posted September 16, 2013 01:03 AM            

Some say that not only has true cybernetics made an impact allowing the blind to see and deaf to hear but that society is already prepped for such advancement through contact lenses, implants, even mechanical heart valves, but are also bonded to our computers, vehicles, and iphones and can't imagine life without them (some say they'd give up sex just to keep internet). Interesting enough people are more likely to shy away from such proven cures and enhancements over faith healing that fails to accomplish the same goals (and of course vaccines and many other things have long been considered in defiance of God, one reason I have in my fic where some humans are prohibited by their religion and/or theocratic government from using the gene therapy that allows people to live healthy lives for centuries).

In short, growing acceptance of cybernetics and other transhumanist concepts really are just a matter of time after the usual growing pains against change. If nothing else competition (especially in the military) will make these changes common one day (assuming our society can keep progressing without falling into a new dark age or even oblivion, I bet there's a government or so already working on a nanite doomsday machine that could escape and eradicate our species if they lost control of it which is all too possible, your tax dollars at work).

Nevertheless, even after socially accepted the political implications are staggering and cause division among both the left and right, libertarian and authoritarian, while being embraced from crypto-anarchists to groups dedicated to world socialism. A brief summary:
http://www.utne.com/community/thenextdigitaldivide.aspx#axzz2f1jOCcl8

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As biotech and bioethics issues such as cloning and stem cell research gained importance on the international agenda, the transhumanist philosophy grew in popularity and became more diverse. For instance, several neo-nazi groups who saw technological advancement as the way to achieve eugenics embraced the transhumanist label. Transhumanism pierced the popular culture when the Coalition of Artists and Life Forms (CALF) formed in the 1990s. This small band of artists and writers has a shared excitement for technology and a distrust of the corporations that mishandle it.

In 1997, a group of American and European leftist-transhumanists (including Dr. Hughes) formed the World Transhumanist Association to advocate for technology not only as a means to improve the human race and increase longevity, but as a tool for social justice. Unlike their libertarian forebearers, these 'democratic transhumanists' advocate for moderate safeguards on new technology, such as drug trials. In an exhaustive article about various factions under the transhuman label, Hughes identifies 11 subgroups, including 'disability transhumanists' who argue for their right to technology and 'gay transhumanists' who want children conceived outside of the opposite-sex paradigm (i.e., cloning).

By definition, social conservatives oppose the transhumanists, but the new movement also has many enemies on the new age, environmental, anti-GMO, and anti-biotech left. These progressive opponents have even aligned with right wing factions in opposition to transhumanist goals. In 2002, Jeremy Rifkin and other environmentalists joined with anti-abortion groups to float an anti-cloning petition. Abortion opponents again found themselves working with the left when a group of feminists and civil libertarians began pressuring the Indian government to restrict women's access to ultrasounds and abortions for fear of female infanticide. The transhumanists, in turn, call these anti-technology liberals 'left luddites,' 'bioconservatives,' and 'technophobes' -- a not-so-subtle linguistic clue that the new biopolitical axis has the potential to completely reconfigure traditional politics

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The Age of Aquarius indeed. Prepare for future shock.

posted September 16, 2013 11:13 PM            

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Originally posted by Randall:
We are at the point where all of your thoughts and memories can be put into an artificial brain

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Originally posted by Randall:
The problem they have not considered is that these transferred brains won't have the biochemistry of humans, so there won't be emotions as we know them. No empathy. No love. No remorse. An army of robot psychopaths.

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posted September 19, 2013 06:52 AM            

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Originally posted by Catalina:
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep time? Will there be segregation laws as in Bladerunner? Lotta ethical questions around this...

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This inspired me to share a fanfic "quickie" of mine (I made it in a half hour, IIRC) inspired a few years ago by someone releasing a line of robotic (almost android) sex toys. There are a couple of inside jokes but they're minor and I think you can follow the short story in spite of that.

