The Ethics of bionics.
Years ago there was a show called the "Six Million Dollar Man" and then the spin off the "Bionic Woman". There has even been a new show called the "Bionic Woman" and follows roughly the same story.
Basically someone gets hurt badly and loses both legs an arm and some other bits, like an eye or ear or both (I forget). They centered on the idea of replacement limbs that were stronger than the real thing allowing superhuman abilities like high speed running fighting jumping etc.
Well, it WAS science fiction.
John German with his new Hand
Touch Bionics released last year the i-Limb system which was basically the worlds most advanced prosthetic hand. Well they've outdone themselves this time. They've developed a complete arm system to go along with that hand. Here's the kicker. It's stronger than a regular arm.
Donald Mkillop
Lindsay Block getting laundry done
Not only is it stronger, its quieter than other arms on the market, moves naturally, and won't fatigue until the batteries die. It can consistently lift 20 lbs repeatedly where as a human arm will tire quickly. Did I mention its also faster?
Now they are faced with a ethical dilemma. They feel there may be a need to scale back to output of the arm based on who receives one. The thinking is that based on the power of the arm it could potentially be used as a weapon. Yup, a weapon.
John German with his new Hand
Previously I wrote about a runner that could not compete in the regular Olympics because he was too good, because his legs were prosthetic. Now we have arms that nearly match the dexterity and out perform the real thing in strength. All we need is usable high resolution eyes and we have the real equivalent of a bionic man/woman. Now thats neat stuff.
I wonder, if someone who were equipped with the whole arm system were to get into a fight, could he be charged with assault with a deadly weapon? Would it be not classified as such because of its use as a medical device? Could the extra capability be a useful hiring feature?
Could a separate class of augmented individuals emerge as a elite class? Would the replacement of biological parts be regulated so that people who don't need them can't get them, and if so what would stop people from removing their own arm so they can be upgraded? Would the replacement limbs be regulated or restricted to only those who aren't a hazard to society (criminals) or would anyone be eligible, money is money right?
How long I wonder will it take for someone to elect to have his perfectly good real arms replaced by superior prosthetics. The transhumanisn culture would be sure to embrace someone who took such a radical step. We have all kinds of replacement parts available to us now. Electronic ears, robotic arms, replacement hearts, augmented legs, synthetic bone replacements, all kinds of cosmetic prosthetics. I wonder if we'll end up at the point where a person thats little more than a torso and head will be able to play pro football. I guess maybe the question shouldn't be if but when.
Anyways, it's some food for thought. Check out the pictures, and the links for more information.
http://news.scotsman.com/scitech/Scotland-joins-arms-race-with.3644501.jp
http://www.touchbionics.com/
http://www.touchbionics.com/professionals.php?section=4
Dissident,
Great article and very good and relevant questions. I have been wrestling with the same questions myself as I (slowly) write my second book, which has to do with people being altered to be an organic part of the Ariel System. For the majority of you who have no idea what the Ariel System is, think of it as the Internet with an artificial intelligence on top of it that constantly sifts through all the data and feeds you the information you need to know – often before you even know that you need to know it. It’s an intelligent, proactive search engine. So if someone’s brain was merged with this system, well, they would almost be like gods.
My thought on your bionic people, whether originally handicapped or originally healthy, is that they will be considered a different class as soon as they exceed the capabilities of the average meat-only human. They will be envied, they will be feared, and they will be segregated. For sure, they will have to have their own leagues when competing in sports. I imagine that they will even be subdivided by their equipment sort of like in motor sports, with categories like sport, super sport, and unlimited.
Although it is quite cool where we are at with these medical modifications, I can’t help but believe that we would be much further along if it wasn’t for the hidden fears inside of us - fears of creating a superior race and the implications thereof. I have no doubt that while most technology has been increasing at an exponential rate, medical technology that involves the improvement of the human body and mind has been intentionally slowed to linearity or below. The possible exception, of course, would be in military research facilities like DARPA, but I’m sure they are smart enough to keep their mouths shut about the really cool stuff.
Unfortunately, most people are instinctively against anyone that is different than them, and definitely against anyone with more power. It will be a hard barrier to cross until the technology is cheap and freely available, and even then it may result in an arms-race (pardon the pun).
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Part A
One word - Exploitability.
One's ethical or unethical use of a technology is pinned to exploitability and is weighed by one's moral standards or conscience.
Humans decide to use/exploit anything largely based on their perceived needs and how far one can exploit a situation before someone cries foul. Most decisions are based on a risk to benefit ratio where one simply thinks, "Do I need this? How much do I need this and how much of XYZ is enough for me?” What may seem ethical and reasonable to one person could be considered unfair by others. If one uses their power advantage in a grossly disproportionate manner, big problems are almost certain to follow in the wake of discovery by the disadvantaged party.
In order to maintain the peace, a balance of power, or parity, must be maintained. If (A) is stronger than (
Let’s pretend bionics and full prosthetics are available right now. How would one use or exploit their artificial augmentation. If it were me, I would get new eyes and legs. The eyes just because I frequently loose or sit on my eye glasses. The legs, only if they could be interfaced with my ears, so I can dance. The first instance is a practical implementation; the second would be purely exploitive so I could get chicks with my amazing moves on the dance floor.
If you could have eyes that are always in focus and are able to zoom in on a person two miles away, well, you may be tempted to become a peeping Tom/Jane. Bionics could put rifle scope manufacturers out of business, then there is an "ethical" issue of sniping with one's prosthetic eyes. You have to admit, the exploitability may be too much for you to resist. Governments will surely exploit bionics, and will suppress enhancements in non-government applications to maintain their superior power advantage over the citizen.
End Part A
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Part B
Lets examine another scenario, Arthur is an assembly line worker at Ford. Robots have already replaced many of his fellow co-workers over the years. With AI on the horizon, Art has become worried that all meat & bones labor will be replaced with purely electromechanical AI on the line. His boss says, "Artie old boy, how would you like an upgrade, new legs, arms, and a dexterity enhancement that interfaces with your new imaging sensor.....I mean, your new eyes." Some folks would be like "hell yeah" and run around saying naa naa naa naaaaaaaaa all day. Is it ethical to lop off perfectly good natural limbs in favor of prosthetics? It all depends on what you, your boss and the government can live with.
What happens if other folks decide to follow Art's example and lop off healthy limbs for vanity sake. Vanity is typically associated with looks and beauty as a person’s love of them self, but that’s not the whole story. With beauty comes power, ask any supermodel. But one could also reverse the equation to its functional form, with power comes beauty. Any guy or girl factors physical characteristics into the "is (s)he doable" equation. People with a smokin hot bod are often accused for compensating. Will the skinny leg kid ask his dad to pay for bionic legs and arms so he can kick sand on the beach bully? Will the new prosthetic limbs corrupt his morality and turn him into the very same thing he was fighting?
I could go on and on, but I won't and really shouldn't, I have a pot roast to braise.
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