Cyborgs, brain uploads and immortality - How far should science go in helping humans exceed their biological limitations? These ideas might sound like science fiction, but proponents of a movement known as transhumanism believe they are inevitable.
In this episode of The Stream, George Dvorsky, Robin Hanson, a research associate with Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute; and Ari N. Schulman, senior editor of The New Atlantis, talk about the ethical implications of transhumanism.
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We have extensive historical data concerning individual and group responses to superhuman beings. They are in our historical records concerning responses to God, gods, or demons. We humans, are social creatures that behave like other pack animals, e.g., wolves. We tend to accept hierarchical social organization and defer to those whom we perceive as above us in the hierarchy. God is a term used to refer to a presumed highest level in the hierarchy. The data show we tend to worship such a superior being, even when we do not consider such a being to be unique, omnipotent, omnipresent, or omniscient. Indeed, most historical gods, though considered higher in the hierarchy than we are, are not seen as infinitely higher nor considered unique or unitary. We also have extensive folklore concerning how dangerous it can be to try to deal with such transhuman beings. I suggest that we study this history and this folklore carefully to help us be mindful of possible pitfalls and plan how we may deal effectively with superhuman artificial intelligences.