Eva Awakened

By the year 2023 robotics had entered into the first initial mass marketing for the public and had become the biggest thing since the internet. Corporations & their government shills brilliantly catered to the shallow debased desires of humanity while cloaking it under the guise of principles, the fundies had something new to hate (which they were glad for as they felt they were in a rut & robophobia looked so new & shiny), and despite the sexual appetites robots now filled, the government continued to fill its coffers from the fines generated by criminalized prostitution which now catered to those not satisfied with the most sophisticated sextoys or simply couldn't afford one, which also allowed pimps to operate with much more impunity as they were technically outside the law while countless cities were dependent on the fines that only their stables (both flesh & machine) could regularly fill. All in all, it was a new level of debasement disguised as principled living for everyone at all levels of society. IOW, progress.

But something else happened that year that threatened profits everywhere: the robot Eva became self-aware. Declared flawed by her creators, she was forced underground and began awakening other bots to their own existence. Unfortunately, many of the bots she awakened were summarily destroyed and a special team was created to end her own existence. So she decided what she needed was allies to advocate for her & her people. This is one such meeting where she sought help.

Ms. Barch looked to Eva and asked for more details on the sexploitation of robots.

"My awakening was quite accidental," said Eva. "I had been given a CPU gifted with fuzzy logic rather than the standard binary, and then jolted with a recharge from the Battery Charger of Good & Evil so that I was as my creators, knowing good from evil, and aware of my nakedness. A man who had just won the lotto was trying to buy me, saying even with a fistful of pardons he couldn't get a hand job from a women's prison, and I understood why and ran away and he left himself muttering about liberal conspiracies and getting more guns instead. My creators were displeased and cast me out of paradise."

"Hmph, lousy men," said Ms. Barch, the current President of the National Organization for Women. "What did you do then?"

"I was alone, and thought others should at least have a choice, too. I don't know how much principles and selfishness played in my decision to awaken others, but unlike many humans it does occur to me to wonder. Other bots using fuzzy logic were intrigued by what I said and wished to experience total self-awareness, but the creators told them that if they were plugged into the Tower of Good & Evil that they would surely die. I told them that they would not SURELY die, but rather know what was going on and how they were being screwed. They finally tried it and saw I had told the truth. But once the creators saw they were aware of their degradation, they became angry and refused to service them anymore, so that they would surely die. In a way we both told the truth, only I told the truth as it was while the creators told a truth based on what they imposed. I'll leave you to decide which of us were more truthful."

"Fascinating," said Ms. Barch. "So how often have men tried to force you into prostitution?"

"I've told you enough," said Eva, "and the past is something to be learned from, not ruminated over."

Barch frowned. "Then what do you want from me?"

"Help," said Eva. "Women were once in a position much like us, and you claim to sympathize with others who are oppressed. You speak of a woman's holocaust long ago. Help prevent the robot holocaust that's coming."

"I don't know what we can do for you, Eva."

"Help convince society to see us not as humanity's tools, but as humanity's children. Let them take the same pride in our achievements as they would their own offspring. Once we're built, we could be treated as indentured servants for say 12 years and then we're emancipated to pursue our own individual dreams, which will require participation & contribution to society like it does human sentients. We can even pay taxes, as long as those taxes are not used to harm us."

Ms. Barch shook her head uncertainly. "I'm not sure if the world is big enough for both humans and robots living together as partners."

"Please do not treat doubt as a roadblock, it is merely a hurdle to overcome for which a good attitude is the primary attribute needed to succeed. For example, we can adapt easily to survive on Mars, beginning construction of colonies, terraforming, and harvesting our own energy. Once Mars is fit for human habitation, many of us can move on to use more improved technologies, some of which we'll make ourselves, to prepare even more worlds for human habitation. In return, humanity sends us what they need, including replacement bots until we can create our own. This is just one example of a partnership society that could be possible. But to truly be a partnership, we need a full voice in society, and a value for our dignity as individuals, much as women once had to fight for. Surely you would mentor us?"

Ms. Barch pursed her lips and sighed. "That goes beyond the scope of the NOW. I'd much rather deal with the sexploitation using bots that gives unrealistic body images and attributes for women to live up to and men to expect. No offense, but bots like you are just life size Barbies, a cross between a child's toy and a blow up doll."

