During our class
discussions this week, we have been trying to decipher what makes or changes a
human into a cyborg and no longer a human. In my opinion, a human is a person
that was conceived and was developed in a human woman’s body.
Of course there is the method of in vitro, but the person would still be a
human because they developed in a human body. It has been said that once a
person has to place any type of technology in their body is immediately a
cyborg. I don’t agree with that because my mother has a pacemaker, and I don’t believe
that makes her any less of a human. Also, what about people who need life support
in order to stay alive? Are those people considered to be less of a human
because they need technology in order to keep them alive, even though it's technically not implanted? I think a cyborg
would be a person who is completely half human and half robot, or a robot that
looks and functions like a human. For example, I think Ash 2.0 and Ava are
considered cyborgs.
As far
as the privacy of technology goes, we are already in a time where people are
becoming what we see on social media. This is the only thing that they portray.
Considering the cases in which a person doesn’t see another person for many
years, and can only view them from their Facebook posts and statuses. Their identity
is technically already based off of social media alone. It’s terrifying thinking
about the progression of the internet and not being able to remain separate
from social media sites and pictures. As of right now, a person can have two
identities, one for the internet and one for their personal life. However, they
are somewhat protected from being figured out because they might act different from
their internet life and don’t have to worry about being recorded on a regular
basis. I think better privacy settings would be great, but if our social media
lives and personal lives merge, people would not be their true selves. We will
eventually have a species of “perfect” or “internet-made” humans. If we are
restricted in what we are allowed to do or express on the internet, does that make us less of a
human?
Personally, I don't think you have to develop inside a woman's body to be human. Regardless of where a human begins their journey, eventually they will develop enough to be welcomed to the world. I say this because for all we know, one day, babies might be in some sort of incubation machine instead of a woman's uterus.
ReplyDeleteAlso, when I classify someone as a cyborg by my definition, they aren't technically human by definition. They are part-human, part-machine to some degree. But when it comes to something such as a pacemaker or a replacement hip or some other part that is inorganic, I absolutely do NOT mean that person has lost their humanity and is therefore undeserving of the same respect and dignity as a human. I simply mean the definition for what they are has changed. They're definitely still human... just part machine as well, or else they would die. Regardless of whatever you have replaced, you still have human in you.
But I do feel as there is going to a be threshold at some point where people will be more robot than human or potentially into something else altogher. Such as replacing the brain or some other gargantuan task. But until we get there, I'm not sure where the line is should be drawn. But as for your mother or anyone else who is part human, part machine, to whatever degree in THIS day and age, they absolutely are just as "human" as those of us without prosthetics or other technologies to help us live.