, but by what means are we willing to reach such a state? Human existence compared to the average man’s lifespan, is old, or even something of antiquity. Since the beginning of time we have seen many advances, evolution or adaptation has been a key factor promoting our present state. I think that those who consider transhumanism must consider all of the many pros, and cons to this condition as possible, like the eventual state of the brain’s ability to process information, as the most advanced of some our computers today. We would be able to promote efficiency within every life, through greater possibilities to cheat death. Technology would allow for countless time to be saved through much more efficient traveling machines, the rate at which humans will make discoveries will become astounding, thrusting us into areas once unknown. Theories once mystified will begin to unify and the ultimate picture of life’s past and future would become ever clearer, unlocking secrets of the cosmos and altering our complete understanding and purpose for existing.
But would the greed of some turn this bountiful leap of possibilities into a sport for their own personal gain, acquiring the most advanced and sophisticated developments that only the riches individuals can afford, using them as weapons of choice? Or would there be an ultimate, unbearable toll on the structures of the earth’s environments, because humans have lost their ability to naturally feel and reason? I believe that too many hidden agendas lie within the hearts of the great financiers of such mechanical and artificial production. Such advances in brainpower will prove to produce greater weapons of war and death, and this world has already seen enough of it. The desire for power and control will increase as human capability is enhanced.
Considering our present state and world conditions, I believe that when is the question behind the arrival of such an age. Strict laws will have to be instituted, that allows for the protection of all that it will affect. The ability to affect these choices should not be privileged to the few; money should not be a means to make decisions more conducive to a small group of individuals. All who can intelligently reason with what the coming of such an age will constitute, should be allowed to.
When I think of transhumanism, I think of the words, wonderful, artificial, fruitful, great, unable to coexist with earth’s systems, or even cancerous. Because of this, I’m not sure if the pros out-way the cons. If we can ensure positive advancement with this technology, then the future seems partly safe.
It is obvious that the human race is constantly searching for more ways to dodge the natural biological means of life. Botox, abortions, and sex changes are just a few of the examples that represent the procedures onto those unhappy with their body condition. Technological advances have encouraged science to find more efficient ways to modify the human condition. But, who are we to try to change what God had in store for us? I think as a person we are granted many important rights by the government. God granted us the right of free will, this is true. There are boundaries to not step foot on. Some things are meant to take their natural path. We are not God, yet we try to play God. It is wonderful to find vaccines and cures to diseases, viruses and illnesses. Those are not means of changing our bodies for personal gains. The desire to change the way we look sounds greedy. You should be happy with the way you are, God made you that way for a reason. I admit, everyone has a right to their own opinions and desires. What a person does with their body is really up to them and will only have to deal with it subconsciously.
I think that the more options people have the more changes they will make. Nowadays our advanced technology covers just about anything you want to change of yourself. I believe anything you do excessively will harm you eventually. It is good that we have the options and that they exist. Especially in cases where there was an accident that changed the way you look and you need cosmetic surgery. The problem with doing it willingly is that it can become addictive. As long as your responsible about it than it should be ok. Many people are against it because they say it's damaging God's property. Let me just say this, if you have tattoos and you're continuing to get them, don't even go there. As far as God's property, there's really no difference between getting a tattoo and having cosmetic surgery done. But despite me mentioning this, I really don't believe God will punish you for these things. At the same time I do believe you should be happy with what was given to you. I just don't think that making changes is such a big sin. The only way I personally would participate in this is if I get some scars from an accident or some sort of damage that I didn't have before, but that's me. If people want to do it for whatever other reasons, even though I think people should be happy with themselves, it just doesn't bother me.
We do have the right to do whatever we want to ourselves, there is no doubt about that. It it wrong to do so? That all comes down to the individual and what exactly is necessary to alter.. Some will argue that nothing should be changed because it's the way God made us. That falls into belief since not all people belief we were made by a greater power. We could of evolved from an unknown organism that has been developing and growing for millions of years by being exposed to different environments.
Society is now given many option to alter physical appearance. Botox, sex organ changes, breast implants, tattoo and hair removal, etc. Many of these procedure are dangerous and can lead to health problems, disease or deaths. Are these necessary? In my opinion no, unless its being used to reconstruct someone who has been in an accident. Some people will say it is necessary because they don't feel happy about their breasts or their face. These are all physical alterations. Is it really going to do any harm to change evolution? Should laws be in effect to ban this? If so, won't this go against the constitution? Now if they do find that there is a great possibility that it will affect evolution and the natural way of human growth than something should be done but plastic surgery has been going since 800 BC. It's just turned into a fad now for men and women to have someone make changes to their body to make themselves look better. You can compare it to makeup, hair dye and acrylic nails but in a simpler way.
Other procedures that have to do with the internals of the body is another matter. Abortion is complicated because it includes the factors of what some people believe killing a baby. But abortion has been going on since 1550 BC. Synthetic organs are a great advance to save lives. Surgeries such as gastric bypass is great to lose weight for those with thyroid problems are uncontrollable weight gain from a disease. Do people do it to lose weight without having this medical issues? Yes because it is an OPTION that has been given to society.
If it's an option then society will want it no matter what. Needing it or not. People will take it to court, say its against the constitution to restrict it, they will legalize it and then those with money will have the procedure done. That goes with everything, drugs, religion, activities, etc. Drugs are illegal and people still do it. If they make surgeries like this illegal do you think people will continue doing it? Yes. Which will cause more to be imprisoned which will cause more government funds to be used for prisons and create a national debt. Everything is domino effect. That is a whole other issue.
Technology is growing by the second and it is booming at this current stage. Even though we are relying on technology for almost everything it doesn't mean our natural path is going to be veered off track. Our brains will accommodate. This can be an opportunity to push our minds to extremes and become smarter beings. Technological advances can prevent many problems that nature brings. Everything has a way of complementing each other to balance and continue our normal bodily functions. Evolution is constantly going. We are constantly changing. without change, there is no advancement.
The statement of us 'not playing god' is absurd. We will become gods. Confuse reality with arrogance, I dare you. As I was thinking and writing about this subject, I was reminded of a quote that I read by the great physicist Freeman Dyson. I'd like to start off with it in order to help put some things into perspective - a perspective that coincides with the beliefs I hold in regards to transhumanism. We are obliged to alter our bodies as a means for survival, and reaching a higher level of beauty.
“To me the most astounding fact in the universe is the powerful mind which drives my fingers as I write these words. Somehow, by natural processes still totally mysterious a million butterfly brains working together in a human skull have the power to dream, to calculate, to see and to hear, to speak and to listen, to translate thoughts and feelings into marks on paper which other brains can interpret. Mind, through the long course of biological evolution, has established itself as a moving force in our little corner of the universe. Here on this small planet, mind has infiltrated matter and has taken control. It appears to me that the tendency of mind to infiltrate and control matter is a law of nature.” -Freeman Dyson
As someone who follows the views held by Singulitarianism, my views on transhumanism can be misinterpreted as extreme - since for me, the ultimate goal of the human condition is overcoming death. I no longer glorify or accept our biological limitations - in fact I despise them and will do anything in my power to overcome the remaining ones I have. I sit here in awe, inspired by the words that Ray Kurzweil uttered when asked what the meaning of life would be if you weren't 'a mortal human'. He says "death does not give meaning to life, life does. And what we do with it, what we create, how we do it."
