The Future of Transhumanism

 

Wealthy, Healthy and Wise

Okay, let me see if I've got this right. I could stay young forever? Groovy. A complete backup of my brain? Copy that. What's this? An estimate? I knew it sounded too good to be true.

As with previous medical breakthroughs, it is possible that future human enhancements, like brain-machine interfaces and longevity drugs, at least initially, may only be affordable for the wealthy. The well-to-do, well could be, the next big thing.

Trickle Down Technology

Some future forecasters point out that many medical products and procedures have been expensive when they were first introduced. Prices can drop through competition, lower production costs and after patents run out.

Medical enhancements, however, may encounter unique barriers to lower prices.

Cosmetic surgeries and implants, for example, have been available for decades. Visit Beverly Hills and you'll see more lifts than a crane operator, but you'd be hard pressed to find a tightened temple in my neck of the woods.

What obstacles, wrinkles if you will, face society in providing available and affordable transhuman technology for everyone?

Wrinkle #1 - In the year 2050, 'transhuman technology for all', would mean advanced medical technology for an estimated 9 billion people.

Wrinkle #2 - Medical insurance policies will probably not cover human enhancements.

Wrinkle #3 - The fewer recipients, the higher the value to the consumer. What fun would Jeopardy be if everyone had an encyclopedia implant?

Wrinkle #4 - You just invented the Immortality pill. What price will you set?

Misfits and Retrofits

Brain implant surgery may not be in the budget for many people living in the transhuman age. No prescription for immortality, for those that cannot afford the pill. In the era of transhumanism, the gap between the classes could widen beyond repair. - Jack

Transhumanism and Posthumanism Articles, Videos, and Web Sites

• I search the internet daily for new articles from around the world that interest me or I think will interest you. My hope is that it saves you time or helps students with their assignments. Listed by most recent first. Hit NEXT button for more articles

• The Legally Blind See Again With an Implant the Size of a Grain of Salt from Singularity Hub

• This Biohybrid Robot Is Made of Human Cells and Controlled by a Machine ‘Mind’ from Singularity Hub

• Should We Worry About Where Transhumanism Is Heading? from Mind Matters

• Green Goblin, the Hasty Transhumanist from Mind Matters

• The big idea: should we all be putting chips in our brains? from The Guardian

• Transhumanism: billionaires want to use tech to enhance our abilities – the outcomes could change what it means to be human from The Conversation

• Transhumanism: Integrating Cochlear Implants With Artificial Intelligence and the Brain-Machine Interface from Cureus

• Transhumanism: what is it and what does it consist of? from Telefonica

• The Truth on Biohacking and How It Might Make You a Better Runner from Runner's World

• Woman 'uses chip in her hand to pay for groceries' and it’s creeping people out from Unilad

• Joe Allen on Transhumanism and the War Against Humanity from Literary hub

• Jay Richards Talks Transhumanism and AI from Mind Matters

• The six-billion-dollar post-human from Engineering and Technology

• Transhumanism and Neuralink: the dawn of digitally enhanced humans from Cybernews

• Transhumanism’s Vain Search for Immortality from Mind Matters

• Futurists predict a point where humans and machines become one. But will we see it coming? from The Conversation

• Is The Future Of Humanity Transhumanism? from IFL Science

• Roboticists Want to Give You a Third Arm from IEEE Spectrum

• Bionic 3rd thumb: The future of human augmentation video

• Transhumanism: Examining the risks, benefits, and ethical implications of enhancing human abilities and longevity from Medium

• Transhumanism is already here from The Post

• What it’s like to wear a prosthetic that ‘feels’ from Aeon

• Human Enhancement Needs Ethical Oversight on a Global Scale, New Study Says from Singularity hub

• The Future of Sports: Of Technology, Transhuman Athletes and Thrill from Her Campus

• Why Improbable’s Herman Narula believes virtual society will foster transhumanism from Venture Beat

• Paralyzed patients can now connect their iPhones to their brains to type messages using thoughts alone from ZME Science

• With This Bionic Nose, COVID Survivors May Smell the Roses Again from IEEE

• Replace Your Used Body Parts With a Bionic Upgrade from NEO.LIFE

• Whatever Happened to the Transhumanists? from Gizmodo

• A transhuman biohacker implanted over 50 chips and magnets in her body from Interesting Engineering

• Transhumanists want to upload their minds to a computer. They really won’t like the result from Big Think

• Epitaph for Transhumanism: But It’s Far From Dead!, Advocate Says from Mind Matters

• Transhumanism: Savior of humanity or false prophecy? from Big Think

• H+ DAO and Transhumanism with Dr. Natasha Vita-More from Lifespan.io

• Humans are aggressive, sometimes too much – could ‘moral enhancement’ technologies offer a solution? from The Conversation

• Beyond our ‘ape-brained meat sacks’: can transhumanism save our species? from The Guardian

• From transhumanism to ethical ecosystems: how digitalization is changing our health from MoreThanDigital

• The dream of transhumanism: Are we merely human — or are we something more? from Big Think

• Transhumanism under the microscope from BioEdge

• Lifehacker posted What Is Biohacking, and Is Any of It Not Stupid?