I don't know if any of you have seen this commercial for an upcoming show on the Science Channel, but I found it very relevant to our current class discussions. I have no idea how informative and credible the content of the show will actually be, but even if the informational value is only surface thin, I think that there is still value in spreading these ideas around on TV to hopefully initiate widespread discussions of the ethics that James Woods mentions in the video.
This video seems to cover much of our last theme regarding revolutions in science and technology. Although we didn't spend an extensive amount of time on the topic, transhumanism will certainly be an upcoming issue in the future and most likely well within our lifetimes.
One modification that I find intriguing is the capability to link an animate being to either another animate or inanimate entity. Recently researchers were able to link the brains of two mice in order to assist them in completing a task (http://www.nature.com/srep/2013/130228/srep01319/full/srep01319.html). Even more exciting (or concerning) is a recent experiment wherein a researcher was able to control the physical movement of a colleague through a brain-to-brain interface (http://www.washington.edu/news/2013/08/27/researcher-controls-colleagues-motions-in-1st-human-brain-to-brain-interface/).
Although these technologies are still in their early stages, it doesn't take much imagination to see how this might change society. Imagine being able to mod yourself so that you can have a brain-to-brain interface installed. Perhaps such technology will one day be as prolific as the smartphone is today.
This video seems to cover much of our last theme regarding revolutions in science and technology. Although we didn't spend an extensive amount of time on the topic, transhumanism will certainly be an upcoming issue in the future and most likely well within our lifetimes.
ReplyDeleteOne modification that I find intriguing is the capability to link an animate being to either another animate or inanimate entity. Recently researchers were able to link the brains of two mice in order to assist them in completing a task (http://www.nature.com/srep/2013/130228/srep01319/full/srep01319.html). Even more exciting (or concerning) is a recent experiment wherein a researcher was able to control the physical movement of a colleague through a brain-to-brain interface (http://www.washington.edu/news/2013/08/27/researcher-controls-colleagues-motions-in-1st-human-brain-to-brain-interface/).
Although these technologies are still in their early stages, it doesn't take much imagination to see how this might change society. Imagine being able to mod yourself so that you can have a brain-to-brain interface installed. Perhaps such technology will one day be as prolific as the smartphone is today.