Better Living Through Machines

Jerry Nelson
Nov 7 · 3 min read

“Chess is a sea where a gnat may drink from and an elephant may bathe in.” — Chinese Proverb

Replace ‘chess’ with ‘transhuman’ and the proverb is still true. It’s impossible to name one, just one, area of human existence which won’t be affected, in someway, by transhuman activity, experiments, and technological growth.

A writer given the topic “transhuman” can quickly be swallowed up by all the side roads, rabbit trails and switchbacks.

Transhuman can incorporate anything from a relative’s hearing aide to fully uploading their brain’s data and circuitry.

The blending and blurring between man and machine is already impacting the workplace as well. There are think tanks such as Transhuman Resources to support organizations as they evolve with the changing workforce of human and non-human resources.

First, what is ‘transhumanism’?

Transhumanism is the belief that humans can evolve past their present limitations, both mental and physical. With the current medical advancements continuing to stretch lifespans, AI is making further breakthroughs in some areas like cancer treatment.

During a panel discussion on transhumanism at the 2019 MWC, an expert predicted Artificial Intelligence will figure out how to make people live forever.

Alex Rodriguez Vitello, a Theoretical Physicist and Aerospace engineer.said during the panel discussion how Dr. Aubrey deGrey with SENS Research Foundation has already managed to extend the lifespan of mice — threefold. In human years, that’s about 300-years.

Vitello joked, “The mice are super happy — they are having sex and everything is great.”

Making the Human Species Better Through Machines?

Already prosthetics are helping people overcome disabilities. It’s even possible to make someone vibrate every time they face north — effectively turning you into a human compass.

Early “cyborgs” are among us now. Think of weird Uncle John and his hearing aid at Thanksgiving. That small piece of plastic stuck in his right ear is a very basic example of humans benefiting from marriage with a machine.

Every day, more people are becoming cyborgs out of necessity — not choice. Being part machine is their resting state, yet they don’t feel like the Six Million Dollar Man.

There’s a big gulf between the fantasy vision of cyborgs, and the current reality of being dependent on an implant or a prosthetic in day-to-day life. If we’re to separate the two, we ought to pay close attention to those who are living in that world already.

Enhanced vision and superhuman strength are already available as artificial limbs go beyond matching the natural abilities of natural body parts.

Gene editing will soon help eliminate disorders before birth, and “…cancer, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis…” will be eliminated said Vitello.

The possibilities are exciting, but some transhumanist concepts are years from becoming available. Even the ones that are available, they often are unaffordable.

Freeze Dried Human

Cryogenics, where someone is frozen only to be revived in the future is one example of something that is possible, but unaffordable — to most. However, if you have $200,000 lying around, Alcor would be glad to help.

Some scientists are pursuing cryogenic preservation and an unnamed transhumanist recently told The Times that Jeffrey Epstein had said he wanted his head and penis to be cryogenic ally frozen.

The Takeaway

Although none of these will bring about immortality itself, it will help people live longer with improved quality of life. How long will be the average lifespan? Potentially long enough for brain uploading to become possible. If these breakthroughs can be achieved on a mass scale, there remains some hope for older generations, and would potentially represent an extra 15%-20% rise in the probability of having one’s brain uploaded to digital form.

Jerry Nelson is an American freelance writer living the expat life in Argentina. His work has appeared in hundreds of media outlets around the planet including Israel Times, The Washington Post, and Forbes. Join the quarter-million who follow him on Twitter @Journey_America and contact him at jandrewnelson2@gmail.com


Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.

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A “slush pile” is the black hole of editors and publishers. It’s the void into which go forgotten manuscripts. Medium’s slush file is for every author who ever submitted a story, only to see it set lonely and forgotten — and not making money.

Jerry Nelson

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I am an American freelance writer living the expat life in Argentina. Hire me through Fiverr.com/jandrewnelson

Slush Pile

A “slush pile” is the black hole of editors and publishers. It’s the void into which go forgotten manuscripts. Medium’s slush file is for every author who ever submitted a story, only to see it set lonely and forgotten — and not making money.

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