• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

What sort of change would you find comfortable in a bodily sense?

RAMA

RAMA

Admiral
Admiral
In this particular point in time, there are a lot of rapid biotech changes happening. Mechanically we are giving movement with exoskeletans to the handicapped. We are allowing patients the ability to control computers and technology with their brains. Athletes with prostehtiucs are competing at high high levels. Implants are allowing hackers to hack Android smartphones. The first nanotech has been used medically in a human body. In light of this atmosphere of 2015, what are the acceptable changes you are willing to make in a transhumanist sense to your body and brain? Hack off an arm for a better one? Brain implants for focus in school? Fix health issues plaguing you for years? Saving a life? What are your limits?

RAMA
 
if its a medical treatment, sure, technology has a big part in medicine.

but i see no need to drink the transhumanist kool-aid.
 
A related question is...what if everyone else has it and you don't?

Kind of like this...

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoj4Qv7nrN8[/yt]
 
i don't think that many people would go for it in the first place, so i doubt that scenario would happen.

but if i suddenly and inexplicably found myself surrounded my edgy cyberpunks, i don't think fitting in would be my priority.
 
Last edited:
I wanna get rid of my entire bone skeleton and replace it with a motor-powered carbon-reinforced nano bones. The motors will be off most of the time, but whenever I need to lift a car or something, I could mind-switch to motors. If they are strong enough – and I get a reinforced skull – I can safely jump off buildings. And the new rib cage will come in handy when I am getting shot. I will be invincible to bullets, falls, and most car crashes.

I want an implanted OpenBSD computer interfacing directly with my brain. That way I can post on TrekBBS how implants are ridiculous and a slippery slope towards the end of humanity while I am walking to work. As long as I resist the urge to click on links to erotic websites, I see no downsides. My reinforced carbon skeleton will ensure that I will be alive after any vining-while-crossing crash. I am sure I can wirelessly interface with any doors in the vicinity, and in-head Wikipedia means that I can tell call people stupid in real life too. Both can be dangerous if I am not bulletproof.

Out of the extras, one could never go wrong with self-cleaning teeth. Lack of self-cleaning teeth is probably the single most severe problem facing humanity today, only second to the new autoplay feature on YouTube. Also getting human waste to get out inside impermeable biodegradable bags can home in handy. I am looking forward to that.

ETA: Bonus: Inter-mind communication. It has been observed in conjoined twins, so I don't see why I shouldn't be able to do it wirelessly. Not that is crazy enough to consent to inter-mind me.
 
Given my heriditary conditions, a reliable mechanical heart, lungs and skeletal replacement, probably retinal and auditory augmentation. Dermal enchancements to experiment on skin regeneration and improvements.

That's really it.
 
I was just reading a religious take on Transhumanism..lots of complaints but of course ultimately, it's about humans "playing God". Since evolution has nothing to do with God, and humans now control our own evolution, I think I'm perfectly fine with the comparison.

RAMA
 
I think the religious fears stem more from the fact that the more technical our society gets the less religion seems to be important.

The development is inevitable i think.. as technology improves it will inevitably change our lifestyle. The internet for example has changed us profoundly because now we have access to nearly all of humanity's knowledge from nearly anywhere (of course it ends for many at Facebook, Entertainment sites and cat pictures).

It's only a matter of time until our bodies become the focus for improvement when we start to go beyond our basic physical limitations and some don't like that change (especially those who are very religious and see our bodies as made by god).

Personally i wouldn't mind an internal connection to the internet that's thought control based with a visual display via my optic nerves It would remove the need for external devices like computers and TVs and free up my movements (imagine watching a movie whole you are laying in the grass by a lake without having to lug around a tablet or laptop or doing some work there).

I would draw the line however with devices or implants that would surpass the capabilities of a normal body. I am sure the military would love to "equip" its soldiers with enhanced prosthetic limbs that would make them stronger, faster and more resilient than any non-augmented person on the planet but i believe it would open Pandora's Box because sooner or later such tech inevitably trickles down into civilian tech and you will be left wondering if the guy you started arguing with at a bar is able to tear off your arm.
 
Changes like this, or really any advances we've been hearing about lately, that extend life significantly will cause profound disruptions in society that will be hard to deal with. First and foremost, we can forget about the idea of having a few children, retiring at 65 and then living leisurely for the next couple of decades or so until we die. If people start living for hundreds of years or longer, reproduction will have to be controlled to overpopulate the planet. Children will become quite rare. Instead of working for ~40 years, everyone might have to work for centuries. I'm not sure that's a good thing, and I think we should be very careful about progress in that direction.
 
RAMA said:
A related question is...what if everyone else has it and you don't?

Kind of like this...

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoj4Qv7nrN8[/yt]
Click to expand...

Clearly one of the most imaginative and thought-provoking short films of 1983.
 
What immediately comes to mind is curing my infirmities. Starting with my arthritic knees. Then my plantars foot (I wear special insoles to keep that in check); then my near-sightedness. To spare me pain and bring my body up to par.

In terms of enhancement? A longer life span. Because I have reached an age-58-where I have started to have regrets about my life.

I understand that there is evidence that a mammal, the bowhead whale, has a longer lifespan than humans. Perhaps an approach using biotechnology could work?

As for even more radical interventions/transformations, where would this eventually lead?
 
Comfortable with?

Hmmm...bringing my eyes back to before I needed glasses
...the ability to know for certain when someone was lying
...a more active metabolism
And, I will say it. I am not at all ashamed to say that I would be comfortable with more
substantial "equipment".
Plus, upgraded stamina to assure extensive, exhaustive Testing Trials.

Yes.
 
How about the ability to stimulate hair growth? Not for balding, necessarily; I've got a full head of hair. I've just often wanted to try growing it out, but it takes such a long time that I can't commit to it.
 
RoJoHen said:
How about the ability to stimulate hair growth? Not for balding, necessarily; I've got a full head of hair. I've just often wanted to try growing it out, but it takes such a long time that I can't commit to it.
Click to expand...

How about being able to grow arm and leg hair the same length as scalp hair? :eek:

Kor
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top