Last Updated on May 30, 2023 by ADMIN-TOM
I wrote the following piece in 2014, nine long years ago. So much in the world has changed since then. We’ve had Covid-19, there’s a war between Ukraine and Russia where drones are being used for the first time in real combat missions. And of course, we have a lot of screaming and shouting about AI, Artificial Intelligence. Maybe in another ten years, we will have autonomous robots with AI cooking our meals, looking after the kids and running our errands for us. Or will we be ripe for overthrowing? Read on.
If you’ve ever seen Star Trek you will know what the Borg are. Part biological entity and part machine, the Borg travel the galaxy assimilating species at an alarming rate. Hopefully we’re not too close to seeing that happen, certainly not in my lifetime. But what if I told you that a man at Reading University, in Berkshire, has taken a step towards becoming a Cyborg. Take a look at this clip from YouTube.
It seems a great idea to be able to help those who have lost limbs, were born without limbs or have become paralysed. In fact it has to be said that such implants as those described in the video have to be the way forward. But would this create a race apart from human beings.
Well for a start, what is a normal human? No such thing I would say. We are all different in a whole variety of ways. Apart from the obvious where you have missing limbs, what about those who can’t see, those mentally impaired and even those who have genetic defects that are not obvious to the casual observer. No, to my mind there is no such thing as a normal human being. Genetic manipulation and creating Cyborgs can only benefit humanity as a whole. Though he has done remarkably well, just imagine what Stephen Hawking could have achieved if he had been able bodied.
So, bring it on and the sooner the better, for the good of us all.
Copyright © Tom Kane 2014-2023
