Transhumanism (Cyborgs, Longevity, Nootropics, Etc)

I was just wondering if anyone here is into transhumanism?

Here’s some reading materials:

Not as such, but when I was in college I dabbled in neuroscience, and was fascinated by the works of Carnegie Mellon robotics scientist Hans Moravec.

Moravec predicted that one day one could transfer the mind and the consciousness (along with the “soul,” if there is such a thing) to a solid-state neural CPU, and augment the body with robotics, effectively achieving immortality.

I don’t know whether I’d enjoy being a cyborg, but it’s an interesting idea.

[quote]Varqanir wrote:
Not as such, but when I was in college I dabbled in neuroscience, and was fascinated by the works of Carnegie Mellon robotics scientist Hans Moravec.

Moravec predicted that one day one could transfer the mind and the consciousness (along with the “soul,” if there is such a thing) to a solid-state neural CPU, and augment the body with robotics, effectively achieving immortality.

I don’t know whether I’d enjoy being a cyborg, but it’s an interesting idea.[/quote]

Gives viruses a whole new meaning.

I like these type of scifi ideas, but for some reason this concept isn’t that interesting to me. Perhaps because I watched Star Trek as a young child and the idea is kind of played out.

I have an idea for immortality of the human race that I find more appealing. The basic idea is that hundreds of computer automated and robot manned spaceships go off in every direction with frozen eggs and sperm looking for habitable planets. After all our planet will die one day. When a good planet is found, the robots get it ready, probably would take hundreds of years, maybe thousands. When the planet is ready, they artificially raise the humans (and other flora) into the new world.

The humans would probably be just pets for the robots. After all, soon we will be making computers that are “smart” enough to design computers that are even smarter. With each generation getting smarter. When that happens it will just be a matter of time before computers achieve conciousness and far surpass us. If we are lucky we can program in a “prime directive” for the computers to save and cultivate organic life.

Not such a long shot. It’s probably reasonable that computers will have curiosity about what they can accomplish and be challenged by tough goals. They’re going to want to have something to do with their time.

How would your brain be able to keep living? Don’t you need food and sustenance to keep your brain as an organ living and functioning? What about blood?

Your brian is gone, your body is gone. Think human form cylons. Well, eventually.

Sure no one wants to be a computer, but I suppose it beats dying.

But that is probably far off, at this point I just hope for breakthroughs in longevity research. My grandparents lived into their 90s, and I hope I got those genes, as long as I take care of myself.

[quote]LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:
Varqanir wrote:
Not as such, but when I was in college I dabbled in neuroscience, and was fascinated by the works of Carnegie Mellon robotics scientist Hans Moravec.

Moravec predicted that one day one could transfer the mind and the consciousness (along with the “soul,” if there is such a thing) to a solid-state neural CPU, and augment the body with robotics, effectively achieving immortality.

I don’t know whether I’d enjoy being a cyborg, but it’s an interesting idea.

Gives viruses a whole new meaning.[/quote]

I think the most realistic representation of Transhumanism is “Ghost in the Shell” Not so much a full on cyborg with living tissue ut more like a brain intergrated with a hard drive. I really like the idea of just uploading information into a brain via usb port at the back of your neck or some kind of jack. Then again,the threat of virus corrupting your brain? Wow.

I mean how do you classify people with artificial limbs, pacemakers, hearing aids? Fuck glasses are not organic. Imagine if people who really really needed glasses couldn’t have access to them. I think there is no cut and dry, it’s a continuum. I know they are working on a real artificial heart, just take out the organic one, and pop in the mechanical one and away you go. No more heart disease or heart attacks. The thing I’m really interested in is when they start really making parts that are more functional than the ones they are simply trying to substitute for now.

V

[quote]Vegita wrote:
I mean how do you classify people with artificial limbs, pacemakers, hearing aids? Fuck glasses are not organic. Imagine if people who really really needed glasses couldn’t have access to them. I think there is no cut and dry, it’s a continuum. I know they are working on a real artificial heart, just take out the organic one, and pop in the mechanical one and away you go. No more heart disease or heart attacks. The thing I’m really interested in is when they start really making parts that are more functional than the ones they are simply trying to substitute for now.

V[/quote]

I’ve always been kind of interested in the idea of Nanotechnology.

Like, what if millions about millions of microscopic robots inhabited your body (cybernetically enhanced or otherwise), all performing their own different functions on a cellular level so as to make the host impervious to disease and poison, enhance strength and stamina, make the host more resistant to injury and even accelerate the healing process?

