Prophetic Prosthetics: Critical Contextualisation
More than Human?
In today’s society when you hear the word Prosthetic, most people will conjure up images of amputees with their prosthetic limbs. As this is the most widely recognised association other types of prosthetic are often overlooked. Glasses and gold teeth, dentures and hip replacements are these not prosthetic parts? Yes is the answer they are, they have just become so widely normalised they generally aren’t seen as such without it being pointed out. Humans have been creating and using prosthetics to aid us when our own bodies cannot but what if they were used for more. Instead of replacing what we have lost could they be used to add something new? Is this perhaps happening already? During The Prophetic Prosthetics project our group designed a concept for Prosthetic of the future. A device that was deliberately intended to be more than a traditional prosthetic. Not for those who needed it but for those who wanted it as an extension of themselves. What questions does such a design raise and what changes could such a thing bring about.
Prosthetic Advancement and the Rise of the Grinders
From the Pirate peg legs of old Prosthetics have come a long way and now Prosthetic development is breaking down the barriers between the artificial and the natural. Prosthetics can be broken down into three main categories Cosmetic: replacement limbs with little to no functionality, Functional: mechanical prosthetics that allow for limited mobility and Myoelectric: the most advanced form of prosthetic available today that uses muscle signals to control the prosthetic in an accurate imitation of human movement. The myoelectric while still not perfect is becoming more and more lifelike with each technological advancement and is a clear indicator that our technology is quickly catching up with our biology. This leads to a new emerging category of prosthetics, neuroprosthetics or more simply a brain to computer interface. Currently undergoing human trials this technologies is still far from store shelves but it opens the door to possibilities we may struggle to imagine.
An artificial construction designed to aid the entire human body in movement. Allowing the paralyzed to walk and for the potential of much more. The exo-suit doesn’t replace any one part but rather works as a substitute for the muscles and bones of the body itself as previously mentioned it could give someone who had lost the use of their legs the chance to walk again but the same design could and has been applied to fully abled individuals here the exo-suit no longer functions as a replacement but an enhancement a soldier wearing an exo-suit can carry far heavier loads than a regular soldier. This is not Science fiction The US Department of defence has prototypes for combat exo-suits being tested and developed right now. While primitive this technology already exists but this prosthesis allowing the able bodied to be something more signals a potential tipping point for our society and us. Our technologies has reached the point where we are almost able to interact with it through thought and the prosthetics has gone from a replacement to an enhancement is it so surprising that some have already take the next step.
Grinders also known as Bio hackers are individuals who have created DIY cybernetic enhancements and implant them into their own bodies. The BBC has interviewed some of these individuals such as Liviu Babitz who has created an implant that allows the user to sense when they are facing magnetic north an ability some animal’s possess, or Rich Lee who has implanted devices into his fingers that can be programed to open car doors and other such tasks. These Grinders while fairly small in number have begun in recent years to draw much more attention from scientists and media and given the other technological advancements previously discussed it’s no surprise. The community of Grinders will likely become the first humans with significant augmentations but how will the world react to this growing movement the fears and ethics debates surrounding controversial subjects like crispr (gene editing) are more than well-known and Grinders are attempting to make use of this tech in their work what might that mean for our future as a species. We have always desired to modify ourselves from make up to tattoos, and the more extreme forms of body modification How far will we be willing to go. Because of one thing is clear the Grinders aren’t waiting around to find out if your ‘’Ok’’ with it. It was the work on The Prophetic Prosthetics projects that raised these questions with a design for a blood donation device a permanent technological implant that provided no benefit to the user directly but expanded their capabilities made them something more than what they were not super human more human +.
Transhumanism
Transhumanism is the advocation for the transformation of the human condition and is the main source for much of the philosophy behind the Grinder movement. The idea to take emerging science and technologies and use them to better and alter our bodies, our minds and our genetics. First appearing in the early 1900s this philosophy is both fascinating and to some, terrifying. The idea of a new enhanced from of human that will one day supplant the current generation through artificial evolution. The idea of modifying your body in such a way is certainly thought provoking and becoming more mainstream than most may realise. There is a huge ethical debate surrounding this movement as their ultimate goal is in essence to create a new breed of human a new species and the concept of personal identity in the face of the artificial raises sensitive issue from a moral, ethical and religious standpoint.
One of potentially the most impactful Branches of this Human augmentation is Brain Prosthesis. As previously mentioned with the neuroprosthetics a brain to computer interface is a very real prospect and with this more than any other aspect of HETs comes the greatest risk with potential impacts for personal identity and society. If we understand that personal identity is the collection of attributes that make you… you what happens if we alter what you are. Give an individual supernormal ability and how does that change them? how does that change how they look at others at the world itself? 1999s The Matrix features the infamous ‘’I know kung fu’’ scene where the protagonist has advanced level fighting techniques instantly implanted into his brain. This is a very real possibility within the brain prosthesis problem. While certainly an entertaining concept those skills are traditionally something that require years of dedicated training to master. With the right interface however we could skip the decades and learn in seconds. However these disciplines along with any require and emphasize a role of individual effort. If the need for individual effort is removed from us what are we left with. ‘’ As Michael Sandel has argued, when one’s traits are not there by one’s own making, one’s achievements will not receive the same amount of admiration.’’ [Brey, P. (2008). ‘Human Enhancement and Personal Identity, New Waves in Philosophy Series, New York, 4 Personal history and Identity] what kind of affect would this have on us? How would we define ourselves? It would seem to people such as the Grinders such things would be a moot point because they define themselves via their desire to augment but what of the rest. If you could have a chip installed in your brain and then pop down the shops for the master craftsman upgrade would you still care? Perhaps our creativity would come to define us. If we were all master painters it would not be the quality of the work that would matter as with art it is a pure individual expression our mastery of the medium would never influence its worth in the same way it doesn’t today (in spite of what art galleries would have you believe). It is clear that from where we stand in society now the way most people view the world, their worth and their achievements. We would perhaps be unable to cope with this new life. However as the transhumanism ideas state this would change us to be more than human and perhaps with that new life comes a new perspective one where such things would no longer matter.
Our Futures and Our Fears
Humanity has always been afraid of change however much we embrace it the ideas discussed here however brief have their reflections in modern media, Transhumanism takes inspiration from science fiction and for every positive portrayal in there is a negative our fears of such change are reflected through creations like Star Treks Borg Collective and Doctor Who’s Cybermen
dark and twisted notions of what this pursuit of the ultimate upgrade would lead us to become. However it’s are individuality that will most likely insure our future down this path Like the Grinders these upgrades should be personal they should be unique perhaps in our capitalist society of packaged convenience we might lose our way or perhaps it doesn’t matter at all but one thing is fairly clear this is not science fiction any longer our technological development is not slowing down take a close look at the popularity of Marvels Iron man, a prosthetic heart in his chest (sort of) implants in his arms by his 3rd solo outing and while not yet seen on screen in the comics his bleeding edge armour is fused to his bones. Such ideas are becoming more mainstream and whether you like it or not the upgrades will be around soon enough.
Resources
https://whatistranshumanism.org/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-46442519
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grinder_(biohacking)
https://www.medicaldevice-network.com/features/future-prosthetics/
