Transhumanism

[Amerikan Columbia]

Transhumanism isn't an inherently bad idea. With the way things are going, I can see a future where the majority of humanity is altered in someway. The problem I see (and that I think others here have as well) is that it should not bee a sign of class or wealth to have "upgraded" body parts. If a person say has a debilitating disability or life threatening illness, they shouldn't be forced to pay to be better. I believe modifications or whatever you want to call them should be primarily used to combat these; Say a person is born without arms, or with a hereditary illness. It shouldn't be something that people say, "Hey I want an arm with lazerbeams attached to it."

[The Alexanderians]

And top line stuff is still only affordable by the richest people, go into a poor neighborhood tell me how many TVs are LCD never mind approaching top line. Proliferation isn't perfect not by a long shot and this would only compound the gaps by an exponential margin. And what of the people that wish to hold on to their humanity and remain as themselves? How would they even fair in a society based around how much machine you are made of? Or how many gene's you've altered?

Ultimately, you can only stall progress for so long. Some of the more idiotic stuff, like developing and mass-producing devices that can connect peoples' brains to the internet or some wireless network; you can outlaw with relative impunity. But in terms of augmentations in general? No, science can only be postponed for so long. Eventually, you either ride the wave, or get crushed by it.

There will inevitably be problems, both societal and otherwise, but it's the same dynamic with different elements. The rich will have better augmentations than the poor, that is inevitable. Regardless, mass-production is a lovely thing, and it won't be long before the poor can also afford augmentations, albeit of a lesser quality.

As for those who refuse augmentations entirely? Well, they'll probably hold quite a bit of sway initially, but as time goes on they will become the minority. I imagine you'll see isolated communities of non-augmented people propping up here and there, but they'll be the exception to the rule. Once it becomes normalized, most people will jump on board the augmentation train.

No you misunderstand.
All of it.
Regulate there by insuring that it either never happens or if it does happens in equilibrium.
And what becomes of these pure human communities? How are they treated in this new world order?

[Benuty]

Transhumanism disgust me considering the Necrons traded their souls for immortality through machinery, and it didn't work out.

Last thing this universe needs is another army for the Star Gods to take hold of. The last war nearly wiped out the majority of life.

[Dominated Earth]

Transhumanism isn't an inherently bad idea. With the way things are going, I can see a future where the majority of humanity is altered in someway. The problem I see (and that I think others here have as well) is that it should not bee a sign of class or wealth to have "upgraded" body parts. If a person say has a debilitating disability or life threatening illness, they shouldn't be forced to pay to be better. I believe modifications or whatever you want to call them should be primarily used to combat these; Say a person is born without arms, or with a hereditary illness. It shouldn't be something that people say, "Hey I want an arm with lazerbeams attached to it."

That could probably be solved with a nationalized health service.

[Stellonia]

This may just be me, but I honestly don't see why I need a superior body when my current one is perfectly fine.

[Sanctissima]

Ultimately, you can only stall progress for so long. Some of the more idiotic stuff, like developing and mass-producing devices that can connect peoples' brains to the internet or some wireless network; you can outlaw with relative impunity. But in terms of augmentations in general? No, science can only be postponed for so long. Eventually, you either ride the wave, or get crushed by it.

There will inevitably be problems, both societal and otherwise, but it's the same dynamic with different elements. The rich will have better augmentations than the poor, that is inevitable. Regardless, mass-production is a lovely thing, and it won't be long before the poor can also afford augmentations, albeit of a lesser quality.

As for those who refuse augmentations entirely? Well, they'll probably hold quite a bit of sway initially, but as time goes on they will become the minority. I imagine you'll see isolated communities of non-augmented people propping up here and there, but they'll be the exception to the rule. Once it becomes normalized, most people will jump on board the augmentation train.

No you misunderstand.
All of it.
Regulate
And what becomes of these pure human communities? How are they treated in this new world order?

My guess would be some incidences, but by and large indifference. It'd be like how eco-hippy communities are treated today. By and large, most people are totally indifferent to how they want to live, since it doesn't affect their lives in the slightest.

That, or everything goes horribly wrong, they become a convenient scapegoat, and get wiped out. It depends on the politics of the nation in question more than anything.

But for what it's worth, I agree with you on regulation. Actually, I'd go a step further and say that the augmentation industry should be entirely handled by the public sector.

[Amerikan Columbia]

This may just be me, but I honestly don't see why I need a superior body when my current one is perfectly fine.

What about paraplegics? Disabled people? Sick People? And hey, you could always be better.

[New Roma Republic]

I personally support transhumanism, and more specifically, the Transhumanist Party in the US. I like their platform, and support their AI Bill of Rights. If that was to become law, it may mitigate issues in the future with the rights of Cyborgs and AI. Also, I love how they support giving more funding to space exploration (as I am studying Aerospace Engineering). Transhumanism is the way of the future.

[Benuty]

This may just be me, but I honestly don't see why I need a superior body when my current one is perfectly fine.

What about paraplegics? Disabled people? Sick People? And hey, you could always be better.

In before the illuminati installs control chips in augmentations that backfire, and cause the majority of augmented people within range of its global signal to go under a violent episode.

Nobody asked for this.

[Amerikan Columbia]

What about paraplegics? Disabled people? Sick People? And hey, you could always be better.

