Unsupervised

CHAPTER 11Reinventing Humans and Humanity

“There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.”

—Oscar Wilde

The extraordinary advances in technology surrounding health and the human body are not ends in and of themselves, merely a beginning, and are extraordinarily difficult to forecast. There are so many factors to consider; however, as we become more and more accustomed to improved ways of dealing with health issues, both physical and mental, we are starting down a path that could well redefine what it means to be a human being. We can already diagnose and fix problems it would have been inconceivable to address even a decade ago. Building from our growing base of knowledge, however, the future questions will focus more and more on body and mind enhancement, not just repair. As the power of computers merges within our bodies and as the palette of genetic alterations grows, human beings will simply not be the same. Many top minds in different fields are actively discussing the ramifications; the question is how much is being accomplished and by whom? There must be a concern as to who holds the cards. Limited awareness by the public is a major factor in the lack of clear and concerted efforts to address issues before they arise, rather than cleaning up afterward. We are facing a particularly dangerous situation that needs to be front and center in public debate before it is too late. Different rates of change in technology ...