4 replies to this topic

[tfor]

What we see in sci-fi movies might sooner or later become real cause in order to even invent something you first have to imagine it.

Anyway, what's your take on these things?

 

Recently I watched something on youtube. Supposedly they are planning (or maybe already doing it) to grow humans in labs

in artificial wombs.

 

I also heard that they are already experimenting with mixing animal and human DNA and creating hybrids. After all who knows what's going

on in secret laboratories? Maybe they have already created all kinds of nightmarish creatures, half human, half insect and so on.

That's actually pretty scary....

 

And then there's also those people who can't wait to "upgrade" their bodies by implanting all kind of electronic devices into it and then officially

becoming a "cyborg".

 

What do you think about these trends? Do you think this is good or do you think it's really dangerous, especially creating hybrids?

 

Btw, I even heard that they have already thought about wether a hybrid would be considered human and what kind of rights hybrids should have,

 

If they already start discussing such questions then it's clear that sooner or later hybrids will walk among us.

 

And most likely these hybrids will be superior to humans cause it wouldn't make sense to implant animal genes into them which don't make them

 

stronger in some way. Imagine you get into trouble with a hybrid who's got the strength of a gorilla?

[Priscilla]

Pop cultures view and representation of "select science" does not reflect to what we refer to as reality. If you want to understand reality, read non fiction literature... A lot of it.

I could writte out a couple paragraphs, dispelling and correcting some of these, for the lack of a better word, pop culture delusions or misrepresentations of science, but my efforts would go in vain, you don't have the appropriate background to appreciate or comprehend, any eloquently expressed arguments.

My best advice, if you really care for any of this, start reading non fiction literature.

I would recommend a book titled, "on growth and form" by d'arcy thompson. Good starting point for a beginner.

Edited by Priscilla, 26 July 2016 - 05:15 AM.

[Danail Bulgaria]

All of that can be good and can be bad.

 

grow humans in labs -> I am for it. This can be a life saving technology for the human kind

 

mixing animal and human DNA -> Thus the identity of the human king is lost. People should be against that.

 

people who can't wait to "upgrade" their bodies by implanting all kind of electronic devices into it -> fine, only if it is not to the extent that they create a robot in which to copy-paste their brain (the such called brain uploading) and believe, that they will be immortal on that way. The last is not your elongation, but a model of your brainworks.

 

 

"And most likely these hybrids will be superior to humans"

humans are superior to all living things, because of our brain. You cant get a better brain from the animal kingdom.

 

 

 

[Lazarus Long]

The tech being discussed is neither good nor bad.  The purpose, validity and quality of the application is what's subject to moral and ethical evaluation.

 

Making chimeras for example is already being done and the reasons are more to correct genetic disorders or infuse a genetic based resistance to a specific malady into a genome. Principally this is being done in animals and plants both for study and developing a wide variety of transgenic advantages; ie GMO's.  Here is a fun Pop-Sci article.

http://io9.gizmodo.c...anim-1646604935

 

As for cyborgs please be a little more specific.  Am I a cyborg because I have an artificial lens inserted in my eye? Or if I used a neuro-interfaced prosthetic arm?

 

At what point in the interface of technology and human do we make the transition to cyborg?

 

When I depend on a smart phone to remember my wife's phone number?

 

How about when we began to use technology to compete in natural selection?

 

Well we are not the only animal to use technology.

 

Is it a percentage of physical and/or cerebral augmentation that defines what a cyborg is?

 

Or are we already just cyborgs in denial?

[corb]

 

Recently I watched something on youtube. Supposedly they are planning (or maybe already doing it) to grow humans in labs in artificial wombs.

 

Under international law it's impossible to culture an embryo for longer than 2 weeks.
This law hasn't been changed in decades as far as I know. When and if it happens you'll learn it  from a REAL news outlet, not a random tinfoiler on youtube.