In before the illuminati installs control chips in augmentations that backfire, and cause the majority of augmented people within range of its global signal to go under a violent episode.

Nobody asked for this.

We can always hope that doesn't happen

[The Alexanderians]

No you misunderstand.
All of it.
Regulate
And what becomes of these pure human communities? How are they treated in this new world order?

My guess would be some incidences, but by and large indifference. It'd be like how eco-hippy communities are treated today. By and large, most people are totally indifferent to how they want to live, since it doesn't affect their lives in the slightest.

That, or everything goes horribly wrong, they become a convenient scapegoat, and get wiped out. It depends on the politics of the nation in question more than anything.

But for what it's worth, I agree with you on regulation. Actually, I'd go a step further and say that the augmentation industry should be entirely handled by the public sector.

Why do you think I linked communist-style music?

[Herador]

What about paraplegics? Disabled people? Sick People? And hey, you could always be better.

In before the illuminati installs control chips in augmentations that backfire, and cause the majority of augmented people within range of its global signal to go under a violent episode.

Nobody asked for this.

>backfire
what're'ya, some kinda shill?

[Benuty]

In before the illuminati installs control chips in augmentations that backfire, and cause the majority of augmented people within range of its global signal to go under a violent episode.

Nobody asked for this.

We can always hope that doesn't happen

We can, but knowing the universe in all its predeterministic irony the creator of something akin to augs will resent the fact their body will be too old to adapt to them.

[Sanctissima]

My guess would be some incidences, but by and large indifference. It'd be like how eco-hippy communities are treated today. By and large, most people are totally indifferent to how they want to live, since it doesn't affect their lives in the slightest.

That, or everything goes horribly wrong, they become a convenient scapegoat, and get wiped out. It depends on the politics of the nation in question more than anything.

But for what it's worth, I agree with you on regulation. Actually, I'd go a step further and say that the augmentation industry should be entirely handled by the public sector.

Why do you think I linked communist-style music?

Fair point, but I think both your idea of a nationalized augmentation industry and mine would operate rather differently. Whereas yours would likely be strictly egalitarian, mine would still have some semblance of economic inequality. Basically, while mine would still be more egalitarian than a private sector industry, the rich would still be able to buy better augmentations than the poor.

[Futrellia]

Considering i'm religious (Church every Sunday morning, night and Wednesdays), i'm conflicted on what to say about the topic. I don't actively want to support it, but i wouldn't mind seeing how that would play out. Hopefully not like Deus Ex.

[Benuty]

Considering i'm religious (Church every Sunday morning, night and Wednesdays), i'm conflicted on what to say about the topic. I don't actively want to support it, but i wouldn't mind seeing how that would play out. Hopefully not like Deus Ex.

I just have the feeling that is how it will go down.

[Herador]

Considering i'm religious (Church every Sunday morning, night and Wednesdays), i'm conflicted on what to say about the topic. I don't actively want to support it, but i wouldn't mind seeing how that would play out. Hopefully not like Deus Ex.

I just have the feeling that is how it will go down.

If the way we regulate and lobby industries doesn't change at it's core, that's likely how it will turn out.

[The Alexanderians]

Considering i'm religious (Church every Sunday morning, night and Wednesdays), i'm conflicted on what to say about the topic. I don't actively want to support it, but i wouldn't mind seeing how that would play out. Hopefully not like Deus Ex.

Deus Ex is both "Oh God no" and one of the most likely outcomes...

[The Republic of Tari]

Negative. Transhumanism is based on the unproven assumption of medium independence, that intelligence is a mystical force that would be transferable from a biological matrix to a computer matrix. In my opinion, it is more absurd tan if someone told me that they could transfer my intelligence to a block of Swiss cheese because a block of Swiss cheese is at least organic and has more simimarity than a computer to the human brain.

[The Alexanderians]

Negative. Transhumanism is based on the unproven assumption of medium independence, that intelligence is a mystical force that would be transferable from a biological matrix to a computer matrix. In my opinion, it is more absurd tan if someone told me that they could transfer my intelligence to a block of Swiss cheese because a block of Swiss cheese is at least organic and has more simimarity than a computer to the human brain.

I don't think...that's...quite how it works.

[Futrellia]

Well i'm sure if we see people augmented with tech going around killing people, it won't be long before we see the extreme restriction of tech by the US Government.

[Amerikan Columbia]

Well i'm sure if we see people augmented with tech going around killing people, it won't be long before we see the extreme restriction of tech by the US Government.

So it probably would result in a Deus Ex like situation. A segregated world between modified and unmodified people

[The Republic of Tari]

I would be in support of an AI rights bills. Just give an AI a legal status equal to their age (from the date of creation), make their creators legally liable for their actions until they reach the age of 18, and treat the sale of sapient AI as a form of slavery. The deliberate creation of an AI should be treated as the deliberate creation of a human child and corporations should be forbidden in law from creating sapient AI much like they are forbidden in custom from creating human children. If a sapient AI claims to be a copy of the intelligence of a human being, they should be treated as any other form of sapient AI, as a minor until they reach the age 18 because they are the digital child of that human being.

[Herador]

Well i'm sure if we see people augmented with tech going around killing people, it won't be long before we see the extreme restriction of tech by the US Government.

I played Mankind Divided too, and I think that's a little extreme of a comparison.

[Genivaria]

I completely support the concept of transhumanism and believe that criminalizing it would be a travesty.