Reflection: More Human than Human

When it comes to the genre of science-fiction, the sorts of themes or sub genres I value above others are those which deal with the human condition, works which are very philosophical in terms of defining humanity and where its place in the universe is, and works which discuss how we could develop and in what ways. Generally, these include works such as 1984 by Orwell, Brave New World by Huxely, I-Robot by Asimov, A Clockwork Orange by Burgess, and other novels which have similar dystopian settings. Some video games also come to mind, like those of the Halo series or the Fallout series.

The questions I enjoy the most are those concerning how human we will still be in the future. Will we have to sacrifice our humanity to continue as a species? What's so special about being "human" and what does being "human" even mean? For the most part, I am very into identity, not only on an individual level, but across the board.

To be frank, I don't think being human is necessarily a special aspect we uniquely own. Although we have many fine aspects, most of them are driven by self centered desires, although they may seem to be in good nature. Additionally, for all intents and purposes, an android could not only equal us, but surpass us, in many different ways, physical and mental. In the future, I believe it could be possible to create a facsimile of a human brain completely out of inorganic materials, because what is the brain but a conglomerate of wired connections and hormonal cues, both of which could be duplicated mechanically. In essence, we are only the primogenitors of a greater "species", one which is essentially immortal and forever upgrading, one with the capacity to have similar, if not entirely the same, capacity to feel.

My favorite aspect of this sort of methodology is the reaction. How will we deal with becoming obsolete? Will we shun the progression of technology as evinced in Vonnegut's Player Piano, will we become purposeless after solving every mystery in the universe as described in Campbell's Twilight, or will we take our place in the history books, and become extinct? Will androids/robots become the new "us"? When you think about it, if the new race of androids is completely similar, or even greater, than its human creators, how much different is birthing a child than creating a robot, obvious organic processes aside. Why wouldn't it be a bad thing, to create a being in our image, but having made that being better than us, having all our greatness without all our flaws.. Maybe we can play God, and do a better job than he ever dreamed of doing. If being human means having flaws, then why not create a superior being if possible? Or if being human means being unique and individual, having sentience and personality, having imagination and creativity, why not create a being that's more human than human? Maybe playing God isn't such a bad thing.

This is only one side of the coin however, with technology we could very well make ourselves superhuman or immortal, through genetic engineering or eugenics, as seen slightly in Brave New World. Theoretically, we could prevent DNA degradation, create a multitude of transplant-able organs, cure all diseases through the use of stem-cells, implant our consciousness into more hardy mechanical bodies, or maybe even raise the dead. The outcomes are not only endless, but also realistic, in that any number of them could occur. This is the charm that science-fiction holds for me, it's fantastical but at the same time not fantasy. It's this aspect that keeps me begging for more. It's this aspect that makes me really love the genre of science fiction in literature.