Edwin Hubble once said "equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls this adventure Science". But the Science tells us that WE ARE the universe. The molecules in our body are traceable to phenomenon in the cosmos. So we can conclude that "science" is the most precise means by which we can understand ourselves, our origins, and our future.
The universe seems to be working as a self-evolving mechanism of its own - free from divine intervention and superstitious religious nonsense. Understand the fact that you are literally just part of an explosion that took place billions of years ago; that you are shrapnel from multiple explosions, that you are big bang and supernova dust/energy that's been collected by gravity and that eventually assembled itself into a living organism that has evolved for billions of years, and that YOU are a part of the universe that's taken the shape of a self-aware cosmic architect. We veritably went from an amorphous assemblage of energy and stardust into a living, breathing, and cognizant entity that now has the power to decide whether or not it will subsist through the challenges that lay ahead of him. The most profound challenge we must overcome is our mortality. This is achievable by transcending our biological limitations, and just as we created the gods, we shall ourselves become like them. Our next step in evolving will not come through prayer and faith(maybe our earliest ones did), but through science and biological engineering. Natural selection states that those who best adapt to change are the ones who survive. And in the same sense, those who today are not Transhumanist's will indeed compulsively join the movement unless they're content with being an ephemeral function of the universe that did not live for as long as it potentially could've - mainly due to his arrogance and inability to cope with the problems that lay ahead of him.
Optimistically, I can conceive of a utopian future where we perpetually conquer our problems rather than conforming to the limitations that we were born to overcome.
Reading Ray Kurzweil's book "The Singularity is Near" really put things into perspective for me - that this change is unstoppable. I've briefly summed up what Ray means when he talks about the 6 epochs of evolution that we've taken part of.
At the beginning of the universe, all information existed at the subatomic level (1.Physics and Chemistry). A couple billion years later, with the beginning of life on Earth, genetic information was stored in DNA molecules, and yet organisms took thousands of years to evolve(2.Biology and DNA). We move even further, evolution now produced increasingly complex organisms. The birth of the brain allowed organisms to change their behavior and learn from past experiences(3.Brains). Now, here's where it gets cool. The next epoch in evolution was the technological one. Humans evolved into organisms with the ability to create technology. We are right now in the final stage of this epoch(4.Technology). Following this, we will merge human technology with human intelligence. Biology and technology will merge in order to create higher forms of life and intelligence(5.Merger) And the final stage will be the universe waking up, literally. This epoch will see the birth of super-intelligence, and with it, humans/machines expanding into the universe(6.The universe wakes up). *Remember the exponential growth taking place now*
Alan Harrington says in his book "The Immortalist" that the time has come for man to get over his cosmic inferiority complex. To rise above his condition – and to use technology to extend himself beyond his biological limitations and that "..we must never forget we are cosmic revolutionaries, not stooges conscripted to advance a natural order that kills everybody". And I wholeheartedly agree. Any of you who would not like to assist the Transhumanists can step aside and be forgotten. There is a revolution in the way that we think, communicate, connect, and collaborate creatively. We are aware that there will be problems when confronting these situations, but all problems are soluble. And with our indomitable will, we can overcome them.
With the advance in technology, we are shaping our future at a much faster rate. Now came the idea of evolving our appearance into perfection with our own hands. Why is society so desperate for perfection? Anybody can say "Its my body I can do whatever I want" but in reality no one is going to admit its because of social peer pressure. In todays society there are a numerous amount of ways to alter the human appearance. With the advance in technology the list runs on for a mile. From gender changes, abortions, botox, liposuction, plastic surgeries, etc. Personally i believe god made no mistakes in his craft, but others make think otherwise, despretly trying to take matters in their own hands, people will feel the need to change appearance.Yes technology can alter your appearance the way you would like, but all I see is benefits now, bad effects later. Some may not see it that way (obviously the ones who are willing to follow through with the procedures.) If you start out with botox, your going to continue the use of it till your 6 feet under the ground. Constantly trying to be perfect and using products to alter your appearance is going to be addictive because there's always going to be something you will not like about your self. No one is perfect, no one is born to be. With technology, a whole new "perfect race" is going to appear and it already started with "super humans" with significantly high IQ's. Being allowed to legally do so is also in question, I believe if it came down to it, it will be legalized as long as there are reasonings and profitable beneifts behind it. Over time, humans will be able to adjusted to the changes and the enivironment we create for ourselves. Whether or not a long time effect will occur in our future is something we do not know and we may not even live long enough to see the evolution effects. -Priscilla brown
The reaction to “My body, my choice” is definitely a great way of determining your position in all those controversial topics. It is really hard to agree that at some point what you do to yourself will not be linked to and/or affect someone else. However, everyone should have the right of deciding about those actions that affect only him or her as long as they accept the consequences that those actions will bring. Being able to decide is what brings this unavoidable sense of responsibility. Yes, we should be able to decide the conditions of the environment that will only directly affect ourselves. The adaptation to this environment will reshape us. It is also true that being able to change our environment and adapt to it does not mean going towards perfection but just a change. However, we cannot say either that adapting to any environment is bad at all. On the other hand, it allows us to survive in that environment therefore it is good. The definition of perfection is “the condition, state, or quality of being free or as free as possible from all flaws or defects.” Today, we analyze defects in many senses including beauty and other aspects of different cultural background. From the antonym of those defects we find “perfection”. However, the real meaning of perfection in nature is how well prepared the organism is to survive in their environment to survive. Then, it does not matter if the organism is bigger or smaller, opaque or colorful, fast or slow, as long as their characteristics match the ones needed to survive they will be reaching natural perfection. Having the right to modify our own environment as long as we do not affect others is good after accepting the consequences and modifications that it will bring to us. By making our own chooses and adapting, we will always be moving toward perfection.
"My body, my choice" If you want to tell someone else what they can and cannot do with their own body, then wouldn't you be taking away their freedom? Some may argue our body is a temple from God, and we were made perfectly the way we were supposed to be made. That is not everyone's beliefs, and so a Christian should not tell an athiest they cannot alter their body just like any one else should not tell a Christian to alter their body. Again it is freedom to ones own religion and ones own right to make their own choices. The laws are you can do as you please as long as you are not restricting others rights.
