This blog post explores how advances in cyborg engineering could cause confusion regarding human identity and, further, how it relates to the end of Homo sapiens.
We commonly refer to humans as ‘Homo sapiens’. Here, Homo sapiens means ‘rational human’ or ‘wise human’. So, what is the most crucial characteristic of this Homo sapiens? If I had to pick one, I would say identity is the most important feature. This is because, unlike other animals, Homo sapiens possesses the rationality to think for themselves, and individual identity is formed from each person’s thoughts. So, let’s examine how cyborg engineering—one of the recent attempts to replace natural selection with intelligent design—might affect human identity.
First, in cyborg engineering, a ‘cyborg’ refers to an entity combining biological and non-biological components. For example, a human with a bionic prosthetic arm or leg could be called a cyborg. However, it is difficult to categorically label people today, who use various devices like computers and TVs in their daily lives, as non-cyborg entities. This is especially true because mobile phones are considered by many to be almost like an extension of their bodies. We are currently walking a tightrope on the very edge of becoming true cyborgs, that is, bioengineered beings. If we cross this boundary and incorporate inorganic elements as part of our bodies, humans will undergo transformation in every aspect of their individuality.
So, could cyborg engineering bring about the end of Homo sapiens? I believe it is entirely possible. Of course, this doesn’t mean cyborg engineering only has negative effects on humans. As mentioned earlier, bionic prosthetic arms or legs can become a new driving force in life for those who have lost a body part in an accident. Indeed, while bionic arms have limited capabilities compared to biological arms, they have advanced to the point where they can interpret neural signals from the brain as electrical commands for operation. In short, bionic arms operable by thought alone have become feasible.
However, cyborg engineering is a double-edged sword. While its development brings positive effects, its negative impacts are equally significant. I believe this negative phenomenon could lead to the demise of Homo sapiens. The ‘demise’ I refer to here is not being conquered by robots, as depicted in the movie I, Robot. That is, it does not mean a scenario where advances in cyborg engineering lead to advances in robotics, and intelligent robots dominate humans, causing the extinction of Homo sapiens. The reason for the demise I envision is none other than the loss of identity.
Typically, when cyborg engineering advances, people easily think of prosthetic arms, legs, or artificial organs. However, a project connecting computers to the brain is currently underway in one field of cyborg engineering. If connecting computers to the brain succeeds, it will profoundly impact human identity. Let’s examine the reasons step by step. If a computer and a brain are connected, it means all the information stored in an individual’s brain could potentially be transferred to the computer. If countless people’s brains were connected to computers, storing their brain information, a kind of network would emerge, much like the internet, where one could access another person’s memories or thoughts. With such a network, one cyborg could search the brain information of another cyborg and accept that content as if it were their own. In this process, confusion would begin to arise regarding one’s own memories, characteristics, personality, preferences, and other aspects of personal identity, blurring the boundaries between self and others. Humans who lose their identity would ultimately fail to understand themselves, struggle with normal thinking amid the confusion, and even lose their reason and intellect.
Thus, indiscriminately absorbing others’ memories through the brain internet is extremely dangerous. Even now, we live amidst an endless flood of information pouring through the internet. This can literally be called an ‘information deluge’. Even today, before the brain internet has developed, many people are losing their identity within this sea of information. While initially interpreting others’ posts using their own imagination, many gradually lose their independent thoughts, influenced by the ideas of others. Of course, not everyone loses their identity. Yet, simply reading and encountering texts can have a significant impact. How much greater, then, would the influence be if one directly accessed another’s memories? The effect would be incomparably greater than what is experienced through mere text.
Although the brain internet has not yet been developed, as humans, as Homo sapiens, we must strive to maintain our own thoughts and preserve our identity amidst the overwhelming sea of information.
