Introduction
In "To Be A Machine," Mark O'Connell takes us on a fascinating journey into the world of transhumanism - a movement dedicated to using technology to enhance human physical and cognitive abilities, and ultimately to overcome death itself. Through his encounters with various figures in the transhumanist community, O'Connell explores the hopes, fears, and ethical dilemmas surrounding humanity's quest to transcend its biological limitations.
The book provides a window into a subculture that may seem fringe, but whose ideas are increasingly influencing mainstream technology and culture. As artificial intelligence, robotics, and biotechnology advance at a rapid pace, the questions raised by transhumanists about the future of humanity become ever more relevant.
O'Connell approaches the subject with a mix of fascination and skepticism, allowing readers to form their own opinions about the desirability and feasibility of the transhumanist vision. Whether you find their ideas exciting or alarming, this book offers a thought-provoking look at a movement that aims to fundamentally reshape the human condition.
The Quest for Immortality
One of the central goals of transhumanism is to overcome death and achieve immortality through technological means. O'Connell explores several approaches to this ambitious aim:
Cryonics: Freezing Bodies for Future Revival
The author visits the Alcor Life Extension Foundation, a company that offers to preserve people's bodies (or just their heads) in liquid nitrogen after death. The hope is that future technology will be able to revive and repair these frozen individuals, effectively bringing them back to life.
Max More, Alcor's CEO, explains the rationale:
- There's a brief window between clinical death and irreversible cellular damage
- Cryopreservation during this window may allow future revival
- Even if full revival isn't possible, the brain's information might be extracted and uploaded
However, many scientists are skeptical about the feasibility of reviving cryopreserved bodies or extracting intact mental data from frozen brains. Neurobiologist Michael Hendricks calls it "an abjectly false hope" that is "beyond the promise of technology."
Despite the scientific doubts, More argues that cryonics is simply "worth a shot" for those who can afford it. This exemplifies how transhumanist ideas often blend scientific aspirations with an almost religious faith in future technological capabilities.
Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS)
Rather than trying to revive the dead, some transhumanists focus on preventing death in the first place by treating aging as a curable disease. Aubrey de Grey, director of SENS, outlines an ambitious two-part plan:
- SENS 1.0: Develop therapies over the next 20-30 years to extend lifespans by up to three decades
- SENS 2.0: Achieve "longevity escape velocity" where life expectancy increases by more than a year annually, theoretically allowing indefinite lifespan extension
De Grey's ideas are controversial, but represent a growing view of aging as a technical problem to be solved rather than an inevitable natural process.
The Longevity Fund
Laura Deming, a young prodigy who enrolled at MIT at age 14, founded the Longevity Fund to finance research into life extension technologies. Motivated by seeing her grandmother's declining health, Deming aims to tackle aging itself as the root cause of many age-related diseases.
The fund looks for promising developments that could extend healthy lifespans, such as diabetes treatments that show potential for broader anti-aging effects.
The Technological Singularity
A key concept in transhumanist thought is the idea of an impending "Technological Singularity" - a hypothetical future point when artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence, leading to rapid and unpredictable technological growth that fundamentally transforms civilization.
Origins and Predictions
The term was popularized by mathematician and science fiction author Vernor Vinge, who in 1993 predicted that within a few decades, machines would become more intelligent than humans, marking the end of the "human era."
Ray Kurzweil, a prominent futurist and director of engineering at Google, has further developed this concept. He predicts:
- The Singularity will occur around 2045
- Technology will become simultaneously more powerful and compact
- Humans will begin merging with machines, incorporating advanced technology into our bodies
- The distinction between human and machine, and between physical and virtual reality, will blur
Kurzweil sees this as the culmination of humanity's long-standing drive to overcome our limitations. Rather than ending humanity, he argues the Singularity represents the fulfillment of our deepest aspirations.
The Intelligence Explosion
A related concept is the "intelligence explosion" first proposed by statistician I.J. Good in 1965. This refers to the idea that once AI surpasses human intelligence, it will be able to design even more intelligent AI, leading to a rapid, self-reinforcing cycle of improvement.
