This blog post examines whether humanity is prepared to take on the role of life’s designer and become the driving force behind the creation and evolution of superhumans.
Just as the long-necked giraffe gained a survival advantage, allowing only them to survive, so too did humanity see species with survival advantages selected and survive, ultimately leading to Homo sapiens becoming Earth’s dominant species. This process was the result of long evolution and natural selection. However, for humanity today, this natural selection may no longer act as an absolute law of survival. While past humans believed the world was created by a creator, today science explains the world in place of that belief. Now, humanity is going further to explore the role of the creator.
What emerges from this shift is the possibility that newly born lifeforms could be created not by natural selection or chance, but through humanity’s planned design. Current biological experiments already hint at this possibility. For instance, genetic manipulation has reached a stage where it can not only create animals with specific traits but also modify desirable social characteristics. Examples like the ‘green fluorescent rabbit’ created by human hands or the ‘ultra-docile field mouse’ with enhanced social habits demonstrate that humanity can design not only biological traits but also social traits. If such technology were applied to humans, it could lead to the emergence of superhumans possessing genius-level intelligence and exceptional physical abilities. Furthermore, as technology advances, it could evolve beyond mere biological boundaries to a level where even the human mind and emotions could be engineered.
Fields humanity could create through such intelligent design include biotechnology, cyborg engineering, and inorganic engineering. First, through biotechnology, humanity has entered the realm of genetic manipulation. While the birth of the cloned sheep ‘Dolly’ once astonished the world, we have long since surpassed that stage. Recent research is focused on restoring the genes of extinct mammoths to bring them back to life. If such attempts advance further, it may become possible not only to restore extinct species but also to revive ancient humans like Neanderthals, who disappeared before modern humans emerged. Though they did not follow the path of modern humans and vanished, humanity is now advancing to the next stage, capable of turning even the imagination of reviving past humans into reality.
Cyborg engineering has long stimulated human imagination in science fiction novels and films. However, this field is gradually becoming reality. Technologies like the ‘bionic ear’ for the hearing impaired, ‘retinal implants’ for the visually impaired, and ‘mechanical arms’ controllable by thought alone are already being developed. If these technologies advance further, humanity could merge with machines to augment physical capabilities and gain new senses and functions. This might extend beyond mere physical enhancement, potentially reaching a stage where human thoughts and emotions connect, enabling the sharing of memories and experiences. This development also holds the potential to create a kind of ‘network of minds,’ where individual identities no longer exist in isolation but form a vast, interconnected collective intelligence.
Finally, inorganic engineering aims to create entirely non-living entities. A prime example is the computer virus, which, like biological viruses, adapts to its environment and gradually becomes stronger. Despite being artificial creations, they partially mimic the characteristics of living organisms, demonstrating the evolutionary potential of non-living entities. This possibility suggests humanity could progress toward creating non-organic lifeforms. Some scholars are already conducting research to create artificial intelligence resembling the human brain through this approach. This research, originating from computer viruses, could become the catalyst for humanity to create computer humans or artificial intelligence humans in the future. This new entity may not merely be an extension of humanity but could become another life form with the potential to replace humankind.
In these diverse ways, humanity ceaselessly attempts to surpass itself. The time Homo sapiens endured as the dominant species through natural selection may come to an end as our efforts to evolve into a super-humanity bear fruit.
