Altered Carbon: A Tale of Identity, Immortality and Transhumanism
*Includes spoilers*
I recently finished watching the Netflix series Altered Carbon. It’s a sci-fi show that takes place 300+ years in the future, where people’s bodies can be switched and living forever is a reality.
People’s consciousness and memories are stored in devices called stacks. These stacks can be implanted into bodies (either physical or synthetic) called sleeves.
Takeshi Kovacs, a man who was part of the uprising against this new world, is awakened from prison after 250 years by a wealthy man named Laurens Bancroft, who wants Kovacs to solve his murder. Anyone can live forever — but only if their stack is not destroyed. Some people avoid real death by making clones of themselves or backing up their consciousness in satellites.
Aside from the intriguing plot and compelling main character, what really stood out to me was the transhumanist thread that weaved its way throughout the entire story.
