Redefining Reality - The Intellectual Implications of Modern Science

It is one thing to use technology to help make us better, but it is a completely
different matter when we begin to incorporate technology into our bodies,
making us human/technology hybrids, or cyborgs. Researchers have
implanted chips in their bodies to enable them to control the computer, lights,
and thermostat without touching them. Implanted chips have allowed two
people miles away to both experience the same sensations undergone by one
of them. Researchers have been able to implant chips into the brains of mice
we lose our humanity if we technologize our senses and brains?
For decades, certain individuals have been human/technology
hybrids, but traditionally, this was restricted to those who had
medical conditions. Pacemakers, for example, are inserted into
those with heart problems to check the rhythms of the heart’s
beating and provide an electrical kick when needed to ensure proper
functioning. Prosthetics have been developed for those who were
born without limbs that function in the usual way or for those who
have lost limbs as a result of accidents or disease.
In the case of prosthetics, two quite different approaches to
design have been developed. One approach is based on the idea of
replacement. If a human has lost an arm, we need to restore that
to having the bodily experience he or she had before the accident.
Many prosthetic arms, for example, included hooks that allow
the wearer to pick up objects. The mechanism controlling the
hook is engaged by using other functional muscles, such as the
shoulder above the limb or the opposite shoulder. Movements
limb allow the wearer to open and close the hook at will.
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