Upgrading Ourselves with Transhumanism

Replacing limbs and such that are the results of birth defects or injuries goes back centuries. The image of a pirate with a pegleg comes to mind. It was a budget prothesis. There are countless other applications throughout history.

Advanced forms of prosthesis are from the field of bionics. They are medical biological electronics, popularized by Martin Caidin in his Cyborg novels and The Six Million Dollar Man television shows. (That much money would only be a down payment today.) Bionic limbs use existing nerves and muscles to operate. Some bionics can even involve robotics and artificial intelligence.

Bionic eye, Pixabay / intographics

Bionics are used in many ways, and people may not associate their implants and such with that word. What about taking it further? While there's no defying God's creation by mitigating damag caused through defects and mutations (originating in the Fall of Man), some folks with a worldview rooted in naturalism want to help evolution along through transhumanism.

Such evolution would obviously be unnatural, but these transhumanists would like to see normal humans enhanced into cybernetic organisms. The word cyborg is used in many ways, but it involves biological organisms enhanced through technology, including robotics and bionics. (Not to be confused with a robot or an android, which do not have biological material themselves.) Should we trade our body parts that are functioning for enhanced versions? Is the whole thing ethical? To paraphrase Jurassic Park's Dr. Ian Malcolm:

Scientists and philosophers are pushing to see if they could, they're not asking if they should.

But what if we could use these strategies to enhance “normal” people? It sounds like science fiction. Yet with our cell phones and ever-present computers, we have become increasingly comfortable merging our bodies with devices. D. T. Max, in a recent National Geographic article, put it this way: “Our cars are our feet, our calculators are our minds, and Google is our memory. Our lives are now only partially biological.”

. . .

Transhumanism promises to make humans more advanced through robotics, merging us with machines, even “uploading our consciousness” into computers. In essence, it desires to reinvent humanity. Why not leave the shackles of our bodies and buy into the transhumanist vision?

These questions cry out for a clear biblical perspective on healing and wellness to guide us. We must first acknowledge that disease, decline, and death are a result of Adam’s sin. Because of the Curse in Genesis 3, all of us must age and die.

To read the entire article (or listen to the audio by my favorite reader), use an electronic extension of yourself (smartphone, other computer) and hop on over to "Should We Update God’s Design?" Also, I strongly encourage you to watch this video: