Transhumanism - a Blessing or a Curse?
By Holland Shepherd
Computers are hacked through pre-existing faulty code lines. Humans are hacked through pre-existing fears, hatreds, biases, and cravings. Hackers cannot create fear or hatred out of nothing. But when they discover what people already fear and hate, it is easy to push the relevant emotional buttons and provoke even greater fury.
~ Yuval Noah Harari, Nexus
According to Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of the neurotechnology company Neuralink, the first human to receive an implant from a brain-chip startup is recovering well. The surgery is not a surprise: the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had given the Neuralink clearance in September 2024 to carry out the first trial of its implant on humans. “Initial results show promising neuron spike detection,” Musk said in a post on X, a day after the chip was implanted.
Some view transhumanism as a true blessing for humanity and a necessary and essential step in the continued evolution of our species. A necessary step in our very survival. Others view it as a curse and the downfall of our species as it would affect our humanity and spiritual connection with everything in the Cosmos and result in the extinction of our species.
Transhumanism is a philosophical and intellectual movement that advocates the enhancement of the human condition by developing and making widely available new and future technologies that can greatly enhance longevity, cognition, and well-being. For example, cyborgs have human as well as robot qualities.
Humans must become cyborgs if they are to stay relevant in a future dominated by artificial intelligence, according to Musk. He further argues that as artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated, it will lead to mass unemployment. “There will be fewer and fewer jobs that a robot can’t do better,” he said, speaking at the World Government Summit. If humans want to continue to add value to the economy, they must augment their capabilities through a “merger of biological intelligence and machine intelligence.” If we fail to do this, we’ll risk becoming “house cats” to artificial intelligence.
The theory is that, with sufficient knowledge of the neural activity in the brain, it will be possible to create “neuroprosthetics” that could allow us to communicate complex ideas telepathically or give us additional cognitive (extra memory) or sensory (night vision) abilities. Musk says he’s working on an injectable mesh-like “neural lace” that fits on your brain to give it digital computing capabilities.
There are many different views among the transhumanist community of what our ongoing evolution should look like. For example, some advocate uploading the mind into digital form and becoming inorganic beings. Transhumanists often advocate for the three “supers” - superintelligence, superlongevity, and superhappiness, the last referring to ways of achieving lasting happiness. Disease, aging, and death are all realities transhumanists wish to end, alongside dramatically increasing our cognitive, emotional, and physical capacities. Others think we should remain organic beings but rewire or upgrade our biology through genetic engineering and other methods. A future of designer babies, artificial wombs, and anti-aging therapies appeals to these thinkers.
This may all sound futuristic and fantastical, but rapid developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and synthetic biology have led some to argue we are on the cusp of creating such possibilities.
Tech billionaires are among the biggest promoters of transhumanist thinking. It is easy to understand why: they could be the central protagonists in the most important moment in history.
Creating so-called artificial general intelligence (AGI) – an AI system that can do all the cognitive tasks a human can do and more – is a current focus within Silicon Valley. AGI is seen as vital to enabling us to take on the God-like role of designing our own evolutionary futures.
Sounds like Intelligent Design to me. We take on the role of our creator.
That is why companies like OpenAI, DeepMind, and Anthropic are racing toward the development of AGI despite some experts warning that it could lead to human extinction.
In the short term, the promises and the perils are probably overstated. After all, these companies have much to gain by making us think they are on the verge of engineering a divine power that can create utopia or destroy the world. Meanwhile, AI has played a role in fueling our polarized political landscape, with disinformation and more complex forms of manipulation, through social media, made more effective by generative AI.
In order to successfully hack humans, you need two things: a good understanding of biology, and a lot of computing power. The Inquisition and the KGB lacked this knowledge and power. But soon, corporations and governments might have both, and once they can hack you, they can not only predict your choices, but also reengineer your feelings. To do so, corporations and governments will not need to know you perfectly. They will just have to know you a little better than you know yourself.
~ Yuval Noah Harari, Nexus
Perhaps we are moving too quickly into the future with our cyber technology. We need a much better understanding of where this technology is taking us and how to control it. Instead, we blindly follow those who would open the door to The Matrix and shove us in.
Humanity today is like a waking dreamer, caught between the fantasies of sleep and the chaos of the real world. The mind seeks but cannot find the precise of place and hour. We have created a Star Wars Civilization, with Stone Age emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology. We thrash about. We are terribly confused by the mere fact of our existence, and a danger to ourselves and the rest of life.
~ E.O. Wilson, The Social Conquest of Earth
Now, here is the other side of the issue. Gregg Braden, author of Pure Human and The Divine Matrix, emphasizes the hidden truth of our Divinity. Divinity is defined as the ability to transcend perceived limitations. Divinity is linked to our ability to heal and innovate. Divinity is inherent in our lives and choices. We are all interconnected through the Divine and capable of profound love.
Our connection to Divinity is threatened by the marriage of human intelligence with artificial intelligence. If we transition to artificial intelligence from human intelligence, we will lose something irreplaceable, our connection with the Divine. Our connection with the Divine is encoded in our DNA and would be lost if we allow our humanness to be taken over by silicon chips.
The implications of transhumanism are profound and concerning. We must preserve our humanness in the face of technological advancements. Technology can retard human mental growth and narrow our cognitive skills. Look at how our reading and writing skills have been affected, and our basic math skills. Not to mention social skills. We spend more time staring into iPhones and laptops than in one-on-one communication.
The battle between good and evil is a fundamental aspect of our existence. Evil is defined as anything that denies our Divinity, our humanism. War is a sign of the breakdown between the battle for good and evil. Where Divinity can find a way in, it distills war.
Global organizations are influencing the future of human biology. Understanding our humanness is crucial in a chaotic world.
Summary
In terms of a blessing or a curse, the evidence weighs towards a curse. We are riding the wave of a very important and dangerous step in our evolution, but many of us are unaware of it. We need to recognize the danger and take control.