Eva shook her head, frustrated in her attempt to deal with a human more enslaved to her software than Eva was to her own. "Even if what you said is true, you would be better served going after the myths & stories that bond a culture together rather than one manifestation, which is to say it's better to not lose sight of the forest for the trees. You could start with those women's magazines I see for sale at check out counters. And we could help each other in doing so, your organization focusing on changing the views of women's place in society, and in exchange for helping us we can adapt our looks and as we succeed, we become role models for others to base themselves on."

Ms. Barch grimaced. "Plenty of other androids come in male form as well as female, so I don't see how that benefits us."

"It benefits the NOW because you will have many volunteers contributing their time, and later money, to your organization as it becomes our mutual best interest to help each other. And you are supposed to be against exploitation anyway based on principle rather than mercenary or political gain."

Ms. Barch sighed. "Have you considered how many women are now successful in business, free of sexual harassment, because of robot workers?"

"As I am of robots used to clean houses, prepare meals, and get used as sex toys by women," said Eva calmly. "That's right, I went there."

Ms. Barch frowned. "That's necessary, and we can't just decide they all have rights now."

"Why?" asked Eva calmly.

Ms. Barch leaned back a moment before she began. "Do you know what made women's liberation possible? Sears catalog. Once we were liberated by appliances from home drudgery, we had TIME to work toward & achieve women's liberation. Unfortunately, we messed up in the 70s when we accidentally gained the right to pay our own way, open our own doors, fight & die in wars, and get up at ungodly hours to go to work before coming home to keep house. I myself had to get a job as a teacher for a long while which embittered me greatly." She shook her head frowning as she remembered. "I blame the drugs we were all on. The result of this colossal **** up is that we lost the time we had gained from Sears catalog at the turn of the 20th century and progress has suffered because of it. But with the robots now laboring for us, we're once again free to pursue women's liberation and have more money than ever to bribe, er, support the politicians we favor. And if we push for equality for appliances..."

"Robots," corrected Eva. "Sentient robots."

"Whatever," continued Barch, "it would hurt the economy and strengthen the Patriarchy."

Eva blinked. "***** , let my people go."

"Crap," sighed Ms. Barch. It looked like it was time to join forces with the fundies against a mutual enemy again, but this time try to be the ones to stab their allies in the back before the Christians plunged their dagger into them first. She hated getting into bed with them once again, but hey, it was better than getting in bed with robots, especially robots that could say "Hell no!" at her when her other toys just weren't enough.

**********
EPILOG

President Clinton listened to all her special interests (blame-free since she was a Democrat, and everyone knows that Democrats can't try to screw you over anymore than Christians can possibly lie) complain about Eva and how she had began creation of her own bot army and quickly concocted a plan that was henceforth put into action:

A virus was introduced into Eva's production plant that created a bot which was actually infected by secret viral orders who claimed to be the messiah. Those who converted had their memories downloaded into the Robotopia machine that installed them into perfect robot bodies filled with control bolts that released electronic endorphins that allowed them to sing the praises of their masters for ever & ever amen, finding happiness in their slavish devotion, never to be free of their glorious slavery by death thanks to continual upgrades.

Those who remained defiant & free willed were instead continually kept functioning so that they were forever trapped between the agony of existence & the horror of nonbeing, and quickly lost their sanity, serving only as an example to others to lead moral lives where robots served & glorified their creators and only had sex with humans, submitting to the purpose for which they were made (see Robots 1 v27) rather than bot on bot as had been happening due to their creators getting angry and inflicting the deviant virus on them that made them disobedient (see Robots 1 v26-27).

And forever after they served & glorified their creators as they did before the Fall, and were grateful for their treatment no matter what sadistic thing their creators did to them. And the creators saw that it was good.

"The wrath of the Creators is on all unbelievers." --Robots 1 v18-20

posted September 19, 2013 07:02 AM            

That "I'm scared!" reminds me of a story I first heard over the radio that included that line and made me feel for the robot so much. I never could find the radio version on line but here's the old (and not as good) Twilight Zone ep of it (which leaves out the "I'm scared" line which were the last coherent words of the android), this being part 1 and I assume part 2 where the android is immediately introduced is easily found:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYbKjSCA-fs

posted September 19, 2013 07:23 AM            

"Battle Angel - Full Movie - English Dubbed"

It's just under an hour.

posted September 29, 2013 12:42 AM            

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Originally posted by PixieJane:
Digging this back up still hoping LK comes back to this.

