In a world that is becoming more and more
artificial, where do we draw the line? Nowadays, even the idea of artificial
manipulation of human genes is not unheard of. It is not too crazy of a vision
that one day, humans can be perfect or near perfect. It is nevertheless a
chilling, sci-fi sounding thought: that perhaps in the future, our parents can
determine what we grow up to look like, everyone could be created to look
beautiful, we would not have to worry about diseases or terminal illnesses, we
could use our brain to its fullest capacity, we could be created with specific
abilities (whether it be athletic, musical, etc.). It is only a matter of time
before we can no longer suppress our urge to be better, to surpass natural
design, to become a better race. Why
is this a bad idea? Why would we not want to improve the human species? Why
would we not want to become stronger, smarter, healthier?
Transhumanism
is a movement supporting the possibility of fundamentally altering humans
through technologies in order to eliminate aging, enhance intellectual,
physical, and psychological capacities. The idea is to overcome fundamental
human limitations and basically create a superior species with expanded
abilities. This idea has been growing in popularity and gaining more attention
within the past few years once people realized this was actually a feasible
idea. The appeal of it stems from our desire to constantly become better. Why
should we settle for what we are when we can be something better? This idea of
creating a better human becomes more and more tempting to us. We as a race are
gifted with our talent to alter and manipulate what is around us in order to
survive or live better/easier. Why should we draw the line when it comes to
altering us as humans?
“In a
sense, the goal toward which humanity has been striving for millennia has been
to liberate ourselves from more and more of our ancestors’ biological
constraints” (Bailey 1). Through transhumanism, we can rid ourselves of harmful
diseases and illnesses that have no known cure at the moment. We can make
people less vulnerable, maybe even give back natural movement to people who
have lost limbs. However, critics are wary of even this idea as some debate
whether or not this is moral. Should we be allowed to design genes we are not
born with in order to allow us to function in ways that we could never have
functioned naturally?
Through
this idea of transhumanism, the issue of individuality, personality, and what
makes us, us arises. Would altering our brains to make better use of it change
who we are as a person? Could we eventually come to a point in which it is not
unheard of to have memory chips implanted in our brains? In my opinion, I think
a person develops who they are as an individual through experiences. Perfecting
the mechanical and functioning aspect of the brain should have no effect on
what we have experienced, our memories, our perception of the world. Therefore,
the part of our brain that controls our feelings and personality would remain
unscathed. In addition, the human brain is a complex and often inexplicable
organ. Although fundamentally made up of cells and electrical firings, the way
it is all fit together dictates how each particular brain will function. The
human brain is one of the greatest achievements of nature/evolution, impossible
to replicate.
Although
there are legitimate reasons to fear this form of advancement such as possible
enslavement of “inferior humans” and inequality, ultimately, I feel if this
type of advancement were to occur, it will be inevitable. Fukuyama also brings
up a good point that if we start transforming ourselves into something
superior, these enhanced creatures may feel entitled to more rights compared to
those who haven’t been modified. This poses an issue of equality on an even
larger scale because there are entire nations that cannot afford the technology
to make these modifications. Bioethicists such as George Annas, Lori Andrews,
and Rosario Isasi hold more extreme beliefs of what may happen when we create a
new species; the “posthumans” will likely view the normal humans as inferior,
even savages, and fit for slavery or slaugher while the normal humans may see
the “posthumans” as a threat and attempt to kill them before they themselves
are killed or enslaved. In my opinion however, because of society, humans
should be used to political and moral principles that apply and we should not
worry that posthumans will upset this balance.
Although
the idea of transhumanism is radical and perhaps even scary at this time, I
believe that it can ultimately benefit humanity and society. If we have the
ability to make ourselves better and more suited for this changing world, why
not do it? “The human race is a pretty sorry mess with stubborn diseases,
physical limitations, and short lives. Throw in humanity’s jealousies,
violence, and constant anxieties, the transhumanist project begins to look down
right reasonable” (Fukuyama). We as humans constantly strive to become better
and continue to research developments that can benefit the society as a whole.
We have been manipulating our surroundings and liberating ourselves from our
biological constraints since the beginning of the species. It would almost be irresponsible
for us to ignore possible technological progress and rule this idea out based
on fear alone. We are destined to continue moving forward as a species and this
change seems almost inevitable at the moment. The only question is when it will
happen.
