/ News
Human Enhancements are Mankind’s Future
Medical science has come a long way in the past 20 years. Diseases that were once thought unassailable have become treatable and manageable. Gene therapy has recovered from its setbacks and is showing promise in curing a number of diseases. Prosthetics have developed from what was essentially a shoe on a stick to fully articulated robotic limbs, controlled through neural interfaces and capable of sensory feedback. The price: performance ratio of gene sequencing is falling at an exponential rate. More and more sophisticated neural implants are being developed, allowing the human brain to interface directly with a computer.
All of these developments began as treatments to cure and repair. However, there’s no reason we have to stop at the limits imposed by our natural biology. Ocular replacements might be upgraded to see into the infrared and ultraviolet spectrum. Robotic limbs can of course be much stronger and faster than biological ones, and never grow tired. And gene therapy could very easily be used to alter genetics not associated with disease. Neuroprosthetics will allow us to connect and merge our minds with machines. With a sufficient understanding of human biology, greatly enhanced longevity and even immortality could be possible.
I am a transhumanist, which means that I believe that it is both possible and desirable to use these technologies to enhance human capabilities, to transcend our natural limits, and to become something better than human. Yet, when I explain these ideas to others who are unfamiliar with them, I am often met with resistance and revulsion. Mostly I’m told that it’s unnatural or that it’s just plain weird.
I’m afraid I can’t do anything about your visceral reaction of disgust. That’s your problem, should probably get that looked at. I espouse the idea of morphological freedom, or the freedom to own and alter your own body as you desire. You can imagine that this is part of being a transhumanist. But I believe this freedom is essential for any democratic nation that also purports to support the right to freedom and the right to life – being guaranteed freedom and life but not the right to alter your own body rings rather hollow, no? If I had the option to replace my perfectly good human arms with superior cybernetic parts, I would. And you can’t stop me.
Unnatural? As if something is good because it’s natural. That’s argumentum ad naturam, and it’s a logical fallacy. You know what the natural state of things is? Starvation, fear, predation, and death. The whole concept of “natural” breaks down when you start to examine it. Apes use tools. Is that unnatural? We are products of nature, of evolution, so by extension, everything we do is natural. Our intelligence is unique but not unnatural. Regardless, we should strive to be better than nature. Consigning ourselves mortality just because it’s the natural state of things makes about as much sense as trying to survive without technology because that’s “natural.” Natural it may be, but sensible it is not.
The way I see it, humanity is on the cusp of developing a large number of synergistic technologies with the potential to change our society beyond recognition. If used properly, they could improve the human condition immeasurably. Bioengineering or mind uploading could make aging and death irrelevant. Intelligence enhancement could lead to accelerating change.
Synthetic body parts, or even whole bodies, could expand human’s capabilities like no discovery before. Starvation, disease, and mortality could all be things of the past with the aid of these technologies – but only if we plan for them, strive for them, and put forth the effort to improve our species. Because it’s the right thing to do.
Source: http://elm.washcoll.edu/index.php/2012/09/human-enhancements-are-mankinds-future/
/ About us
Founded by Russian entrepreneur Dmitry Itskov in February 2011 with the participation of leading Russian specialists in the field of neural interfaces, robotics, artificial organs and systems.
The main goals of the 2045 Initiative: the creation and realization of a new strategy for the development of humanity which meets global civilization challenges; the creation of optimale conditions promoting the spiritual enlightenment of humanity; and the realization of a new futuristic reality based on 5 principles: high spirituality, high culture, high ethics, high science and high technologies.
The main science mega-project of the 2045 Initiative aims to create technologies enabling the transfer of a individual’s personality to a more advanced non-biological carrier, and extending life, including to the point of immortality. We devote particular attention to enabling the fullest possible dialogue between the world’s major spiritual traditions, science and society.
A large-scale transformation of humanity, comparable to some of the major spiritual and sci-tech revolutions in history, will require a new strategy. We believe this to be necessary to overcome existing crises, which threaten our planetary habitat and the continued existence of humanity as a species. With the 2045 Initiative, we hope to realize a new strategy for humanity's development, and in so doing, create a more productive, fulfilling, and satisfying future.
The "2045" team is working towards creating an international research center where leading scientists will be engaged in research and development in the fields of anthropomorphic robotics, living systems modeling and brain and consciousness modeling with the goal of transferring one’s individual consciousness to an artificial carrier and achieving cybernetic immortality.
An annual congress "The Global Future 2045" is organized by the Initiative to give platform for discussing mankind's evolutionary strategy based on technologies of cybernetic immortality as well as the possible impact of such technologies on global society, politics and economies of the future.
Future prospects of "2045" Initiative for society
2015-2020
The emergence and widespread use of affordable android "avatars" controlled by a "brain-computer" interface. Coupled with related technologies “avatars’ will give people a number of new features: ability to work in dangerous environments, perform rescue operations, travel in extreme situations etc.
Avatar components will be used in medicine for the rehabilitation of fully or partially disabled patients giving them prosthetic limbs or recover lost senses.
2020-2025
Creation of an autonomous life-support system for the human brain linked to a robot, ‘avatar’, will save people whose body is completely worn out or irreversibly damaged. Any patient with an intact brain will be able to return to a fully functioning bodily life. Such technologies will greatly enlarge the possibility of hybrid bio-electronic devices, thus creating a new IT revolution and will make all kinds of superimpositions of electronic and biological systems possible.
2030-2035
Creation of a computer model of the brain and human consciousness with the subsequent development of means to transfer individual consciousness onto an artificial carrier. This development will profoundly change the world, it will not only give everyone the possibility of cybernetic immortality but will also create a friendly artificial intelligence, expand human capabilities and provide opportunities for ordinary people to restore or modify their own brain multiple times. The final result at this stage can be a real revolution in the understanding of human nature that will completely change the human and technical prospects for humanity.
2045
This is the time when substance-independent minds will receive new bodies with capacities far exceeding those of ordinary humans. A new era for humanity will arrive! Changes will occur in all spheres of human activity – energy generation, transportation, politics, medicine, psychology, sciences, and so on.
Today it is hard to imagine a future when bodies consisting of nanorobots will become affordable and capable of taking any form. It is also hard to imagine body holograms featuring controlled matter. One thing is clear however: humanity, for the first time in its history, will make a fully managed evolutionary transition and eventually become a new species. Moreover, prerequisites for a large-scale expansion into outer space will be created as well.
Key elements of the project in the future
• International social movement
• social network immortal.me
• charitable foundation "Global Future 2045" (Foundation 2045)
• scientific research centre "Immortality"
• business incubator
• University of "Immortality"
• annual award for contribution to the realization of the project of "Immortality”.
/ Follow us at:
/ Contact:
For additional information, partnerships and sponsorship, contact:
info@2045.com
Media requesting information and interviews, contact PR@2045.com
LinkedIn
LiveJournal
Google
Twitter
Facebook
Я.ру
ВКонтакте
Mail.ru