Hell, they could probably even make your farts smell good.

[quote]Itchy wrote:
Vegita wrote:
I mean how do you classify people with artificial limbs, pacemakers, hearing aids? Fuck glasses are not organic. Imagine if people who really really needed glasses couldn’t have access to them. I think there is no cut and dry, it’s a continuum. I know they are working on a real artificial heart, just take out the organic one, and pop in the mechanical one and away you go. No more heart disease or heart attacks. The thing I’m really interested in is when they start really making parts that are more functional than the ones they are simply trying to substitute for now.

V

I’ve always been kind of interested in the idea of Nanotechnology.

Like, what if millions about millions of microscopic robots inhabited your body (cybernetically enhanced or otherwise), all performing their own different functions on a cellular level so as to make the host impervious to disease and poison, enhance strength and stamina, make the host more resistant to injury and even accelerate the healing process?

Hell, they could probably even make your farts smell good.[/quote]

This field you speak of is advancing very rapidly right now. I get a monthly Discover magazine and just recently read an article about advances in nano tech fields. I mean it’s to the point now where I think we may very well see exactly what you just wrote in my liftime, possibly in the next 20 years barring a cataclysmic event, or civilization collapse. Exciting stuff for sure. Imagine doing a set of heavy deads and then in 15 seconds you are recovered as if you had just rested for 3 days. Bam, you bust out another set only this time you add 10 lbs. Rest 15 seconds = 3 more days. Etc… The recovery aspect of nano-tech is what will truly make humans godlike. You cut you skin in a deep gash, Compress it for 30 seconds and the wound is closed, in 20 minutes it looks as if you were never cut at all, no scar tissue, nothing. And if they could ever get them to repair nueral tissue, well that would be just really good. Anyone in a wheelchair would be walking again in hours. Someone breaks thier neck in a sporting injury and is back for the next game.

I would imagine you could even have nanotechs which would help out with pain response. So you have dedicated nano’s on the base of the brain and if a particularly intense pain signal comes through, they adjust the signal en route to damper it. Yea, that shit would be really cool. Hell lets go even one step further. How about Nano’s that will switch out your bone mass for a high grade metal allow that is lighter than bone and stronger. You drink this whatever which contains molecularized metal alloy particles, the nano’s fish em out of your bloodstream and start swapping out the bone parts and putting in the metal parts. Hell who knows if it would even really work, but i’m just saying, the potential is really limitless.

V

[edite for too many V’s in signature, Also added a paragraph break to that monster]

[quote]Vegita wrote:
Itchy wrote:
Vegita wrote:
I mean how do you classify people with artificial limbs, pacemakers, hearing aids? Fuck glasses are not organic. Imagine if people who really really needed glasses couldn’t have access to them. I think there is no cut and dry, it’s a continuum. I know they are working on a real artificial heart, just take out the organic one, and pop in the mechanical one and away you go. No more heart disease or heart attacks. The thing I’m really interested in is when they start really making parts that are more functional than the ones they are simply trying to substitute for now.

V

I’ve always been kind of interested in the idea of Nanotechnology.

Like, what if millions about millions of microscopic robots inhabited your body (cybernetically enhanced or otherwise), all performing their own different functions on a cellular level so as to make the host impervious to disease and poison, enhance strength and stamina, make the host more resistant to injury and even accelerate the healing process?

Hell, they could probably even make your farts smell good.

This field you speak of is advancing very rapidly right now. I get a monthly Discover magazine and just recently read an article about advances in nano tech fields. I mean it’s to the point now where I think we may very well see exactly what you just wrote in my liftime, possibly in the next 20 years barring a cataclysmic event, or civilization collapse. Exciting stuff for sure. Imagine doing a set of heavy deads and then in 15 seconds you are recovered as if you had just rested for 3 days. Bam, you bust out another set only this time you add 10 lbs. Rest 15 seconds = 3 more days. Etc… The recovery aspect of nano-tech is what will truly make humans godlike. You cut you skin in a deep gash, Compress it for 30 seconds and the wound is closed, in 20 minutes it looks as if you were never cut at all, no scar tissue, nothing. And if they could ever get them to repair nueral tissue, well that would be just really good. Anyone in a wheelchair would be walking again in hours. Someone breaks thier neck in a sporting injury and is back for the next game.