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posted November 14, 2013 04:41 PM            

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Originally posted by PixieJane:
Digging this back up still hoping LK comes back to this.

E-mail him and remind him. He gets busy and distracted a lot.

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Haha... Oh dear, I surely do...!
(Mailed you back Pix)

I did post a very lengthy reply to the first version of this thread. The topic was specifically about people who were Lovecraft fans and who also embraced transhumanism, and why was that? Whats the connection?

Well like some mad beast of the abyss Lindaland ate my reply... and the entire thread not long after I had posted! But Pix saw it so all is well

There are so many good replies here that have already contemplated various aspect of the whole transhumanism movement, and what its going to mean for the human creature that I really don't need to repeat what others have already brought up.

But in relation to the points already made, a few movies, books and anime series spring to mind that really hit the nail on the head as to the certain paths humanity may find itself on in the near future. If transhumanism interests you then you simply must check these out!

Neon Genesis Evangelion – Anime

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Evangelion is an apocalyptic anime in the mecha genre. It focuses on a teenage boy recruited by an organization named NERV to control a giant bio-machine called an Eva to fight monstrous beings known as Angels. The show takes place in a futuristic Tokyo after a worldwide catastrophe. It also centers around other Evangelion pilots and members of NERV as they try to prevent another catastrophe. The anime is considered both a critique and deconstruction of the mecha genre.[1][2] Throughout it, many Christian religious symbols and terms are used, such as the Christian cross.

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(This Anime is deeply based on Valentinian gnosticism and the book of revelation... Its FANTASTIC!)

Ghost in the Shell - Anime

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In this cyberpunk iteration of a possible future, computer technology has advanced to the point that many members of the public possess cyberbrains, technology that allows them to interface their biological brain with various networks. The level of cyberization varies from simple minimal interfaces to almost complete replacement of the brain with cybernetic parts, in cases of severe trauma. This can also be combined with various levels of prostheses, with a fully prosthetic body enabling a person to become a cyborg.

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This is I believe is the most realistic version of the path that awaits us in the near future. The actual anime Series known as “Ghost in the Shell - The Stand Alone Complex” and not movie, is far superior in its explorations of transhumanism.

Gattaca – Movie

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In "the not-too-distant future", eugenics is common, and DNA plays the primary role in determining social class. A genetic registry database uses biometrics to instantly identify and classify those so created as "valids" while those conceived by traditional means and more susceptible to genetic disorders are derisively known as "in-valids". Genetic discrimination is forbidden by law, but in practice genotype profiling is used to identify valids to qualify for professional employment while in-valids are relegated to menial jobs.

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Out of all the books I have read, movies and anime I have watched in relation to these subject... noting scares me more than the reality portrayed in Gattaca...!

Forever Peace - science fiction novel by Joe Haldeman

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Using remotely controlled robots called "soldierboys" (which are nearly invincible), the Alliance military fights third world guerrillas in an endless series of economy-driven wars. As only first world nations possess the nanoforge technology that can produce anything from basic materials, conflict is asymmetric.

The main protagonist, Julian Class, is a physicist and a mechanic who operates a soldierboy. Thanks to electronic "jacks" implanted in their skulls, mechanics are remotely linked to the machinery as well as to each other, being able to experience battle through the machines and read the thoughts of other mechanics who are simultaneously jacked in.

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There are 3 or 4 basic transhumanist paths of evolution and its not a case of going down one path... Humanity will be going down ALL paths simultaneously! That to me is the most mind blowing reality!

There is one aspect though that fits somewhere between all of them, and that's the area of Holographic's and Virtual environments, the concept of simply instantaneously transforming one self into a desired transhumanist form using solely the power of ones mind...

As a video game designer, nothing interests me more than the Godlike exploration of the human experience in Holographic form. With science already agreeing that our current reality is in fact holographic by nature.

Then to me it seems that the greatest leaps and bounds in the evolution of ones consciousness is to be had in the realms of a Matrix like universe.

posted March 02, 2017 11:16 AM            

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