Our children will see how bio-improvement will surely become common and familiar to human society. Personalized pharmaceuticals will allow us to transform our bodies and minds in powerful and precise ways, with far fewer side effects than modern ones. New neurocomputer interfaces will improve our memory and cognitive abilities, expand our senses, and provide direct control over semi-intelligent devices. Genetic and epigenetic modifications will allow us to change our appearance and abilities, as well as emotions, creative or social skills.
Doesn't that scare you? Doesn't it bother you?
One of the most insidious consequences of this self-editing is that it will blur the line between people and things. The reason is simple: bio-enhancements are products. They require machines, chemicals, tools, and techniques that evolve over time. They become obsolete over the years. And they can be bought on the market. Some are better than others and more expensive. Some - like cars, jewelry or houses - will be more prestigious.
But if we are not careful, we will ignore the fact that these "products" change key aspects of the human self. Without realizing this, we will plunge into the abyss of improvements that will reduce the importance of a person to the sum of his modified or unmodified traits. We could lose sight of the intrinsic value and dignity of a person and start comparing people as if they were cars or expensive watches, for example.
The problem of dehumanization, depersonalization is not new - we remember wars, colonialism, slavery and serfdom. But as a result of the intensification of consumer capitalism in recent decades, we have to compare, achieve, constantly increase achievements, because the incessant pressure of everyday life squeezes people out like wet rags. Advertising, entertainment and social media encourage us to lose weight, to be better, smarter, cooler - in short, to be constantly dissatisfied with who we are and what we have.
If human bio-improvement becomes widespread in the coming decades, there is every reason to believe that these treacherous trends will intensify. The temptation to "get an upgrade" or "find the best model" will be too strong for yourself. Instead of saying, "Lena got a new brain implant but is unhappy with its performance," people will say, "Lena's update was good, but Alice is still significantly ahead of her."
The speaker thus crosses an invisible but critical line. He evaluates a person as a commodity that can be measured, evaluated, exchanged. From this point of view, the entire humanity will become a platform - like software or a smartphone, the performance of which can be improved, changed, or bought a new one. Personality traits will become "functions"; talents and hard-won skills will become “applications”; deeply rooted personality problems and experiences become "defects." Thus, the "humanization" of the dehumanized human society can become one of the most important moral problems of the future generation.
Promotional video:
What can be done? First, it is necessary to accept and promote a personal philosophy that protects human dignity. Launch the Renaissance. You will have to give up the thought and desire to reduce a person to a set of traits or acquisitions. Despite the fact that people can quantitatively calculate strength, mental or other indicators, it is not your place on the leaderboard that makes you a valuable person, but other, deeper and more unique indicators.
Second, critically assess the need for today's improvements. The more rooted different devices become in your daily life, the more difficult it is to imagine it in a different mode. Our growing concern about the addiction to smartphones doesn't diminish the amount of time we use them. As soon as complex material and chemical bio-improvements penetrate the bodies of people, there will be no turning back - it will be more and more difficult to assess the possible life without them. This will require a strong imagination: a representation of a reality in which gadgets and everyday habits temporarily recede into the background. It's complicated.
Finally, self-improvement should be viewed through the lens of well-being, not competition or success. When talking about a specific modification, people should ask themselves: "What will it allow me to do that I could not do before?" But more importantly, how will this new opportunity improve my quality of life? How will it affect my pastime and relationships with people? How much space for solitude and silence will remain in my life?
As humans, we are not just organic beings who attract material from the outside to satisfy our needs. Tools and technology become part of us, part of us, and we need to be careful about what and how to use. The erosion of man in man has already begun and, in a sense, is inevitable. But bio-improvements will take it to a fundamentally different level. Imagine freaks getting real improvements from body modifications, not just cosmetic and decorative weight.
ILYA KHEL
