Life after Humans

Stephen Pinker, a cognitive neuroscientist presents this question within a very old story told by the Greek, Plutarch, in the 1st century CE.

"The ship wherein Theseus and the youth of Athens returned [from Crete] had thirty oars, and was preserved by the Athenians down even to the time of Demetrius Phalereus, for they took away the old planks as they decayed, putting in new and stronger timber in their place, insomuch that this ship became a standing example among the philosophers, for the logical question of things that grow; one side holding that the ship remained the same, and the other contending that it was not the same."

Pinker takes The Ship of Theseus paradox a step further. What if, asks Pinker, a nanomachine could be produced that could perfectly duplicate the process of an actual neuron. Surgeons would replace one of your neurons with this tiny device – and you notice no difference. They then replace a second, then a third and so on. You feel no different, your perceptions and memory remain the same.

What would you feel if the new neurons had the ability to recall anything that you had ever perceived – which of course, felt just as you were thinking it with your own brain? Is it not, still, your own brain?

Ultimately, every cell in the body could be replaced by the new nano-cell. This cell, of course, would function at least as well as the one it replaced, and it would have the additional benefit that it too could be replaced in case of damage – in effect, a kind of immortality. Pinker has described a possible surgical technique that would lead to a posthuman state.

Still, we must remind ourselves that the potential posthuman reality as described in this article will arrive in series of small steps. Again, some of these can already be observed in their infancy. Science and technology is giving us the ability to manipulate our cells by genetic engineering; psychoactive drugs enable us to have enhanced memory or cognitive abilities, even items as innocuous as a mobile phone are essentially ‘external memory storage’ devices, replacing what we could keep in our own memory.

What is certain, is that the arrival of any new technology will have deep and far reaching effects - and it is obvious that whatever the future holds, taking the time now to discuss, debate and help shape the way forward is an investment opportunity not to be lost.

For more information

KurzweilAI.net - Accelerating Intelligence
http://www.kurzweilai.net/

World Transhumanist Association
http://www.transhumanism.org