I would imagine you could even have nanotechs which would help out with pain response. So you have dedicated nano’s on the base of the brain and if a particularly intense pain signal comes through, they adjust the signal en route to damper it. Yea, that shit would be really cool. Hell lets go even one step further. How about Nano’s that will switch out your bone mass for a high grade metal allow that is lighter than bone and stronger. You drink this whatever which contains molecularized metal alloy particles, the nano’s fish em out of your bloodstream and start swapping out the bone parts and putting in the metal parts. Hell who knows if it would even really work, but i’m just saying, the potential is really limitless.

V

[edite for too many V’s in signature, Also added a paragraph break to that monster][/quote]

yeah, the whole field of research is really exciting.
Everything you listed seems like it could be possible one day with this technology. I believe that if more and more development is done and the methods become more cost effective and practical, nonotechnology will eventually play a huge role in the medical field, and God-knows what else (think nano-weapons).

[quote]Big_Boss wrote:
[/quote]

So Big Boss is really Laughing Man.

Fucking love Ghost in the Shell.

And Catcher in the Rye, too, for that matter.

hells yeah

ill be a cyborg, long as i get a flame thrower and gatling gun brrrrrrrrrat

and rocket boosters

The worst thing about any extended life through these means is that, eventually, you are going to die in a terrible accident. Eliminating all disease and aging, accidents are what will get you.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’d rather die peacefully in my sleep like my grandpa. Not screaming in terror like his passengers.

[quote]LiveFromThe781 wrote:
hells yeah

ill be a cyborg, long as i get a flame thrower and gatling gun brrrrrrrrrat

and rocket boosters[/quote]

then you can battle those damn robots trying to take over from us cyborgs

[quote]Vegita wrote:

This field you speak of is advancing very rapidly right now. I get a monthly Discover magazine and just recently read an article about advances in nano tech fields. I mean it’s to the point now where I think we may very well see exactly what you just wrote in my liftime, possibly in the next 20 years barring a cataclysmic event, or civilization collapse. Exciting stuff for sure. Imagine doing a set of heavy deads and then in 15 seconds you are recovered as if you had just rested for 3 days. Bam, you bust out another set only this time you add 10 lbs. Rest 15 seconds = 3 more days. Etc… The recovery aspect of nano-tech is what will truly make humans godlike. You cut you skin in a deep gash, Compress it for 30 seconds and the wound is closed, in 20 minutes it looks as if you were never cut at all, no scar tissue, nothing. And if they could ever get them to repair nueral tissue, well that would be just really good. Anyone in a wheelchair would be walking again in hours. Someone breaks thier neck in a sporting injury and is back for the next game.

I would imagine you could even have nanotechs which would help out with pain response. So you have dedicated nano’s on the base of the brain and if a particularly intense pain signal comes through, they adjust the signal en route to damper it. Yea, that shit would be really cool. Hell lets go even one step further. How about Nano’s that will switch out your bone mass for a high grade metal allow that is lighter than bone and stronger. You drink this whatever which contains molecularized metal alloy particles, the nano’s fish em out of your bloodstream and start swapping out the bone parts and putting in the metal parts. Hell who knows if it would even really work, but i’m just saying, the potential is really limitless.

V

[edite for too many V’s in signature, Also added a paragraph break to that monster][/quote]

Interesting? Yes.

However, I am very wary about breaking that boundary where humans begin playing god.

Nothing good comes out of such things…

I don’t see it mentioned by name so far…
“the singularity”
when everyone has downloaded themselves into the “one machine” (or something like that).
it would still be decentralized.
really sort of like the matrix - without the need for a biological body.
I wonder if consciousnesses can produce offspring?

The problem with the idea of “playing god” is that every century our idea of playing god changes. Right now we are afraid of GMO, nanotech, and other technology. 100 years ago we were afraid of something many other things, but now we look back and think we were being silly.

Hundreds of years ago we thought working on cadavers to learn about the body was wrong and scary. Luckily we did not listen to them.

The future is always uncertain, but if dynamic changed produced good things and progress along with the upsets, then it will continue to. We cant’ say “dynamic and decentralized change has been good up until now” but many people do, in fact, believe it. But it’s either good or bad. You can’t control progress or predict beforehand what breakthroughs will change our lives. So much of what has changed the world was discovered by accident, such as Maxwell’s equations.

Basically, someday we’ll look back and think our fears were silly, because the changes came and we adjusted to them and were better off because of it.