Posted by Kromey at 2:46pm Sep 9 '11Not only do I want eyes that'd let me see without glasses (Lazik could do that), but mostly I want the "augmented reality" stuff, like a HUD overlaying my vision and providing useful information for me at all times. I have a terrible memory, so having reminders literally right in my face would be great! Would be even better if it had some kind of facial recognition software -- I'm terrible with names!
Bob does bring up a very good point that who we are is defined largely by how we perceive the world. Change our perceptions, you change our world and, by extension, you change us. Even something as subtle as the guy who embedded magnets underneath his fingers and can now "sense" electrical currents -- his world is now one that includes awareness of things that are literally invisible to the rest of us! To say nothing of his neat party trick of picking up screws and other small metal objects from an inch or two away. :-P
So that changes who we are, but does it make us any "more" or "less" human? That begs the question of what does it mean to be "human", though, doesn't it?
I posit that the state of being "human" is that of being a thinking being capable not only of rational thought, but of emotion, including compassion for our fellow humans. Evidence for this is seen in e.g. the application of the word "monster" -- the subtext on said label meaning "sub-human", as in "not human, but rather something less" -- to psychopaths who, by definition, lack this compassion for their fellow human beings. I think it also includes our fallibility -- "the human condition" being one in which we make mistakes in our lives, but we also have the ability to get back up and learn from those mistakes.
I don't think augmentations would change any of that. Yes, they very likely would change our identity, but I don't think it would make us any "less" nor any "more" human -- just different.
But didn't I just mention fallibility as being a defining trait of being human, and then note that I want bionic eyes that would eliminate my fallibility regarding names? Well, sure, but does having a cell phone make me infallible? Not in the least, despite the fact that I no longer have to remember my own wife's phone number -- I just look it up in my phone! So what if my eyes tell me the names of everyone I've met? That only means I can greet you by name -- it won't eliminate the fact that I can and will make mistakes in other ways.
Bob does bring up a very good point that who we are is defined largely by how we perceive the world. Change our perceptions, you change our world and, by extension, you change us. Even something as subtle as the guy who embedded magnets underneath his fingers and can now "sense" electrical currents -- his world is now one that includes awareness of things that are literally invisible to the rest of us! To say nothing of his neat party trick of picking up screws and other small metal objects from an inch or two away. :-P
So that changes who we are, but does it make us any "more" or "less" human? That begs the question of what does it mean to be "human", though, doesn't it?
I posit that the state of being "human" is that of being a thinking being capable not only of rational thought, but of emotion, including compassion for our fellow humans. Evidence for this is seen in e.g. the application of the word "monster" -- the subtext on said label meaning "sub-human", as in "not human, but rather something less" -- to psychopaths who, by definition, lack this compassion for their fellow human beings. I think it also includes our fallibility -- "the human condition" being one in which we make mistakes in our lives, but we also have the ability to get back up and learn from those mistakes.
I don't think augmentations would change any of that. Yes, they very likely would change our identity, but I don't think it would make us any "less" nor any "more" human -- just different.
But didn't I just mention fallibility as being a defining trait of being human, and then note that I want bionic eyes that would eliminate my fallibility regarding names? Well, sure, but does having a cell phone make me infallible? Not in the least, despite the fact that I no longer have to remember my own wife's phone number -- I just look it up in my phone! So what if my eyes tell me the names of everyone I've met? That only means I can greet you by name -- it won't eliminate the fact that I can and will make mistakes in other ways.
I want bionic eyes - Kromey