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Are Transhumanists Pushing Us into the Next Stage in Evolution?

By June 12, 2014No Comments


Still wearing your tech devices? Just implant them already. Or is that taking things a little too far?

Technology has always extended human ability, making primitive people stronger or better somehow – weapons and tools, beasts of burden, writing, mathematics, etc. And what we now call “wearable tech” – everything from eye glasses, watches, and headlamps to Bluetooth earpieces, smartwatches, and even biometric devices – extend those abilities radically further. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Just ask a transhuman.

Simply put, Transhumanism means becoming more than merely human by implanting hi-tech devices into your body.  It means you become a human-android hybrid as you integrate an ability-enhancing synthetic creation with your naturally-born bag of meat. It’s not a totally new thing, strictly speaking, in human history. It’s just that it has become unbelievably more hi-tech in a profoundly short period of time.

Tim Cannon, a sort of pioneer in this field, had a device implanted into his arm that sends heart rate, temperature, and other data from his body to a local mobile device.  Compare that with implanted RFID chips and hearing aid devices, not to mention ID chips that are already common in pets.

For years now we’ve been using pins and rods to repair broken bones, why not improve bone-strength for athletes and warriors? Would you improve your abilities, if you could? What if it meant surgery? So far in the medical field, the focus typically is either reparative – like prosthetics and pacemakers – or aesthetic – like dental or breast implants. Now, “Transhumanists” want to take it to the next step, voluntarily adding some synthetic device or system to enhance or transcend their natural potential.

Grind House Wet Ware  is committed to exploring new ways of enriching the human experience with implant technology, and is fostering an online community where partakers can share insights, ideas, experiences, and suggestions.

The mere presence of the term Transhuman invites questions to the discussion about what it means to be human in our technology-immersed culture. What will it mean to be human in this coming age? Are we losing our humanity, or adding to it? Tim Cannon and others would say we are improving on what evolution has left us with. But with new developments in “wetware,” who needs evolution anymore?

Author Jason Blandford

Newegg Insider contributor.

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