Where Next? The Future of Human Evolution

1. Where Next? The Future of Human Evolution James J. Hughes Ph.D.Executive Director, Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies http://ieet.org Editor, Journal of Evolution and Technology Lecturer, Public Policy Studies, Trinity College Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005 April 18, 2008 – Madison Wisconsin - Evolution in the 21st Century

2. Evolution Has Been Accelerating • More genomic change in the last 40,000 years than the previous 400,000 years • 40,000BC humans were more similar to Neanderthals than us Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

3. Beyond Natural Selection? Memetic selection • Dawkins • Memes spread from brain to brain • Lamarckian evolution • Facilitated by our Cyborgification (Literacy) Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

4. Beyond Natural Selection? Group selection • Economic, cultural, military Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

5. Human Intelligent Design • We have not been optimised by blind evolution • Human intelligence will accelerate evolution – genetic, memetic and group – even more Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

6. Emerging Technologies Tech that will radically change the human brain: • Psychopharmacology • Genetic engineering • Nanotechnology • Artificial intelligence • Cognitive science • The accelerating convergence of all these • “for improving human performance” Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

7. Accelerating Tech Change • Moore’s Law • Accelerating trends in all sciences • Convergence Hans Moravec “When will computer hardware match the human brain?,” Journal of Evolution and Technology. 1998(1) Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

8. Singularity: Punctuated Equilibrium Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

9. Human Enhancement Goals • Curing disabilities • Optimum health • Longer lives • Intelligence • Emotional control • Spiritual goals • Aesthetic expression • Ensuring the best lives for our kids Dark Angel television series Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

10. Biopolitical Battlefronts • Who is a citizen with a right to life?: abortion, stem cells, great ape rights, brain death, chimeras • Control of Reproduction: contraception, abortion, fertility treatments, genetic testing, germline gene therapies, cloning • Fixing Disabilities to “Human Enhancement”: cochlear implants, prosthetics, eye and brain chips, gene therapies, cosmetic procedures • Extending Life: from treatments for aging-related diseases, to anti-aging drugs and therapies • Control of the Brain: Ritalin and Prozac, psychoactive drugs, brain chips Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

11. Central Bioethical Disputes Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

12. “Trans-humanism” and “Transhuman-ism” Julian Huxleyfirst director of UNESCO "Transhumanism“ "the human species can transcend itself." “FM-2030” (FM Esfandiary) popularized term “transhuman” in the 1970s Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

13. Transhumans and Posthumans What is a transhuman? • A 'transitional human', a human taking the first steps towards becoming posthuman. What is a posthuman? • A posthuman is a human descendant who has been augmented to such a degree as to be no longer a human. But…What is “human?” Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

14. accessible by posthumans accessible by transhumans accessible by humans accessible by animals Possible Modes of Being Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

15. Postbiological Life • BCI and uploading Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

16. Brain-Computer Interfaces Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

17. Bostrom on Existential Risks Bangs – sudden extinction Crunches – permanent stasis Shrieks – quick bad posthuman outcome Whimpers – slow bad posthuman outcome Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

18. Bangs • Asteroids, SuperVolcanoes, Nuclear War Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

19. Crunches • Permanent civilizational stasis Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

20. Shrieks • Rapid undesirable posthuman takeover Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

21. Human-PostHuman Conflict "The posthuman will come to see us (the garden variety human) as an inferior subspecies without human rights to be enslaved or slaughtered preemptively. It is this potential for genocide based on genetic difference, that I have termed "genetic genocide," that makes species-altering genetic engineering a potential weapon of mass destruction." George Annas, 2001 Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

22. Whimpers • Evolution to undesirable posthuman state • Elois and Morlocks in The Time Machine • Batteries for Robots in The Matrix Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

23. Will We Evolve Less Diversity? • Diversity of some kinds will decrease • Diversity of most kinds will increase Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

24. Could We Evolve Beyond Individuality? • Neurotechnology • The Borg and superorganisms • Blurring of individuality • Co-existence of individualist and collectivist societies Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

25. Conclusions? • Our future could be really cool and diverse • Our future could be really awful • Future people may evolve into awful things • There may be no future for intelligent life at all We have some choices to make Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005

26. For more information • World Transhumanist Associationtranshumanism.org • Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologiesieet.org • Me: director@ieet.org Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005