Many people believe that pursuing happiness is the same as pursuing perfection; I consider that a high percentage of them are trans-humanists. Even though I do not oppose to the ideas and principles of trans-humanism I believe some take it too far. Deforming your body with tons of surgeries and procedures to obtain a perfect image is just too much. The way you look is natural and beautiful. Numerous people get so obsess with this that they go under a lot of procedures to end up unhappy because of the results. Like Cindy Jackson known to be “the most surgically enhanced woman” has gone under 49 procedures just to look like a Barbie doll. That is … outrageous! Trans-humanist claim “my body, my choice”, this is a true statement. Anybody should do with his body whatever he or she wants. But sometimes people don’t see this can actually affect other. Abortion is the most famous and controversial of these issues. Even though a fetus is not an actual person until several weeks of gestation, I believe it a living creature. So abortion will affect the life and the future of it. But many women go through this procedure because of money and youth problems. And who can judge them? I support trans-humanist in several ways, and in other I simply don’t. If we talk about homosexual rights I do believe they deserve the same treatment as a heterosexual person. The only thing that changes in their biological functions is their sexual orientations not their levels of intelligent or of morality. There is also the feminist approach. Females should have the same right as men. Despite the fact women in previous centuries were all housewives and dedicated their lives to their husbands and children, time has changed. Nowadays females graduate from college and are as successful if not more successful than many men.
"My body, my choice." I have always been a strong believer that ultimately the decisions of what we do to our bodies is up to the individual. In our society, people get involved into the lives of others when they are not wanted. For example, personally, I am pro-choice. Although, I would never use abortion as a birth control option, I want the right to make my own decisions with my body. Another topic which I like to debate is gay marriage rights. If homosexuals were allowed to get married, it wouldn't affect me or anyone else who is not in the relationship, so there is no reason to take away their right to get married.
My opinion for each controversial topic always has shade of gray. I am against the idea of "My body, my choice" when it comes to harming your body, losing integrity, or hindering human evolution. For example, voluntary amputation could only result from a mental instability which leads to no benefit. Also, 'sex work' is illegal is the majority of the United States, and you shouldn't get into criminal activities.
In the end its all about compromise, if I want the choice to get an abortion, I have to respect others in their desires to get voluntary amputation. The idea that Kyle Munkittrick's principles go against an institution of religion is something you have to face on a personal level. If your religion is against abortion, then don't get an abortion but at least respect the decisions of others to make the "wrong" choice. They can voice their opinions but in the end it is the individuals who gets the final say.
"Transhumanism" has gained currency as the name for a new way of thinking that challenges the premiss that the human condition is and will remain essentially unalterable. Clearing away that mental block allows one to see a dazzling landscape of radical possibilities, ranging from unlimited bliss to the extinction of intelligent life. In general, the future by present lights looks very weird - but perhaps very wonderful - indeed. "My body, My choice" is a great topic to discuss since most people are not satisfied with who they are and so with so many advance technology they have the rights to do any type of surgery they desire to look like barbie's or better yet become someone whom they wish they would look like. And so who are we to judge them? it's their choice since it's their bodies whom they are remodeling and it doesnt affect anyone else that surrounds them. I believe that everyone should be whom they are because god made us that way for a reason, but unfortunately there are people who do not think the same and so sometimes by trying to fit into perfections causes them to lose their own life's an example can be liposuction most of the times not finding the right tools and just rushing to remodel your body just to look good causes tragic in many cases most of the plastic surgents do not have license and destroys people's body. Yet, no matter how much of a barbie you can look there's always going to be that someone that will never be satisfy with whom they are. As techonology continues to enhance people will take control over that to satifsfy themselves.
I believe that many people have the free will to do anything as they please with their bodies it's a unique gift from the Creator. It must be used for purpose not destruction of one’s health and lifestyle. Many people have so many variations on this topic I believe that certain things are meant to be unsaid and not discovered at all. Many people think they know everything, but they really don't. Then people want to make changes to their bodies, because of their appearance, and the way people perceive them. Human beings in general should be able to do as they please to a certain extent, but beware of the consequences it brings.
For those who say that "God" made you a certain way and it shouldn't be changes then maybe a more appropirate statement ill be" My body, God's choice". If someone should leave their body how it was created by "God" that they really don't have the right to change it under "God". It's much of a contradicting statement when you bring in the creation by "God" and having the right to change who you are. is it really YOUR body or "HIS"?
I say let people do whatever they want when it comes to altering their body's and let them learn from their mistakes. We are suggested not to do it and sometimes it is illegal to do it. Maybe trying to control it is creating far more of a disaster than actually giving the free liberty to do it. People need to see the pros and cons to it first hand, or second hand, and not just told. I understand the meaning of wanting to prevent anything from happening but this could be the problem. If pursuing happiness means to change your nose than do it. If it means to have an abortion then do it. Who has the right to limit where our happiness comes from? "God"? But i thought it was YOUR body and not "HIS".
I think that if someone what's to change their appearance then they should have the freedom to it. Its their choose let them live the kind of lives that they want. Yes when may say that god has made us all a certain way but those type of people might be athiest. Some people change their identify because they want to fit in with society or they feel that they are living a lie pretending to be happy with what is taught as acceptable. There are those procedures that are even risky and dangerous and yet some people will still risk it all for that perfect image they've been craving. Whether people change sex or body type they are still going to be the same person and have the same personality. God don't like ugly. The times we live in are full of surprises and change life would be to boring if people didn't do some of the things they did.
let's face it, people are selfish. we will do anything and everything for pleasure oh and incentives help. we eat, drink, have sex, engage in recreational drug use, have plastic surgery, get tattoos, and sleep till noon. all because we, humans, regard ourselves as the most important things in the universe. and what do humans want most in the world? happiness. so to make our lives more enjoyable, advances in technology feed our laziness allotting more leisure time. but advances are actually dehumanizing us. Natural functions of the body are being replaced. Usually a man's ability to get an erection decreases with age, but thanks to the development of viagra, older men can remain sexually active. this is just a small example but eventually we are going to be chopping of a man's "member", replacing it with an android-penis that would never let us down. i.e forever-happiness. that this is the first sign that we are becoming transhumanists. another sign that we are becoming transhumanists is our lack of cognition. Google and Wikipedia have marked their territory in our every day lives and they are here to stay. we depend on these search engines to interact with other people; to share a common knowledge with someone even though we have NO IDEA what they are talking about, or if our memory fails us, we can whip out our pocket-brain to help us out . i am definitely guilty of this, and i can bet that you (reader) are too. pretty soon we are going to be living witnesses of Wall-e scenarios, and by pretty soon i really mean couple hundred years…
The problem with many individuals or organizations (transhumanist included) who look to evolution to confirm their views to the purpose of life is that they believe the theory of evolution implicitly explains our purpose in life. They give it too much credit and in all actuality to give it such purpose is to categorically misinterpret Darwin’s theory. In fact, he basically described evolution as survival without purpose. All evolution truly shows us is how a species survives, not necessarily the goal of life or how we should live our life. For example, many would like to believe that the moth with brown spots was created in order to blend in with the environment, but the moth doesn’t have spots to avoid its enemies, it avoids its enemies because it has spots. Man and woman were not created with the ability to reproduce in order to survive, we survive because we have the ability to reproduce, which was developed through the slow process of evolution. We can look to hermaphrodites and see that nature doesn’t have a prerequisite for reproduction candidates. I understand that point in particular will evoke contentions solely based on religious ideological principles so it might not sight well with many. Nevertheless, the unpredictability of evolution only proves that it’s not a reliable source to build from or refer to. I believe in somatic rights so long as they don’t infringe on the rights of others or intentionally cause harm to their own innate rights to life. Abortion and the recreational use of harmful drugs are not a part of my list of tolerable somatic rights because you are harming or taking another life, to include your own. Once you are conceived, you do not have the choice to take your life away, unless you are acting in the rare occasion where it will prevent the deaths of many. Feel free to tie your fallopian tubes, reassign your gender, marry the same sex, so long as you’re not taking a life in the process, it’s okay in my book. This is your right.
