By Alexander Thomas, July 31, 2017
The rapid development of so-called NBIC technologies –
nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive
science – are giving rise to possibilities that have long been the
domain of science fiction. Disease, ageing and even death are all human
realities that these technologies seek to end.
They may enable us to enjoy greater “morphological freedom” – we
could take on new forms through prosthetics or genetic engineering. Or
advance our cognitive capacities. We could use brain-computer interfaces to link us to advanced artificial intelligence (AI).
Nanobots
could roam our bloodstream to monitor our health and enhance our
emotional propensities for joy, love or other emotions. Advances in one
area often raise new possibilities in others, and this “convergence” may
bring about radical changes to our world in the near-future.
“Transhumanism” is the idea that humans should transcend their
current natural state and limitations through the use of technology –
that we should embrace self-directed human evolution. If the history of
technological progress can be seen as humankind’s attempt to tame nature
to better serve its needs, transhumanism is the logical continuation:
the revision of humankind’s nature to better serve its fantasies. More
