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| The Alchymist, 1771 (by Joseph Wright) |
It used to be that immortality was associated with deities. These days,
it's becoming more and more associated with computers.
Tanya Lewis of Live
Science recently reported on this theory: By 2045, humans will achieve digital immortality by
uploading their minds to computers… Ray Kurzweil, Google's current
director of engineering, is predicting that "by 2045, technology will have surpassed human brainpower to create a kind of superintelligence…" This superintelligent "event" is known as
"the
singularity" in futuristic circles.
If this sounds like science fiction, remember that trips to the moon were once science fiction also. Biotechnological
brain-computer interfaces (aka "BCIs") such as cochlear implants ("in
which the brain's cochlear nerve is electronically stimulated to restore a sense of sound to someone who is hard of hearing") are already being successfully utilized to extend human capabilities.
Others BCIs are in the works for memory enhancement and for motor skills.
However, the recent pronouncement of Martine Rothblatt, a biotech CEO, was somewhat shocking. At the Global Futures 2045 International Congress, he claimed that "The Purpose of Biotechnology is the End of Death."
This was with reference to "mind clones," which Rothblatt explained are "digital versions of humans that can live
forever."
But are mind clones truly alive? Is flesh and blood that expendable? Although BCIs are state-of-the-art
technology, the questions they raise are ones that philosophers have been grappling with for ages…
Resources
http://news.yahoo.com/singularity-near-mind-uploading-2045-222426560.html
Copyright June 19, 2013 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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