I believe that we have the choice to do what we please with our bodies, no matter the circumstance or environment. There are more or less two-hundred genetically engineered babies born every year. To be genetically engineered is when your parents choose every genetic trait to formulate their "perfect" child.
The same goes to woman who augment their bodies for aesthetic reasons. They do it because they feel like they have something missing to their original body or whatever the reason may be. It's their choice to enlarge their breasts or butt or decrease their waistline. The same goes to men who change the appearance of their lower anatomy, to make them feel complete and to compensate any insecurities they may have.
If I as a female student suddenly became pregnant, I have the right to choose to not have the baby and not be guilted into keeping one when I am not able to raise it as an adult on my own. There shouldn't be politiciners inputting their beliefs into law and banning abortions from the women that might truly need it. Just because a woman can bear a child does not mean she would want to keep it.
The human race has always striven to improve the quality of their lives and we have through our technological and medical breakthroughs. Although I believe there shouldn't be anything stopping us from changing or molding our bodies to the way we want them to be but there should be laws about the possible discrimination that could occur. In the case of genetically engineered babies, when they grow up to be geniuses, there should be laws protecting the non-genetically engineered babies, who could have average or above average intelligence, from being discriminated from receiving a job or acceptance into schools. Although we have the right to do what we want, we still need to enforce equality for all and avoid any possible conflict.
As an individual “My Body My Choice” is just abroad topic. As a woman it means and carry much more weight because we are than narrowing down more specific issues and topics relating to me. When we as individuals open ourselves to conversation about debatable topics we are unknowingly are adding to society’s increasing unsolved issues to try to find solutions. The problem is when we don’t open the doors to conversation we are than adding to problem because than we are the problem. In my opinion to evolve into a trans-humanist you have to express your side, but to respectively listen the other side because than you maybe a compromise can truly be made. Religion, politics, abortion, guns, and other heating topics may never have a concession, but there is nothing wrong with disputing. If we come to this realization only then can we transcend to true trans-humanist beings.
I remember my perception of how humans evolve changed when i saw a movie called "Idiocracy". It raises a point when it compares the rate of procreation between a white-collar and a redneck family. It made me think about the possibility that the way culture naturally progresses is influenced by nurture. Of course, this means that our will to better ourselves as humans lies on the values and teachings instilled upon us. To become a better society we must populate the earth with hard working people who can have an honest commitment to themselves and their community.
Advances are not dehumanizing us. We, ourselves, are doing this and blaming it in technology. There is nothing wrong with using advanced medical drugs to improve health. Thats like saying not to bother even finding a cure for cancer because we should just deal with it. There is nothing wrong with using google or wikipedia. This is actually expanding our knowledge by adding more resources to retrieve information from. Without it, you won't know half the things you know right now. YOu need t ooh at it that it is an EXTRA resource and a handy one at that to learn EXTRA information. It's not like we use our searching devices during tests (at least your not suppose to), interviews, etc.
I am not the type of person that gets fired up because of a political discussion, but more of a person that sees both faces of the coin and judges from there. I agree with the idea of “my mind, my body” because it is free will. Governments stablish limitations on us that were not there at the beginning of time. Nature has its own rules and always find the way to restablish itself if there is a problem. However, we as humans with our laws and regulations, are breaking the law of nature and therefore not allowing that process of restablishment. I believe in survival of the fittest, and I know that if we would stop worrying about others and their problems and instead focus on ourselves, we would succeed as those people that did not care about their decisions would fail miserably. I do not agree with the idea that evolution signifies a constant tendency to increased perfection, instead think that evolution is just a process in which nature changes its habits in order to accommodate its individuals to its current factors and regulations.
If there is anything we fully own and have the right to alter any which way we want is ourselves--our bodies. The second we are ridded of our rights to express ourselves through our bodies, then we are no longer free. Sometimes people aren't content with what they see in the mirror and the only way for them to release their discontent and continue through life liking their reflection is by changing things about themselves whether it is physically or mentally. I don't believe that the second it begins to interfere with any other person is ethical, but as long as they are not harming anyone in the process, what they do with their bodies is solely up to the individual.
I support the transhumanist movement. If one is doing something only to one's own body, then to stop it is infringing upon that person's freedom. I assume, here, that freedom is to be valued and that it should be preserved. Of course, one person should not be given the freedom to deprive another person of freedom; but that does not refute the idea that freedom is valuable. If you doubt this claim, I simply ask you whether you would rather be free or in prison for no particular reason. One controversial issue here is that of prostitution. I respond to this by asserting that, if one is truly making a free choice to sell one's body (i.e. one is not forced to because of financial need, lack of other opportunities, &c.) then one should be allowed to. Of course, also, choices relating to one's own body should only be able to made completely by one once one has become old enough to truly understand the consequences of one's actions. For example, if a ten year old wants to prostitute him/herself, he/she should not be allowed to. I think we can all agree on that. Another objection to one's right to make any choices solely regarding one's own body is that of conflict with institutional religion. However, religion is not a legitimate basis for a philosophical argument. Unless you can actually prove that your religion is right, you cannot shove it on people. Even then, I feel that one should be able to make one's own choices. If one is willing to kill one's self even if it means going to hell, one should be able to make that choice. To the objection of the peril of changing human biology, I simply respond that it follows a fortiori from my stance that one should be able to make any choices about one's own body that one out to be able to modify oneself in any way provided that one is aware of the risks that could follow. If one is willing to take those risks, one should be able to make the choice. Of course, the advent of transhuman technologies would bring dangers if people used it for malevolent purposes. However, this is true of any technology. Cellphone communication can be used by a group of bank robbers to assist them in their crimes, but that does not mean that cellphone technologies should not be developed. Many things that we value highly today, e.g. permanent civilisation, sewage systems, airplane transportation, &c. are examples of humankind rising from the ranks of beasts. Transhumanism is just another step in this sequence.
