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Victor Navarro Regan New. Transhumanism h+. What is transhumanism?. Breaking limitations Morphological freedom Next step in human evolution “ Posthuman ” Precursors Prosthetics Modern medicine Artificial organs Pacemaker. Hugh Herr at TEDMED 2010. Pros.
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Victor Navarro Regan New Transhumanismh+
What is transhumanism? • Breaking limitations • Morphological freedom • Next step in human evolution • “Posthuman” • Precursors • Prosthetics • Modern medicine • Artificial organs • Pacemaker
Pros • Robotic/Synthetic limbs and organs • Stronger social integration • Reduction/Elimination of aging and disease • Neural and visual implants • Augmented reality/HUD
Expense • The disabled pay hundreds, even thousands to overcome their disability • Today's prosthetic limbs cost between $5,000 to $8,000 while today's transhuman prosthetic limbs can cost over $20,000 • Parts wear and tear
Superiority • Transhumans may view normal humans as inferior • Repetition of Nazi Germany and the Master Race • In the wrong hands, the technology may lead to global catastrophe
Overpopulation • The elimination of disease leads to less deaths, but more people • China already experiences overpopulation
What separates humanity from other species? • Replacing limbs and organs with machinery and robotics, and utilizing nanotechnology to eliminate disease • When does a human stop being a human?
Ethical Analysis • Utilitarianism: Would a technologically-based ascension of the human species as a whole bring about more happiness than despair? • Virtue Ethics: Would the pursuit of what transhumanism promises be considered virtuous? • Benevolence • Generosity
Sources • http://www.nickbostrom.com/papers/history.pdf • http://www.nickbostrom.com/ethics/transhumanist.pdf • Hugh Herr at TEDMED 2010