Piltdown Superman

As established in previous posts, it is good to find methods of enhancing human performance, alleviating suffering, and all that good stuff. Sometimes it takes the form of metal and plastics, and even computerized devices such as insulin pumps . Science and technology are quickly growing in these areas. Transhumanism  goes beyond the good things, becoming a religion in itself. (Like atheists, many deny that their belief system is a religion by ignoring most dictionary definitions.) It is based on a form of evolution where we are our own creators. A.I. Cyborg adored by mindless masses* I keep banging on that ol' drum that worldviews need to have internal consistency to be taken seriously in the first place. This evolution has teleology (purpose, which is supposed to be heresy to fundamentalist evolutionists), and they also believe in a self-determined salvation boldly going into the future where there are no flaws. There are several views in transhumanism. One has human consciousnes...

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen There are deviant people loudly demanding what they think are their rights, but there are more subtle thing that happen with movements. They often start small and over time. Deviants have been with the rest of civilization for a long time. However, their acceptance, normalization, preferential treatment  and more seem to have sprung up overnight. Many people are bewildered about all this. There is more going on than it may seem upon first examination. Writing for the Discovery Institute, agnostic Wesley J. Smith postulates that this ties into the transhumanist movement. Bionic eye, Pixabay / intographics Let's study on transhumanism . Using medical technology to repair bodily injuries or defects is commonplace. Transhumanism goes beyond healing and intends to upgrade humanity . Some proponents think they are helping human evolution, which is definitely not the correct use of that word. Wesley Smith suggests that transsexuality is using transhumanism (the cont...

People may have a simplistic view of transhumanism, possibly thinking it is just enhancements like prosthetics and pacemakers. It is actually quite a bit more. Essentially, it is rooted in evolutionary thinking. Evolution is being actively helped along in this way also, but it is not just enhancements. People want to improve their lives and even extend them. They push God aside and implement ongoing creations of humans in an image they choose. There are several surprising moral considerations. Cyborg woman, Pixabay / Julius H . Who am I anymore? Where does the hardware end and I begin, or is it the other way around? I remember having skin...I think. Maybe the memories are from a glitch in the system. After all, I know that I'm very, very old. Friends and family — those concepts are obsolete. My questions went unasked. What have I evolved into? I don't think it was such a great idea after all.  You can be a part of Question Evolution Day , no charge, no sign-up! The angst writt...

Since the beginning, humans have been using implements to improve their existence. Adam probably fashioned a rake and a hoe to tend the garden. Jump forward to advanced technology with computers and artificial intelligence, and there are some startling things going on. The quest for making self-aware artificial intelligence continues, merging humanity and machines in transhumanism , and even the possibility of mind cloning . Man tries to displace God in creation with evolution as well as with technology. The idea of brain-computer interfaces is both exciting and alarming. Network, Pixabay / Gerd Altmann The exciting part is medical, providing people with handicaps or damage to connect with the outside world. Such applications are no more along the lines of playing God as a physician treating an injury or illness. Science fiction writers have provided speculative and even cautionary stories that involve computers, androids, robots, and so on getting control of our minds through hardware...

There is a movement called transhumanism  that is essentially an attempt to improve God's design through technology and genetic engineering. There are numerous related concepts, one of which is mind cloning. However, there are several serious problems with the whole thing. First of all, universal common descent evolution is assumed and all approaches stem from that. Another is that they are physicalists , so the mind is simply a manifestation of the brain. Generally speaking, biblical creationists believe that the mind is separate from the brain, but the mind uses it. For that matter, materialists have no idea where the mind originates . Brain graphic by  yodiyim at FreeDigitalPhotos There is not enough technology available to map the brain of a mouse, let alone a human brain. That aside, mind cloning raises a passel of questions and ethical dilemmas. Where is the soul? Is it duplicated? People change, will the clone come to have values and beliefs that are different from the...

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 thro...