Transhumanism

[Great Nepal]

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."

Or we just go with existing framework for say plastic surgery, you require upgraded parts because of medical necessity - its covered under NHS, you require it because you want it, you can pay for it - there is no either/ or.

[The Great Devourer of All]

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

I kind of see it like the trade of certain drugs, like Cannabis. The harder you fight back against it, the more fanatical the dealers and supporters will get and the harder they will fight to keep it. Likewise, if you ban cybernetic or genetic modifications, you'll see poor people and idiot teens getting cruddy versions from underground dealers, likely causing many to die. You think drug dealers with AR-15's are bad? Try fighting against augment dealers with superhuman enforcers and thousands of people with sick family members willing to die to get their kin a good mod.

[Esternial]

As someone with firsthand experience with genetic engineering, I'm certainly all for it, but it can be abused.

A sidenote for the OP: TALENs are generally safer than CRISPR, as they are more specific (so less off-site effects/chance of unintended targets)

[Kharaz-A-Kharak]

Not only Transhumanism, but put together Techno-Gaianism and we will become like gods over this universe: not only the capability to change our bodies, but our ambient as well, with clean, renewable energy amidst cities formed by trees and nonecological agressive materials buildings, horizontal governments, Cornucopia technology utilizing the boson of Higgs, 3d printers in every home - hell, i imagine nanoforges for construction of precise machinery and medicine, AI tutors to our children, genetic modified pets - more smarter, exotic and useful to the point of almost (or full) conscience - Facebook utilizing birds, drones or drone-birds to carry messages or information, with a GPS in their brains and a screen in their chest, genetic modified crops that produces much with less resources, terraforming technology... the possibilities are endless.

[Genivaria]

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

I kind of see it like the trade of certain drugs, like Cannabis. The harder you fight back against it, the more fanatical the dealers and supporters will get and the harder they will fight to keep it. Likewise, if you ban cybernetic or genetic modifications, you'll see poor people and idiot teens getting cruddy versions from underground dealers, likely causing many to die. You think drug dealers with AR-15's are bad? Try fighting against augment dealers with superhuman enforcers and thousands of people with sick family members willing to die to get their kin a good mod.

Or how about the only ones who the police won't try to arrest for it is the wealthy who can actually afford the quality mods.
Keep it legal and you keep it relatively egalitarian, ban it and only the rich will be allowed to have it.

[The Great Devourer of All]

As someone with firsthand experience with genetic engineering, I'm certainly all for it, but it can be abused.

A sidenote for the OP: TALENs are generally safer than CRISPR, as they are more specific (so less off-site effects/chance of unintended targets)

Interesting, thanks.

[Esternial]

I kind of see it like the trade of certain drugs, like Cannabis. The harder you fight back against it, the more fanatical the dealers and supporters will get and the harder they will fight to keep it. Likewise, if you ban cybernetic or genetic modifications, you'll see poor people and idiot teens getting cruddy versions from underground dealers, likely causing many to die. You think drug dealers with AR-15's are bad? Try fighting against augment dealers with superhuman enforcers and thousands of people with sick family members willing to die to get their kin a good mod.

Or how about the only ones who the police won't try to arrest for it is the wealthy who can actually afford the quality mods.
Keep it legal and you keep it relatively egalitarian, ban it and only the rich will be allowed to have it.

It's totally not comparable to cannabis or any other drugs.

[The Great Devourer of All]

Or how about the only ones who the police won't try to arrest for it is the wealthy who can actually afford the quality mods.
Keep it legal and you keep it relatively egalitarian, ban it and only the rich will be allowed to have it.

It's totally not comparable to cannabis or any other drugs.

I only used the comparison to show that if you made it illegal, an underground trade would form that would end up being more dangerous to the consumers and the government in the long run. Regardless of your opinion on Cannabis, that was the point I was trying to get across. My apologies if the analogy was crude.

[Genivaria]

Or how about the only ones who the police won't try to arrest for it is the wealthy who can actually afford the quality mods.
Keep it legal and you keep it relatively egalitarian, ban it and only the rich will be allowed to have it.

It's totally not comparable to cannabis or any other drugs.

I don't see why not.

[Esternial]

It's totally not comparable to cannabis or any other drugs.

I don't see why not.

Well, what you said is correct, but it's not like underground dealers would have access to the kind of facilities needed to provide cybernetic and genetic modifications. It would still be pretty expensive.

Then again, nobody knows how technology will evolve.

[Balkenreich]

i want a size 20 foot.

[Minzerland II]

I hate the idea of it.

[The Republic of Tari]

It is relatively easy to enforce prohibitions against human genetic engineering by punishing parents of children found to have been genetically engineered (no need to punish the children, they will not breed true). Genetic screening, however, is completely rational (you are selecting for existing traits rather than adding new traits into the genome). Cybernetic and bionic replacements of failing tissues makes sense up to a certain point though, once again, anyone who transitions from a biological intelligence to a digital intelligence should be treated as a newborn and different person legally because they are a completely different entity than the biological intelligence that was their parent.

[Washington Resistance Army]

Gimme a robot arm already.

[Esternial]

Gimme a robot arm already.

Personally I'm really excited about the bionic lens.

20/0 vision, yes please.

[Ipland]

What type of restrictions would the Olympics have?
Would they ban transhumans from entering or would they have an advantage?

[Community Values]

The only true transhumanism is Anarcho-transhumanism.

The government only gets in the way of our robotic arms!

[Dooom35796821595]

What type of restrictions would the Olympics have?
Would they ban transhumans from entering or would they have an advantage?

I think they'd start out in the Paralympics, people would start raising eyebrows when Paralympics start beating regular Olympians records.

[New Roma Republic]

What type of restrictions would the Olympics have?
Would they ban transhumans from entering or would they have an advantage?

I feel like they would have another kind of Olympics for transhumans to compete in. Like the Paralympics, but for Cyborgs

[Internationalist Bastard]

I mean, I obviously agree with the baseline of it. Technology doesimprove humanity. I just believe that there's a line. When does cybernetics threaten privacy or individuality, when does genetic engineering to avoid diesese become some kind of nazi wet dream.

[The New Sea Territory]

I like the idea. However, I'd like to abolish capitalism before transhumanism takes off. Otherwise, it will just further cement class rule.

[Uiiop]

Ideas can be made or sound good on paper but it's all about the execution. I would suggest progress with caution. But all things don't deserve the same amount of caution..the thing that needs attention in the future is more likely body modification and not say...AIs.

[Dooom35796821595]

I like the idea. However, I'd like to abolish capitalism before transhumanism takes off. Otherwise, it will just further cement class rule.

Abolish capatilisim? Would you also like to abolish democracy?

Seriously, you can't abolish capitalism without replacing it with something else, that something else is often worse.

[Internationalist Bastard]

Ideas can be made or sound good on paper but it's all about the execution. I would suggest progress with caution. But all thing deserve caution yet....the thing that needs attention in the future is more likely body modification and not say...AIs.

I've been determined to live to see cybernetics ever since my friend lost his leg, so that's the view I'm looking at it. These things help, a lot. But I can see the danger of it too

[Human Complementation]

I think we should dive in head first and ask questions later. Bathe in the blinding light of empathy and universal Mohist love.