Super Blog
This week seems to be a week for supers. The Superbowl was on Sunday, with the New York Giants defeating the near-perfect New England Patriots in a stunning upset and deserved victory. Today is Super Tuesday, and Democrats and Republicans are vying for the top candidacy spot in their respective parties. And I am sitting here, late Tuesday night after a long and busy day, wishing I had super-speed, or some other super capability to help get this post done quickly! I found myself longing for the Resveratrol pill being developed by Sirtris Pharmaceuticals Inc. that I wrote about a few weeks ago. I figured at least that might give me the endurance, speed and presence of mind to be able to complete the post quickly and effectively.
I decided to do a search on Google for “superhuman biotechnology” when I found an article written by Brian Alexander on MSNBC.com entitled, “Is there a human right to be superhuman?“ The article was a bit dated, published on May 31 of 2006, but it was an interesting analysis of the concept of transhumanism, which seeks to augment human abilities through use of emerging technologies. It describes a meeting that took place at Stanford University sponsored by its Center for Law and the Biosciences, its center for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics and the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies. The leaders of the latter two organizations had some surprising assertions that were discussed as part of the meeting; specifically, it seems they not only believe that enhancements to the human body is a possibility, but it’s a right.
The article goes on to describe some new drugs and technologies that were being developed at the time that would fall under the category of science fiction only a few years prior. And with some of the research we’ve even discussed on this very blog, it would appear that we aren’t far off from the day where medical procedures and drugs will be developed that will help bring augmentations to the human body to reality.
However, what happens when we do? What kind of implications will that have for our race? Will the ability to augment one’s own body be tied to money? Does this thrust towards a bigger divide among people who achieve success because they have the means to do so, and those who cannot because they do not have the resources to realize that success? And what happens if augmented abilities do become more prolific? How would our measure of success change as our path to it becomes easier?
When I was small, I had frequent dreams of being Superman, using my powers to help people in need. Even now, the thought of pushing my body beyond the capabilities with which I was born is an intriguing thought. However, if everybody shared the same kinds of abilities I did, how would those powers differentiate me from anyone else? And how would they offer protection against those who might use them for more nefarious purposes? These questions may seem like they belong in the realm of comic books and science fiction, but if scientists continue to explore at the rate they have over the last 10 years, the bridge between fiction and reality may be completed sooner than one might think.