26 comments:
I think that the ultimate quest of man to become better is plausible, but by what means are we willing to reach such a state? Human existence compared to the average man’s lifespan, is old, or even something of antiquity. Since the beginning of time we have seen many advances, evolution or adaptation has been a key factor promoting our present state. I think that those who consider transhumanism must consider all of the many pros, and cons to this condition as possible, like the eventual state of the brain’s ability to process information, as the most advanced of some our computers today. We would be able to promote efficiency within every life, through greater possibilities to cheat death. Technology would allow for countless time to be saved through much more efficient traveling machines, the rate at which humans will make discoveries will become astounding, thrusting us into areas once unknown. Theories once mystified will begin to unify and the ultimate picture of life’s past and future would become ever clearer, unlocking secrets of the cosmos and altering our complete understanding and purpose for existing.
But would the greed of some turn this bountiful leap of possibilities into a sport for their own personal gain, acquiring the most advanced and sophisticated developments that only the riches individuals can afford, using them as weapons of choice? Or would there be an ultimate, unbearable toll on the structures of the earth’s environments, because humans have lost their ability to naturally feel and reason? I believe that too many hidden agendas lie within the hearts of the great financiers of such mechanical and artificial production. Such advances in brainpower will prove to produce greater weapons of war and death, and this world has already seen enough of it. The desire for power and control will increase as human capability is enhanced.
Considering our present state and world conditions, I believe that when is the question behind the arrival of such an age. Strict laws will have to be instituted, that allows for the protection of all that it will affect. The ability to affect these choices should not be privileged to the few; money should not be a means to make decisions more conducive to a small group of individuals. All who can intelligently reason with what the coming of such an age will constitute, should be allowed to.
When I think of transhumanism, I think of the words, wonderful, artificial, fruitful, great, unable to coexist with earth’s systems, or even cancerous. Because of this, I’m not sure if the pros out-way the cons. If we can ensure positive advancement with this technology, then the future seems partly safe.
Khaliq
It is obvious that the human race is constantly searching for more ways to dodge the natural biological means of life. Botox, abortions, and sex changes are just a few of the examples that represent the procedures onto those unhappy with their body condition. Technological advances have encouraged science to find more efficient ways to modify the human condition. But, who are we to try to change what God had in store for us? I think as a person we are granted many important rights by the government. God granted us the right of free will, this is true. There are boundaries to not step foot on. Some things are meant to take their natural path. We are not God, yet we try to play God. It is wonderful to find vaccines and cures to diseases, viruses and illnesses. Those are not means of changing our bodies for personal gains. The desire to change the way we look sounds greedy. You should be happy with the way you are, God made you that way for a reason. I admit, everyone has a right to their own opinions and desires. What a person does with their body is really up to them and will only have to deal with it subconsciously.
kristie valencia
I think that the more options people have the more changes they will make. Nowadays our advanced technology covers just about anything you want to change of yourself. I believe anything you do excessively will harm you eventually. It is good that we have the options and that they exist. Especially in cases where there was an accident that changed the way you look and you need cosmetic surgery. The problem with doing it willingly is that it can become addictive. As long as your responsible about it than it should be ok. Many people are against it because they say it's damaging God's property. Let me just say this, if you have tattoos and you're continuing to get them, don't even go there. As far as God's property, there's really no difference between getting a tattoo and having cosmetic surgery done. But despite me mentioning this, I really don't believe God will punish you for these things. At the same time I do believe you should be happy with what was given to you. I just don't think that making changes is such a big sin. The only way I personally would participate in this is if I get some scars from an accident or some sort of damage that I didn't have before, but that's me. If people want to do it for whatever other reasons, even though I think people should be happy with themselves, it just doesn't bother me.
We do have the right to do whatever we want to ourselves, there is no doubt about that. It it wrong to do so? That all comes down to the individual and what exactly is necessary to alter.. Some will argue that nothing should be changed because it's the way God made us. That falls into belief since not all people belief we were made by a greater power. We could of evolved from an unknown organism that has been developing and growing for millions of years by being exposed to different environments.
Society is now given many option to alter physical appearance. Botox, sex organ changes, breast implants, tattoo and hair removal, etc. Many of these procedure are dangerous and can lead to health problems, disease or deaths. Are these necessary? In my opinion no, unless its being used to reconstruct someone who has been in an accident. Some people will say it is necessary because they don't feel happy about their breasts or their face. These are all physical alterations. Is it really going to do any harm to change evolution? Should laws be in effect to ban this? If so, won't this go against the constitution? Now if they do find that there is a great possibility that it will affect evolution and the natural way of human growth than something should be done but plastic surgery has been going since 800 BC. It's just turned into a fad now for men and women to have someone make changes to their body to make themselves look better. You can compare it to makeup, hair dye and acrylic nails but in a simpler way.
Other procedures that have to do with the internals of the body is another matter. Abortion is complicated because it includes the factors of what some people believe killing a baby. But abortion has been going on since 1550 BC. Synthetic organs are a great advance to save lives. Surgeries such as gastric bypass is great to lose weight for those with thyroid problems are uncontrollable weight gain from a disease. Do people do it to lose weight without having this medical issues? Yes because it is an OPTION that has been given to society.
If it's an option then society will want it no matter what. Needing it or not. People will take it to court, say its against the constitution to restrict it, they will legalize it and then those with money will have the procedure done. That goes with everything, drugs, religion, activities, etc. Drugs are illegal and people still do it. If they make surgeries like this illegal do you think people will continue doing it? Yes. Which will cause more to be imprisoned which will cause more government funds to be used for prisons and create a national debt. Everything is domino effect. That is a whole other issue.
Technology is growing by the second and it is booming at this current stage. Even though we are relying on technology for almost everything it doesn't mean our natural path is going to be veered off track. Our brains will accommodate. This can be an opportunity to push our minds to extremes and become smarter beings. Technological advances can prevent many problems that nature brings. Everything has a way of complementing each other to balance and continue our normal bodily functions. Evolution is constantly going. We are constantly changing. without change, there is no advancement.
The statement of us 'not playing god' is absurd. We will become gods. Confuse reality with arrogance, I dare you.
As I was thinking and writing about this subject, I was reminded of a quote that I read by the great physicist Freeman Dyson. I'd like to start off with it in order to help put some things into perspective - a perspective that coincides with the beliefs I hold in regards to transhumanism. We are obliged to alter our bodies as a means for survival, and reaching a higher level of beauty.
“To me the most astounding fact in the universe is the powerful mind which drives my fingers as I write these words. Somehow, by natural processes still totally mysterious a million butterfly brains working together in a human skull have the power to dream, to calculate, to see and to hear, to speak and to listen, to translate thoughts and feelings into marks on paper which other brains can interpret. Mind, through the long course of biological evolution, has established itself as a moving force in our little corner of the universe. Here on this small planet, mind has infiltrated matter and has taken control. It appears to me that the tendency of mind to infiltrate and control matter is a law of nature.” -Freeman Dyson
As someone who follows the views held by Singulitarianism, my views on transhumanism can be misinterpreted as extreme - since for me, the ultimate goal of the human condition is overcoming death. I no longer glorify or accept our biological limitations - in fact I despise them and will do anything in my power to overcome the remaining ones I have. I sit here in awe, inspired by the words that Ray Kurzweil uttered when asked what the meaning of life would be if you weren't 'a mortal human'. He says "death does not give meaning to life, life does. And what we do with it, what we create, how we do it."
