Enhancement: Age-retardation
Human beings aresubject to aging and other limitations that prevent them fromperforming the various task at different times of their life.Transhumanism is described as the philosophy of life that seeks toimprove the human conditions by eliminating human limitations usingscience and technology. The process is guided by life-promotingprinciples and values. Transhumanism can be achieved through theapplication of reason and technologies that are able to prevent theprocess of aging so that people may be able to have enhanced levelsof physical, psychological and intellectual capacities (Max, 4). Thetechnologies that are development are mostly geared towards theprocess of the enhancement of the human capacity as they will makepeople do what they would normally. The outcome of transhumanism isthe general development levels of the world which rise significantlydue to increased number of productive individuals. Aging reduces theproductivity of an individual, and this philosophy of life aims atthe address the aging process. The concept of transhumanism aims atmaintaining the body’s ability while the age of a person isincreasing. There are various enhancements that are used as anintervention to the aging of the body. Age-retardation is an exampleof enhancement used in transhumanism.
Transhumanism dismisses the influence of faith, worship andsupernatural beings on life and instead, stresses on the need for ameaningful and ethical approach to life through the application ofreasoning, science and value for the current life. According to thislife philosophy, human beings have the responsibility of “…creatinga better future rather than hoping or praying for them to be broughtabout by supernatural forces…” (Max, 4). The aspect of“transhumanism” lies upon the view that people need to takepersonal decisions and actions into having better futures forhumanity instead of relying on chance that there might havesupernatural forces which will do so in due course of time. Ingeneral, it helps to motivate different parties involved in thedevelopment of technologies to come up with inventions which willplay a great role in ensuring that the capacity of a human being iswell enhanced and making them continue being highly productive evenas their age advances. However, “…much longer lives would weakenour commitment and engagement” (Bailey, 319) because people havemore time to spend. The main aim of transhumanism is to enhance thedevelopment of human beings need to make them more than the normalhumans that they are today. “Posthuman beings would no longersuffer from the disease, aging, and inevitable death” (More, 4).However, transhumanism has its negative effects. Therefore, it someway the concept does not enhance human life.
While theperformance of human beings is enhanced, there is need to ensure thattheir welfare is well safeguarded. When rolling out aging retardationtechnology, a guarantee of the people’s safety should be ensured.The need for personal safety generally outweighs that of ensuringthat the productivity of people remains unchanged. There are somerisks that are worth taking, but for those that threaten human safetyand survival should be avoided the risks that touch on thefundamental right of life. The rights and justice system ensureequality during the implementation of the technology. Someindividuals may be interested in enhancing the capacity of selectedcommunities and thus making such communities more advantaged thanothers. While using the enhancement technologies, the human rights,and justice system ensure that such technology does not threatenhuman diversity and life on earth. “Human enhancements could leadto a form of cultural complicity, where people aspire to the samekinds of enhancements” (Miah, 10). The technologies used are lesslikely to promote the preservation of life and human diversity.Furthermore, “By thoughtfully, carefully, and yet boldly applyingtechnology to ourselves, we can become something no longer accuratelydescribed as human” (Max, 4). This may result in alteration of thecharacteristics of an individual that makes him human. According tome, aging and death are among the natural processes that ensurebalance within the ecosystem. The enhancements are a threat toecosystems on the earth sustainability of the earth will bequestionable. “Human enhancements would involve thecommercialization of life and the corruption of various values thatare attached to it, such as human dignity” (Miah, 5). Life is acommodity in parts and in various ways. However, the value of lifegoes beyond the commodity aspect. The capacity of governance systemsthat regulate commodification of life is questionable and thusencouraging processes that reduce human dignity. The other issue thatneeds to be looked into is the distinction between the therapeuticand enhancement role carried out by these technologies. While theformer is necessary to deal with various health problems, the latteris majorly left to personal discretion (Miah, 2).
The justice ofthe use of enhancement and age-retardation has a possibility ofhaving great problems. One of them is that it is bound to become apost-thesis because with time, after its full implementation, peoplemay find it is hard to live without the technology. This is becausethey will be more controlled by it and will rely so much on it so asto be able to solve some major problems. The age-retardationtechnology is also subject to lots of bias because as people struggleto put it into use, they are more likely to attach various attitudestowards it. While some views regarding the technology could bepositive, others could be more edged on painting it in a bad light.This will go a long way in making the technology challenging todevelop and implement, as a result. The other problem lies in thevery aspect that the age-retardation enhancement is still underdevelopment, and there is still more that needs to be done so as tomake it more efficient and applicable. “The scientific andtechnological developments that can be gathered together under thecommon denominator of human enhancement change all that. Not only dothey open the door to a new group of experts to think about the humancondition” (Zoonneveld, 11). The general influence is edged uponimproving the philosophical, cultural and social ways in which peoplelive so that they may be able to co-exist harmoniously without anyforeseeable problems. Age-retardation could be achieved through theuse of technology could be by the use of cybernetic implants thathelp to lower the rate of aging in that people they will function asusual although they have advanced ages. This could also be achievedthrough boosting their levels of health in that they will be able towithstand various health problems that come with old age and thusmaintaining the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of people(Zoonneveld, 11).
Conclusion
Theconcept of transhumanism tries to do away with the dependence onsupernatural beings, faiths and worships in shaping human life.Transhumanism advocates for the creation of better for future byhuman beings instead of praying and waiting for a better life fromsupernatural forces. A better life can be achieved through ensuringproductivity of people is maintained throughout their life and is notaffected by aging. Aging reduces an individual’s productivity, andtranshumanism employs science and reasoning in developingtechnologies, such as age-retardation, that ensure ageless body. Theapplication of these technologies is bound to have serious problems.Safeguarding the welfare of human beings has the first priority.There is no point of eliminating aging of the body and increasingproductivity while threatening the fundamental right of life. Theenhancements reduce human diversity since it is likely to result insimilarity among human beings. Transhumanism is associated withdegradation of human dignity. Aging and death are natural processesthat ensure balance within an ecosystem, and thus, transhumanismthreatens the sustainability of various ecosystems and preservationof life. It encourages unethical commodification of life andcorruption of values. Age-retardation is an enhancement technologythat is used to achieve ageless body and boost human healthindividuals will be able to withstand various health problems thatcome with old age.
Cited work
Bailey, Ronald. "The Case for EnhancingPeople." Reason.com.N.p., 20 Dec. 2011. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
Zonneveld,Huub Dijstelbloem, and Danielle Ringoir"Reshaping the Human Condition Exploring Human Enhancement."Web. 2008.
Hopkins, Parick D. "Is Enhancement Worthy ofBeing a Right?" Is EnhancementWorthy of Being a Right? N.p., May2008. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
Max More, "Review: The Philosophy ofTranshumanism- The Future of Human Evolution." TheFuture of Human Evolution.N.p., 16 Feb.2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2016.
Miah, Andy. "Justifying Human Enhancement:The Accumulation of Biocultural Capital." Bioculturalcapital.N.p., Aug. 2007. Web.
More, Max and Vita-More, Natasha. Thetranshumanist reader. A John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Publication.2013.