The Second Apocalypse
Miscellaneous Chatter => Philosophy & Science => Topic started by: Madness on July 25, 2017, 02:45:46 pm
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Link (https://www.edge.org/conversation/martin_rees-curtains-for-us-all). Transcript included.
Here on Earth, I suspect that we are going to want to regulate the application of genetic modification and cyborg techniques on grounds of ethics and prudence. This links with another topic I want to come to later about the risks of new technology. If we imagine these people living as pioneers on Mars, they are out of range of any terrestrial regulation. Moreover, they've got a far higher incentive to modify themselves or their descendants to adapt to this very alien and hostile environment.
They will use all the techniques of genetic modification, cyborg techniques, maybe even linking or downloading themselves into machines, which, fifty years from now, will be far more powerful than they are today. The posthuman era is probably not going to start here on Earth; it will be spearheaded by these communities on Mars.
LORD MARTIN REES is a Fellow of Trinity College and Emeritus Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge. He is the UK's Astronomer Royal and a Past President of the Royal Society.
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Had a conversation along a similar vein earlier this week. I agree with the abstract :P
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Pretty sure I am fine with any/all of it.
Humans are pretty stupid, gross and obnoxious. I doubt if cyborg humans would be all that much worse. Even if so, it's worth the chance to be better.