Will Transhumanism Offer Us A Glorious Future?

Transhumanism covers many subjects. Nootropics, also called smart drugs, are the most familiar to the public. However, there are many other newly-emerging technologies on the horizon, and others which might come. The object is to become better than human—but is that a good idea?

Life extension

It’s natural that people would like to live longer. Psalm 90:10 speaks of life expectancy as seventy or maybe eighty years, though life’s full of toil and sorrow. That one was written during the Iron Age. Today’s average lifespan is about the same; modern medical technology does better at preventing premature death than artificially extending life.

Some of today’s tech giants wish to change this. The ultra-wealthy in general often live very long lives; perhaps they know something we don’t? Rumor has it that David Rockefeller attained the ripe old age of 101 by getting five—or even seven—heart transplants. That seems doubtful—Mr. NWO never had a heart.

There are two other hurdles to cross, aside from scientific advances. Retirement programs like Social Security are already increasingly strained. These would collapse if life expectancy increased drastically. Fixing it would necessitate raising the retirement age considerably.

More importantly, living several more decades in an enfeebled condition wouldn’t help much. Some seniors already spend their final years bedridden or barely conscious, a sad reality. Improving quality of life is more important than longevity; this should be prioritized first.

Body enhancements

Today, there are already many ways to change the body, though generally they make people look like Martians rather then doing anything actually useful. Perhaps prosthetic limbs could become better than the real thing eventually. Will being part machine, like Darth Vader or the Terminator, become commonplace? Getting your skeleton and muscles replaced by metal and hydraulics might increase strength greatly, but you could always butch up and work out instead.

Transhumanists are often enthusiastic about transsexuality too. We find that bizarre, especially because trannies look weird. Also, a sex change operation basically involves slicing a guy’s dick open and turning it inside out. The resulting “vagina” must be artificially dilated regularly, it makes a roast beef taco look like a pink lily, it doesn’t get wet, it becomes crusty, and it’s prone to infections. (Who wants to bang that?) However, there’s serious discussion of transplanting girl bits, or even cloning them in a lab, so they can have babies. Still, there’s an even better solution—getting used to the body they already have.

Gene editing and nanotechnology are other efforts. If that means curing hereditary diseases, that’s a good use. However, tampering with the human genome shouldn’t be done recklessly or needlessly. A worse possibility would be genetically engineering people like Monsanto does with GMO crops.

Suppose someone will want to make humans docile—basically more “unaware and compliant“. I can predict the strategy already. The idea will be introduced in the name of ending violence—“do it for the children”. Then it’ll be propagandized, and dissent will get talked to death or shouted down. Some horrific false flag event or engineered war will settle the debate. Any remaining unmodified people will get extra scrutiny, eventually becoming second class citizens, until it’s too burdensome to live that way.

Convergence with technology

Merging the mind with computers is eagerly anticipated by transhumanists. One possibility is getting WiFi cards installed into your brain. (If Hillary had won, we’d all be getting V-chips implanted first.) The technology isn’t there yet, but it’s been discussed seriously.

Mind uploading is further down the technological pipeline, if it’s even possible. Transhumanists don’t merely have their head in the clouds; they want to upload their brains to the cloud. Escaping the human body’s limitations means no more need to eat, drink, sleep, or take a leak, unless someone wanted to simulate these things. When someone’s soul is digitized, the virtual reality world would be like one’s own personal holodeck, 24×7. Basically, The Matrix would become real.

Everyone could pig out on virtual food, yet look like an A-list actor or a supermodel. Most people wouldn’t care to bang a sex robot today, but in the artificial universe, a manufactured virtual playmate would seem no different from any (formerly) real partner. Death would become obsolete too. Perhaps people might upload a copy of their minds and (in the material world) euthanize themselves because reality would be pointless after their souls become processes running in a server farm.

Why The Matrix might suck

This might be impossible; CPUs aren’t brains, which today’s powerful servers can’t really emulate. However, if someday computers could replicate the human mind’s initiative and free will, an obvious question remains: who funds it? The hardware outlays, maintenance, and electricity will be enormously expense. Perhaps the “one percenters” could buy an eternal subscription. What about everyone else?

Virtual economies exist already, but they’re not quite gold mines. Creative professions might be possible, depending on how well a mind really could be emulated. However, it’s hard to imagine it remaining economically viable. If users can’t sell enough designs and digital products, will they get deleted? If governments subsidize the ghosts in the machine, taxpayers in the real world might get sick of supporting cybernetic slackers.

Also, with so many idle minds, trolling might become the greatest pastime. Managing the disembodied for eternity will be an unprecedented challenge. Will chronic user agreement violators be banned to virtual jail cells, digitally lobotomized, or even have their existence deleted? Will there be due process and a court system (meaning lawyers, judges, and all that fun stuff), or will the administrators and their appointed moderators have dictatorial power?

It gets worse

Domestic spying and online censorship are already problems. Propaganda and mind control will get worse if people become data structures. One’s innermost thoughts could be scanned and edited without their knowledge. People could be conditioned to believe anything by hackers or omnipotent administrators.

I wouldn’t put anything past the effete billionaires who want to make this a reality. They’ll guarantee rights, freedom of thought, and digital democracy, but quickly break their promises. Power is already being abused, with governments colluding with tech giants rather than protecting their citizens.

Things could become far worse when digitized people are completely at the mercy of The System. Likely that will be permitted under a “management can do anything” clause in the terms of service. Few people today read their software user agreements, know about government spyware, or understand how their cell phone apps can track them. If you don’t agree to their terms, you won’t get digital immortality. Still, it might be no great loss.

Conclusion

Some technological advances might help the disabled increase their quality of life; that’s no problem. However, replacing perfectly functional body parts with artificial stuff is nonsensical.

Furthermore, wishing to live in The Matrix full-time instead of reality is merely solipsistic nerd escapism. Besides, goofing off in an MMORPG would become transcendental boredom after a few thousand years. Having children and passing on your genetic and cultural legacy is a better way to achieve earthly immortality.

Read More: 8 Reasons Why The Future Is Going To Suck

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