Edwin Hubble once said "equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls this adventure Science". But the Science tells us that WE ARE the universe. The molecules in our body are traceable to phenomenon in the cosmos. So we can conclude that "science" is the most precise means by which we can understand ourselves, our origins, and our future.
The universe seems to be working as a self-evolving mechanism of its own - free from divine intervention and superstitious religious nonsense. Understand the fact that you are literally just part of an explosion that took place billions of years ago; that you are shrapnel from multiple explosions, that you are big bang and supernova dust/energy that's been collected by gravity and that eventually assembled itself into a living organism that has evolved for billions of years, and that YOU are a part of the universe that's taken the shape of a self-aware cosmic architect.
We veritably went from an amorphous assemblage of energy and stardust into a living, breathing, and cognizant entity that now has the power to decide whether or not it will subsist through the challenges that lay ahead of him. The most profound challenge we must overcome is our mortality. This is achievable by transcending our biological limitations, and just as we created the gods, we shall ourselves become like them. Our next step in evolving will not come through prayer and faith(maybe our earliest ones did), but through science and biological engineering.
Natural selection states that those who best adapt to change are the ones who survive. And in the same sense, those who today are not Transhumanist's will indeed compulsively join the movement unless they're content with being an ephemeral function of the universe that did not live for as long as it potentially could've - mainly due to his arrogance and inability to cope with the problems that lay ahead of him.
Optimistically, I can conceive of a utopian future where we perpetually conquer our problems rather than conforming to the limitations that we were born to overcome.
Continued down below.
-Luis Fernandez
Reading Ray Kurzweil's book "The Singularity is Near" really put things into perspective for me - that this change is unstoppable. I've briefly summed up what Ray means when he talks about the 6 epochs of evolution that we've taken part of.
At the beginning of the universe, all information existed at the subatomic level (1.Physics and Chemistry). A couple billion years later, with the beginning of life on Earth, genetic information was stored in DNA molecules, and yet organisms took thousands of years to evolve(2.Biology and DNA). We move even further, evolution now produced increasingly complex organisms. The birth of the brain allowed organisms to change their behavior and learn from past experiences(3.Brains). Now, here's where it gets cool. The next epoch in evolution was the technological one. Humans evolved into organisms with the ability to create technology. We are right now in the final stage of this epoch(4.Technology). Following this, we will merge human technology with human intelligence. Biology and technology will merge in order to create higher forms of life and intelligence(5.Merger) And the final stage will be the universe waking up, literally. This epoch will see the birth of super-intelligence, and with it, humans/machines expanding into the universe(6.The universe wakes up). *Remember the exponential growth taking place now*
Alan Harrington says in his book "The Immortalist" that the time has come for man to get over his cosmic inferiority complex. To rise above his condition – and to use technology to extend himself beyond his biological limitations and that "..we must never forget we are cosmic revolutionaries, not stooges conscripted to advance a natural order that kills everybody". And I wholeheartedly agree.
Any of you who would not like to assist the Transhumanists can step aside and be forgotten. There is a revolution in the way that we think, communicate, connect, and collaborate creatively. We are aware that there will be problems when confronting these situations, but all problems are soluble. And with our indomitable will, we can overcome them.
-Luis Fernandez
With the advance in technology, we are shaping our future at a much faster rate. Now came the idea of evolving our appearance into perfection with our own hands. Why is society so desperate for perfection? Anybody can say "Its my body I can do whatever I want" but in reality no one is going to admit its because of social peer pressure. In todays society there are a numerous amount of ways to alter the human appearance. With the advance in technology the list runs on for a mile. From gender changes, abortions, botox, liposuction, plastic surgeries, etc. Personally i believe god made no mistakes in his craft, but others make think otherwise, despretly trying to take matters in their own hands, people will feel the need to change appearance.Yes technology can alter your appearance the way you would like, but all I see is benefits now, bad effects later. Some may not see it that way (obviously the ones who are willing to follow through with the procedures.) If you start out with botox, your going to continue the use of it till your 6 feet under the ground. Constantly trying to be perfect and using products to alter your appearance is going to be addictive because there's always going to be something you will not like about your self. No one is perfect, no one is born to be. With technology, a whole new "perfect race" is going to appear and it already started with "super humans" with significantly high IQ's. Being allowed to legally do so is also in question, I believe if it came down to it, it will be legalized as long as there are reasonings and profitable beneifts behind it. Over time, humans will be able to adjusted to the changes and the enivironment we create for ourselves. Whether or not a long time effect will occur in our future is something we do not know and we may not even live long enough to see the evolution effects.
-Priscilla brown
The reaction to “My body, my choice” is definitely a great way of determining your position in all those controversial topics. It is really hard to agree that at some point what you do to yourself will not be linked to and/or affect someone else. However, everyone should have the right of deciding about those actions that affect only him or her as long as they accept the consequences that those actions will bring. Being able to decide is what brings this unavoidable sense of responsibility.
Yes, we should be able to decide the conditions of the environment that will only directly affect ourselves. The adaptation to this environment will reshape us. It is also true that being able to change our environment and adapt to it does not mean going towards perfection but just a change. However, we cannot say either that adapting to any environment is bad at all. On the other hand, it allows us to survive in that environment therefore it is good. The definition of perfection is “the condition, state, or quality of being free or as free as possible from all flaws or defects.” Today, we analyze defects in many senses including beauty and other aspects of different cultural background. From the antonym of those defects we find “perfection”. However, the real meaning of perfection in nature is how well prepared the organism is to survive in their environment to survive. Then, it does not matter if the organism is bigger or smaller, opaque or colorful, fast or slow, as long as their characteristics match the ones needed to survive they will be reaching natural perfection.
Having the right to modify our own environment as long as we do not affect others is good after accepting the consequences and modifications that it will bring to us. By making our own chooses and adapting, we will always be moving toward perfection.
"My body, my choice"
If you want to tell someone else what they can and cannot do with their own body, then wouldn't you be taking away their freedom? Some may argue our body is a temple from God, and we were made perfectly the way we were supposed to be made. That is not everyone's beliefs, and so a Christian should not tell an athiest they cannot alter their body just like any one else should not tell a Christian to alter their body. Again it is freedom to ones own religion and ones own right to make their own choices. The laws are you can do as you please as long as you are not restricting others rights.
