The first axiom of the Transhumanist Declaration is that: “Humanity stands to be profoundly affected by science and technology in the future. We envision the possibility of broadening human potential by overcoming aging, cognitive shortcomings, involuntary suffering, and our confinement to planet Earth.” The declaration is a missive that attempts to lay the social, political, and philosophical groundwork for the inevitable incorporation of technology into human biology.
If you think this sounds far-fetched, just consider the exponential scientific advances we've seen in the last 50 years. Travelling to the moon? Neil Armstrong did that in 1969. Cloning? Dolly the Sheep made headlines for it in 1996. Mapping the human genome? No problem, we finished in 2003. Science fiction is now science fact. You can read about it on the smartphone in your pocket that taps into that collection of humanity's knowledge called the internet.
So what's next for humans in this brave new world? Is this the next leap in human evolution? Or will adding technology cause us to lose a piece of our humanity?
This week on the show, host Chris Mitchell talks with three experts who speculate on what's coming next, and what we can do to prepare for it.
First up, a conversation with transhumanist George Dvorsky on what developments we can expect to see in the coming decades.
Next, Ian Kerr explains how medical technology could eventually erase human limitations.
Finally, Christopher Dewdney on why Michael Jackson was a pioneer of transhumanism.
