ch 9-10

• Posthumanity Theory

  is a theory/concept that is of an advance level of technological or economic development that would involve a radical change in the human condition, whether the change was brought by biological enhancement or other causes.
• Posthumanity Theory

  A clarification of what has been referred to as “post human condition” is overdue. 
• Posthumanity theory is used to mention to a condition which has at least one of the following features:

  1. Population bigger than 1 trillion persons.
  2. Larger than 500 years’ life expectancy.
  3. Large fraction of the population has cognitive capacities more than two standard deviations over the present human maximum.
  4. Near-complete control over the sensory input, for the majority of people for most of the time.
  5. Human psychological suffer become rare occurrence.
  6. Any change of magnitude or profundity comparable to that of one of the above. 
• Cumulative Probability of Post Humanity

  like extinction, increases monotonically over time. There is a possibility that a civilization that has achieved a post human condition will later return to a human condition. The reasons paralleling those suggested earlier for the idea that the annual risk of extinction will decline significantly after certain critical technologies have been developed and after self-sustaining more colonies have been created, one might maintain that the annual likelihood that a post human condition would revert to a human condition will similarly decline over time.
• Plateau Scenarios

  civilization is theorized to remain confined within a narrow range; and the longer the timeframe considered, the smaller the probability that the level of technological growth will remain within this range. The plateau pattern have a bit more staying power. The reason is that the plateau pattern is reliable with a situation of complete motionlessness such as result from the rise of a very stable political system, propped up by greatly increased powers of surveillance and population control, and which for one reason or another chooses to preserve its status quo.
• Recurrent Collapse Scenario

  becomes progressively unlikely the longer the timescale. The scenario assumes that technological civilization will hesitate continuously within a relatively narrow band of progress. If there is any chance that a cycle will either break through to the post human level or plummet into extinction. Unless the chance of such a breakout meets to zero at an appropriately rapid rate, then with probability one the pattern will finally be broken. At that point the pattern might degenerate into one of the other ones we have considered.
• Extinction Scenario

  If humanity goes extinct, it stays extinct. The cumulative probability of extinction increases monotonically over time. If we make it through this period then the life expectancy of human civilization could become extremely high. One might believe that super intelligence will be developed within a few centuries, while the creation of super intelligence will pose grave risks, once that creation and its immediate aftermath have been survived, the new civilization would have vastly improved survival prospects
• Technology

  ·"practical application of knowledge especially in a particular area." (Merriam-Webster)

  ·"the purposeful application of information in the design, production, and utilization of goods and services, and in the organization of human activities
• ADVANTAGES OF TECHNOLOGY:

  1. Life has become easy 
  2. Travelling is faster
  3. Communication is faster, more comfortable, and cheaper
  4. Increased the standard of living
  5. Man became more advanced
  6. Impossible became possible
  7. Made a lot of things easy
• DISADVANTAGES OF TECHNOLOGY:

  1. Misuse and used for damaging purposes
  2. Used for illegal purposes
  3. Harmful consequences (e.g. mobile devices on children)
  4. Terrorist use for destructive purposes
  5. Illness developed due to atomic bomb and energy
  6. Nuclear energy affected both man, plant, animals, and other creatures
  7. Natural beauty is decreasing
• Thobela (2023): Technology has many advantages for humanity, but there are limitations. 
• 1. Natural

  • Thing that technology cannot physically perform
  • However, what we currently consider impossible may be possible in the future
  • But there will always be a natural limit to what is imaginable in the cosmos

  Example: 

  Principles of physics: We cannot move faster than the speed of light, therefore, no spaceship will ever be able to break through that barrier
• 1. Economic limits

  • Financial limitations
  • May be technically possible but very expensive
  • The cost of manufacturing and developing today’s mot cutting-edge medicines like gene therapies, stem cell treatments, and complex pharmaceuticals, is prohibitive
  • Some drugs are effective but impractical from a business standpoint
  • Not necessarily irreversible

  Example: Building terraform and civilization on Mars
• 1. Ethical Limits

  • Ethical bounds
  • Limitations imposed by preexisting notions about what is right and wrong in a particular culture
  • Genetic engineering and therapy, cloning, AI, surveillance, cybernetics, and biological warfare
• HUMANITY