Many people believe that pursuing happiness is the same as pursuing perfection; I consider that a high percentage of them are trans-humanists. Even though I do not oppose to the ideas and principles of trans-humanism I believe some take it too far. Deforming your body with tons of surgeries and procedures to obtain a perfect image is just too much. The way you look is natural and beautiful. Numerous people get so obsess with this that they go under a lot of procedures to end up unhappy because of the results. Like Cindy Jackson known to be “the most surgically enhanced woman” has gone under 49 procedures just to look like a Barbie doll. That is … outrageous!
Trans-humanist claim “my body, my choice”, this is a true statement. Anybody should do with his body whatever he or she wants. But sometimes people don’t see this can actually affect other. Abortion is the most famous and controversial of these issues. Even though a fetus is not an actual person until several weeks of gestation, I believe it a living creature. So abortion will affect the life and the future of it. But many women go through this procedure because of money and youth problems. And who can judge them?
I support trans-humanist in several ways, and in other I simply don’t. If we talk about homosexual rights I do believe they deserve the same treatment as a heterosexual person. The only thing that changes in their biological functions is their sexual orientations not their levels of intelligent or of morality. There is also the feminist approach. Females should have the same right as men. Despite the fact women in previous centuries were all housewives and dedicated their lives to their husbands and children, time has changed. Nowadays females graduate from college and are as successful if not more successful than many men.
"My body, my choice." I have always been a strong believer that ultimately the decisions of what we do to our bodies is up to the individual. In our society, people get involved into the lives of others when they are not wanted. For example, personally, I am pro-choice. Although, I would never use abortion as a birth control option, I want the right to make my own decisions with my body. Another topic which I like to debate is gay marriage rights. If homosexuals were allowed to get married, it wouldn't affect me or anyone else who is not in the relationship, so there is no reason to take away their right to get married.
My opinion for each controversial topic always has shade of gray. I am against the idea of "My body, my choice" when it comes to harming your body, losing integrity, or hindering human evolution. For example, voluntary amputation could only result from a mental instability which leads to no benefit. Also, 'sex work' is illegal is the majority of the United States, and you shouldn't get into criminal activities.
In the end its all about compromise, if I want the choice to get an abortion, I have to respect others in their desires to get voluntary amputation. The idea that Kyle Munkittrick's principles go against an institution of religion is something you have to face on a personal level. If your religion is against abortion, then don't get an abortion but at least respect the decisions of others to make the "wrong" choice. They can voice their opinions but in the end it is the individuals who gets the final say.
"Transhumanism" has gained currency as the name for a new way of thinking that challenges the premiss that the human condition is and will remain essentially unalterable. Clearing away that mental block allows one to see a dazzling landscape of radical possibilities, ranging from unlimited bliss to the extinction of intelligent life. In general, the future by present lights looks very weird - but perhaps very wonderful - indeed. "My body, My choice" is a great topic to discuss since most people are not satisfied with who they are and so with so many advance technology they have the rights to do any type of surgery they desire to look like barbie's or better yet become someone whom they wish they would look like. And so who are we to judge them? it's their choice since it's their bodies whom they are remodeling and it doesnt affect anyone else that surrounds them. I believe that everyone should be whom they are because god made us that way for a reason, but unfortunately there are people who do not think the same and so sometimes by trying to fit into perfections causes them to lose their own life's an example can be liposuction most of the times not finding the right tools and just rushing to remodel your body just to look good causes tragic in many cases most of the plastic surgents do not have license and destroys people's body. Yet, no matter how much of a barbie you can look there's always going to be that someone that will never be satisfy with whom they are. As techonology continues to enhance people will take control over that to satifsfy themselves.
I believe that many people have the free will to do anything as they please with their bodies it's a unique gift from the Creator. It must be used for purpose not destruction of one’s health and lifestyle. Many people have so many variations on this topic I believe that certain things are meant to be unsaid and not discovered at all. Many people think they know everything, but they really don't. Then people want to make changes to their bodies, because of their appearance, and the way people perceive them. Human beings in general should be able to do as they please to a certain extent, but beware of the consequences it brings.
For those who say that "God" made you a certain way and it shouldn't be changes then maybe a more appropirate statement ill be" My body, God's choice". If someone should leave their body how it was created by "God" that they really don't have the right to change it under "God". It's much of a contradicting statement when you bring in the creation by "God" and having the right to change who you are. is it really YOUR body or "HIS"?
I say let people do whatever they want when it comes to altering their body's and let them learn from their mistakes. We are suggested not to do it and sometimes it is illegal to do it. Maybe trying to control it is creating far more of a disaster than actually giving the free liberty to do it. People need to see the pros and cons to it first hand, or second hand, and not just told. I understand the meaning of wanting to prevent anything from happening but this could be the problem. If pursuing happiness means to change your nose than do it. If it means to have an abortion then do it. Who has the right to limit where our happiness comes from? "God"? But i thought it was YOUR body and not "HIS".
I think that if someone what's to change their appearance then they should have the freedom to it. Its their choose let them live the kind of lives that they want. Yes when may say that god has made us all a certain way but those type of people might be athiest. Some people change their identify because they want to fit in with society or they feel that they are living a lie pretending to be happy with what is taught as acceptable. There are those procedures that are even risky and dangerous and yet some people will still risk it all for that perfect image they've been craving. Whether people change sex or body type they are still going to be the same person and have the same personality. God don't like ugly. The times we live in are full of surprises and change life would be to boring if people didn't do some of the things they did.
let's face it, people are selfish. we will do anything and everything for pleasure oh and incentives help. we eat, drink, have sex, engage in recreational drug use, have plastic surgery, get tattoos, and sleep till noon. all because we, humans, regard ourselves as the most important things in the universe. and what do humans want most in the world? happiness. so to make our lives more enjoyable, advances in technology feed our laziness allotting more leisure time. but advances are actually dehumanizing us. Natural functions of the body are being replaced. Usually a man's ability to get an erection decreases with age, but thanks to the development of viagra, older men can remain sexually active. this is just a small example but eventually we are going to be chopping of a man's "member", replacing it with an android-penis that would never let us down. i.e forever-happiness. that this is the first sign that we are becoming transhumanists. another sign that we are becoming transhumanists is our lack of cognition. Google and Wikipedia have marked their territory in our every day lives and they are here to stay. we depend on these search engines to interact with other people; to share a common knowledge with someone even though we have NO IDEA what they are talking about, or if our memory fails us, we can whip out our pocket-brain to help us out . i am definitely guilty of this, and i can bet that you (reader) are too. pretty soon we are going to be living witnesses of Wall-e scenarios, and by pretty soon i really mean couple hundred years…
The problem with many individuals or organizations (transhumanist included) who look to evolution to confirm their views to the purpose of life is that they believe the theory of evolution implicitly explains our purpose in life. They give it too much credit and in all actuality to give it such purpose is to categorically misinterpret Darwin’s theory. In fact, he basically described evolution as survival without purpose. All evolution truly shows us is how a species survives, not necessarily the goal of life or how we should live our life. For example, many would like to believe that the moth with brown spots was created in order to blend in with the environment, but the moth doesn’t have spots to avoid its enemies, it avoids its enemies because it has spots. Man and woman were not created with the ability to reproduce in order to survive, we survive because we have the ability to reproduce, which was developed through the slow process of evolution. We can look to hermaphrodites and see that nature doesn’t have a prerequisite for reproduction candidates. I understand that point in particular will evoke contentions solely based on religious ideological principles so it might not sight well with many.
