Beware the Transhumanism movement.

[Hughe]

A new paradigm is emerging nowadays.

Transhumanism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transhumanism)
A group of scientists and individuals from various fields to manipulate and control every aspect of human for "improvement, enhancement."

We will see startling ideas and products from them. When transhumanism is combined with eugenics derives the inevitable scientific totalitarian government.

There will be three types of humans in future:

Super human: Genetically engineered human.
Cyborg: natural human with sophisticated machine parts
Natural human - they call it subhuman.


For them anything is possible for human enhancement or survival as species in space ages.

[str8thinker]

Hitler used to call it eugenics.


MReV9dkAVhY

[Dale]

Here's an observation I've had concerning the "Transhumanism" movement.

Most of you know I spend a little time tutoring students in junior high to university level English. One thing I've begun to notice in their writings, particularly those about politics and personal philosophies, is that more and more students are expressing an attitude of "survival of the fittest."

For example, a student may, when writing about the future, compose an entire essay about how "dumb people" should not have families and "move to an island." Even more frightening than the content, a good bit of this writing comes from students in junior high. They're just kids!

What worries me is that these kids, in a few years, will be of voting age. Some already are. They're growing up with the idea that it's perfectly fine to cull the population, removing those with "undesirable" traits, to make room for those more-so "pedigree;" even if they're not a part of the "privileged" group.

[Banshee]

Maybe you need to introduce them to the concept of Karma. Yikes. Out of the mouths of babes ( and who said that video games weren't damaging?)

[Jondalar]

A friend of mine is utterly convinced that transhumanism is the inevitable consequence of our scientific quest, and that it would be a good thing because it would drive human evolution to new levels. My own feeling on the subject is that, like most technologies, transhuman engineering is value neutral; How the technology is applied is what matters, What are the intentions of its users.

Given the current state of our social organization, it is reasonable to assume that transhumanism would birth a neo-eugenics movement and be used to further manipulate and oppress humanity. Would it not be possible though, at least in theory, for us to sort out our social problems (forgive the euphemism) and use genetic technology for the benefit of all beings?

[Blake Elder]

I agree Jondalar it is theoretically possible to use genetic technology for the benefit of all beings. There is also the technical and legal problems to overcome as well as the social - ie. corporations patenting genes which I don't believe can be justified. And also we don't yet understand how genes affect each other. For example there is a fat metabolism gene that shows promise (at least in mice) if we shut it off, to decrease obesity and the effects of calorie over-consumption. But we don't yet know the full affects that switching off that gene will have on other genes which may cause other health problems.

I think it is an area that should be publicly debated as well as encouraging open source scientific research rather than behind-closed-doors corporate patented studies which are, of course, not publicly accountable.

And genetic enhancement may even yield improvements in how our human brains and bodies interact with the zero point consciousness field, perhaps improve our pineal gland :-) ?

Naturally we want to avoid creating a superhuman class of people alongside an underclass, so i would emphasize the open source/public engagement approach. I would also add free market mechanisms that allow these technologies to reduce in price significantly overtime, and thus become available to everyone.

[omeriko]

Here is a good one about Transhumanism, some call it Human 2.0


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DCKG-iKCyw

also, note that they say that legislation already started in this direction.

[Merkaba360]

use technology to enhance our sleeping abilities and speed of consciousness. If we choose technology instead of this and become lazy, the body and genetics would seem to go downhill. Probably will lose our ability to procreate going that way.

I better get my super powers before the others have their bionic arms. lol Great... think i better prepare myself with a bit more of infinite consciousness for this upcoming preview.

[moais]

the invisible bone paradigm

[Lucc30]

Oh dear! What ever happened to human ethics?

[trenairio]

Transhumanism truly is a dire cause. Say bye bye to naturalism, and what we thought was the human soul. Is there still hope?
http://asunews.asu.edu/files/imagecache/story_main_image//files/images/Transhumanism_Image.jpg

[IronicDestiny]

There is always hope! Keep on smiling! Just because they say this is the way they are aiming, doesn't mean it will happen! It is getting increasingly harder for them to keep us all fooled and the more of us that are not willing to let them continue on the way they want, the less power they have. We will fix this, and if we can't I know somebody that will...