  • Latin word Humanitas which means “human nature kindness”
  • Human race, everybody on Earth
  • Term for qualities that make us human, such as capacity to love, sympathize, and be creative.
  • Refers to the kind of emotion humans feel for each other
  • When people request money to help hungry children. They are appealing to humanity’s sense
• The human race or humanness – the quality of life/state of being, attributes, and qualities of being a human being
• United States

  • Congressional initiatives drive technological advancement.
  • Preference for indirect strategies like tax policies.
  • Tech advances contribute to economic growth and trade patterns.
• OECD (Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development)

  • Founded in 1960, now 35 member countries.
  • Focus on scientific and tech developments.
  • Emphasis on knowledge creation and innovation.
• Philippines

  • Facing tech market crisis.
  • Prioritizing 23 industries for reform.
  • Could emulate Japan, South Korea's strategies.
  • Need for consistent industrial strategy and investment in resources.
• Genetic Engineering and Cybernetics

  Technologies like gene editing and cybernetics raise questions about altering human biology and function. With these practices, are we playing God?
• Surveillance and AI

  Advances in surveillance technology create a tension between security and privacy.
• Biological Warfare

  Biological weapons are very difficult to control and have the potential to spread beyond their intended targets and cause extensive destruction.
• Technological Adolescence

  today’s period stage of development in which technology undergoes rapid growth, innovation, and maturation significant advancement, experimentation, and enhancement of technology
• Dilemma

  a situation wherein a person or a group of individuals are facing difficult choices in accepting whether a phenomenon is acceptable or not.
• Ethics

  refers to moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or activity.
• Ethical Dilemma

  a tough choice whether a phenomenon is acceptable, which in case is, the various technological advancements.
• Utilitarian Criterion

  This criterion is solely based on their outcomes and consequences. ex. Healthcare Allocation & Environmental policies
• Criterion Based On Rights

  This criterion urges an individual to decide based on the fundamentals of liberties and privileges. It is usually set forth in the Bill of Rights. ex. Data Privacy and Security & Surveillance Technologies
• Criterion Based On “Justice”

  This criterion requires individuals to impose and enforce rules fairly with no exception to anybody to ensure equitable distribution of benefits and costs. ex. Worker Rights in the Gig Economy
• Real-Time Satellite Surveillance Video

  Companies such as Planet Labs and Skybox Imaging have launched lots of satellites to record the entire Earth’s status in real-time.
• Astronaut Bioethics (Of Colonizing Mars)

  The company MarsOne, Lockheed Martin and Surrey Satellite Technology are preparing to launch a robotic mission to Mars in 2018 with succeeding humans in 2025.
• Wearable Technology

  A category of electronic devices that can be worn as accessories, embedded in clothing, implanted in the user's body, or even tattooed on the skin. This is used to monitor our behaviors.
• State-Sponsored Hacktivism and "Soft War"

  The concept is linked to hacktivism, which is the use of computer hacking techniques (either meant to disrupt, modify or hinder a computer system or similar devices) aimed at promoting a socio-political message.
• Enhanced Pathogens

  also known as gain-of-function pathogens, refer to microorganisms that have been genetically modified or manipulated in a laboratory to increase their virulence, transmissibility, or other properties.
• Non-Lethal Weapons

  Non-lethal rounds are firearm rounds which are designed to incapacitate, but not kill, a target.
• Robot Swarm

  Swarm robotics is a way to coordinate many robots as a system. No human intervention is required beyond the original set of instructions and work together to complete tasks. These tiny bots can perform environmental cleanups or answer disasters where humans fear treading.
• Artificial Life Forms

  Research on artificial life forms is a range of synthetic biology focused on costume-building life forms to address specific purposes. Synthetic life allows scientists to study the origins of life by building it rather than breaking it down.
• Brain-To-Brain Interfaces

  No Vulcan mind-meld, but brain-to-brain interfaces (BBI) have been achieved, allowing direct communication from one brain to another without speech. The interactions can be between humans or between humans and animals.
• Human-Animal Hybrids (Chimeras)

  Organisms that contain genetic material from both humans and animals. These hybrids can be created through various techniques such as genetic engineering, stem cell research, or embryo manipulation.
• Data Chip Implants

  This type of subdermal implant usually contains a unique ID number that can be linked to information contained in an external database, such as identity document, criminal record, medical history, medications, address book, and other potential uses.