Nevertheless, the unpredictability of evolution only proves that it’s not a reliable source to build from or refer to. I believe in somatic rights so long as they don’t infringe on the rights of others or intentionally cause harm to their own innate rights to life. Abortion and the recreational use of harmful drugs are not a part of my list of tolerable somatic rights because you are harming or taking another life, to include your own. Once you are conceived, you do not have the choice to take your life away, unless you are acting in the rare occasion where it will prevent the deaths of many. Feel free to tie your fallopian tubes, reassign your gender, marry the same sex, so long as you’re not taking a life in the process, it’s okay in my book. This is your right.
I believe that we have the choice to do what we please with our bodies, no matter the circumstance or environment. There are more or less two-hundred genetically engineered babies born every year. To be genetically engineered is when your parents choose every genetic trait to formulate their "perfect" child.
The same goes to woman who augment their bodies for aesthetic reasons. They do it because they feel like they have something missing to their original body or whatever the reason may be. It's their choice to enlarge their breasts or butt or decrease their waistline. The same goes to men who change the appearance of their lower anatomy, to make them feel complete and to compensate any insecurities they may have.
If I as a female student suddenly became pregnant, I have the right to choose to not have the baby and not be guilted into keeping one when I am not able to raise it as an adult on my own. There shouldn't be politiciners inputting their beliefs into law and banning abortions from the women that might truly need it. Just because a woman can bear a child does not mean she would want to keep it.
The human race has always striven to improve the quality of their lives and we have through our technological and medical breakthroughs. Although I believe there shouldn't be anything stopping us from changing or molding our bodies to the way we want them to be but there should be laws about the possible discrimination that could occur. In the case of genetically engineered babies, when they grow up to be geniuses, there should be laws protecting the non-genetically engineered babies, who could have average or above average intelligence, from being discriminated from receiving a job or acceptance into schools. Although we have the right to do what we want, we still need to enforce equality for all and avoid any possible conflict.
As an individual “My Body My Choice” is just abroad topic. As a woman it means and carry much more weight because we are than narrowing down more specific issues and topics relating to me. When we as individuals open ourselves to conversation about debatable topics we are unknowingly are adding to society’s increasing unsolved issues to try to find solutions. The problem is when we don’t open the doors to conversation we are than adding to problem because than we are the problem. In my opinion to evolve into a trans-humanist you have to express your side, but to respectively listen the other side because than you maybe a compromise can truly be made. Religion, politics, abortion, guns, and other heating topics may never have a concession, but there is nothing wrong with disputing. If we come to this realization only then can we transcend to true trans-humanist beings.
Berlyne Julmis
I remember my perception of how humans evolve changed when i saw a movie called "Idiocracy". It raises a point when it compares the rate of procreation between a white-collar and a redneck family. It made me think about the possibility that the way culture naturally progresses is influenced by nurture. Of course, this means that our will to better ourselves as humans lies on the values and teachings instilled upon us. To become a better society we must populate the earth with hard working people who can have an honest commitment to themselves and their community.
Advances are not dehumanizing us. We, ourselves, are doing this and blaming it in technology. There is nothing wrong with using advanced medical drugs to improve health. Thats like saying not to bother even finding a cure for cancer because we should just deal with it. There is nothing wrong with using google or wikipedia. This is actually expanding our knowledge by adding more resources to retrieve information from. Without it, you won't know half the things you know right now. YOu need t ooh at it that it is an EXTRA resource and a handy one at that to learn EXTRA information. It's not like we use our searching devices during tests (at least your not suppose to), interviews, etc.
I am not the type of person that gets fired up because of a political discussion, but more of a person that sees both faces of the coin and judges from there. I agree with the idea of “my mind, my body” because it is free will. Governments stablish limitations on us that were not there at the beginning of time. Nature has its own rules and always find the way to restablish itself if there is a problem. However, we as humans with our laws and regulations, are breaking the law of nature and therefore not allowing that process of restablishment. I believe in survival of the fittest, and I know that if we would stop worrying about others and their problems and instead focus on ourselves, we would succeed as those people that did not care about their decisions would fail miserably. I do not agree with the idea that evolution signifies a constant tendency to increased perfection, instead think that evolution is just a process in which nature changes its habits in order to accommodate its individuals to its current factors and regulations.
Daniel Rincon
If there is anything we fully own and have the right to alter any which way we want is ourselves--our bodies. The second we are ridded of our rights to express ourselves through our bodies, then we are no longer free. Sometimes people aren't content with what they see in the mirror and the only way for them to release their discontent and continue through life liking their reflection is by changing things about themselves whether it is physically or mentally. I don't believe that the second it begins to interfere with any other person is ethical, but as long as they are not harming anyone in the process, what they do with their bodies is solely up to the individual.
-Brittany Esquijarosa
I support the transhumanist movement. If one is doing something only to one's own body, then to stop it is infringing upon that person's freedom. I assume, here, that freedom is to be valued and that it should be preserved. Of course, one person should not be given the freedom to deprive another person of freedom; but that does not refute the idea that freedom is valuable. If you doubt this claim, I simply ask you whether you would rather be free or in prison for no particular reason. One controversial issue here is that of prostitution. I respond to this by asserting that, if one is truly making a free choice to sell one's body (i.e. one is not forced to because of financial need, lack of other opportunities, &c.) then one should be allowed to. Of course, also, choices relating to one's own body should only be able to made completely by one once one has become old enough to truly understand the consequences of one's actions. For example, if a ten year old wants to prostitute him/herself, he/she should not be allowed to. I think we can all agree on that. Another objection to one's right to make any choices solely regarding one's own body is that of conflict with institutional religion. However, religion is not a legitimate basis for a philosophical argument. Unless you can actually prove that your religion is right, you cannot shove it on people. Even then, I feel that one should be able to make one's own choices. If one is willing to kill one's self even if it means going to hell, one should be able to make that choice. To the objection of the peril of changing human biology, I simply respond that it follows a fortiori from my stance that one should be able to make any choices about one's own body that one out to be able to modify oneself in any way provided that one is aware of the risks that could follow. If one is willing to take those risks, one should be able to make the choice. Of course, the advent of transhuman technologies would bring dangers if people used it for malevolent purposes. However, this is true of any technology. Cellphone communication can be used by a group of bank robbers to assist them in their crimes, but that does not mean that cellphone technologies should not be developed. Many things that we value highly today, e.g. permanent civilisation, sewage systems, airplane transportation, &c. are examples of humankind rising from the ranks of beasts. Transhumanism is just another step in this sequence.
Post a Comment