From: Dave Sill (extropians@dave.sill.org)
Date: Fri Mar 15 2002 - 08:51:17 MST
Samantha Atkins <samantha@objectent.com> wrote:
>
> As we hopefully become increasingly augmented there are very
> important questions of whether our augmentation will be
> considered as much a part of us as our brain or eyes or will
> always be considered mere equipment to be turned off, removed or
> damaged at the discretion of any official or semi-official.
There's going to be a lot of resistance to augmentation before it's
generally accepted. Everyone thinks it's OK to level the playing field
with hearing aids, glasses, eye surgery, etc., but the masses aren't
comfortable with the idea of augmentation--"fixing what ain't
broken". Performance enhancing drugs and blood doping are considered
cheating in athletics, for example.
Augmentation proponents need to understand this and respond
nonthreateningly. We need to move slowly and take the concerns of the
masses seriously lest we really freak them out and end up making the
situation *really* bad. Augmentation *is* a serious threat: how could
a natural person compete against a seriously augmented person with
similar natural abilities? Perhaps promoting augmentation as a benefit
to humanity, rather than as a way for the wealthy to make themselves
into supermen, would help.
> ... When humans someday wear as much gear
> as Dr. Mann will the effectively be partially blinded, mentally
> slowed down, have some of their memory removed and be effectively
> maimed at the discretion of a clueless world?
Calling the world "clueless" is exactly the kind of thing that's going
impede the progress of augmentation--if not get it outlawed outright.
> ... I hope Dr. Mann sues their asses off.
Sure, for whatever equipment was damaged. But neither he nor they had
any idea that removing his equipment would cause possibly serious or
permanent psychological damage. And he could have refused to remove
anything and made alternate travel arrangements.
-Dave
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