While this could lead to incredible scientific and technological breakthroughs, it also poses existential risks to humanity. Philosopher Nick Bostrom outlines potential dangers:
- Super-intelligent AI might not be malicious, but could cause unintended harm in single-mindedly pursuing its goals
- It may be difficult for humans to predict or control the behavior of entities far more intelligent than ourselves
- Even a seemingly benign objective could lead to disastrous consequences if pursued with superhuman efficiency and no regard for other considerations
Nate Soares of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute is working to mitigate these risks, but admits the challenge is daunting. He believes the development of super-intelligent AI is likely to occur and could potentially spell doom for humanity if we're not adequately prepared.
The Current State of Robotics and AI
While the Singularity remains a future possibility, O'Connell examines the current state of robotics and artificial intelligence:
Moravec's Paradox
Interestingly, AI has proven more adept at high-level cognitive tasks than at basic physical actions that humans find easy. This phenomenon, known as Moravec's Paradox, helps explain why general-purpose robots have been slow to develop despite rapid advances in other areas of AI.
The DARPA Robotics Challenge illustrates this difficulty. In this competition, robots struggle with tasks like exiting vehicles, opening doors, and navigating obstacle courses - actions that most humans perform without a second thought.
Gradual Progress and Implications
Despite these challenges, robots are slowly becoming more capable and are beginning to enter the workforce:
- Amazon has held competitions to develop robots that can replace human warehouse workers
- Uber is working on self-driving cars to eliminate the need for human drivers
While these developments could lead to increased productivity, they also threaten to displace many low-skilled workers.
Military Applications
It's important to note that much robotics research, including the DARPA challenge, has military connections. As robots become more capable of human-like physical tasks, we may see the development of robotic soldiers. This raises serious ethical concerns, especially given the civilian casualties caused by current drone warfare programs.
Biohacking and Cyborgism
While much of transhumanism focuses on future possibilities, some enthusiasts are taking a DIY approach to human enhancement in the present:
Grindhouse Wetware
This group of "biohackers" led by Tim Cannon aims to augment human capabilities through technological implants. Their projects include:
- Circadia: A device implanted in Cannon's arm that collected biometric data and could control his home's air conditioning
- Northstar: An implant that detects magnetic north and glows in response, with plans to add gesture-based control of electronic devices
While these early efforts are limited in scope, they represent first steps toward merging human biology with technology.
Motivations and Implications
Cannon sees humans as "suboptimal machines" in need of improvement. His background struggling with and overcoming alcoholism may inform this view of human frailty and the need for technological solutions.
The biohacking movement raises questions about:
- The limits of bodily autonomy and self-modification
- Potential health and safety risks of amateur implants
- The blurring line between medical treatment and elective enhancement
Philosophical and Ethical Considerations
Transhumanism challenges many of our fundamental ideas about what it means to be human:
The Nature of Consciousness and Identity
If we can upload our minds to computers or gradually replace our biological parts with artificial ones, at what point do we cease to be human? What defines the essence of our consciousness and personal identity?
Fairness and Inequality
Many proposed transhumanist technologies would likely be extremely expensive, at least initially. This raises concerns about creating a divide between enhanced and unenhanced humans, potentially exacerbating existing social inequalities.
The Value of Mortality
While transhumanists see death as a problem to be solved, others argue that our mortality gives meaning to life and shapes our cultures and values. Is the elimination of death truly desirable, or would it fundamentally alter what makes us human in negative ways?
Playing God
Critics argue that transhumanists are overreaching, attempting to usurp the role of nature or a divine creator. Proponents counter that humans have always used technology to overcome natural limitations, and that this is simply the next step in our evolution.
Unintended Consequences
The history of technology is full of inventions that had unforeseen negative impacts. Given the fundamental nature of the changes proposed by transhumanists, the potential for disastrous unintended consequences is high.
The Cultural Impact of Transhumanism
While many transhumanist goals remain in the realm of science fiction, the movement's ideas are increasingly influencing mainstream culture and technology:
Silicon Valley and Longevity Research
Tech billionaires like Peter Thiel and Larry Ellison have invested heavily in anti-aging research. Google's Calico Labs is entirely focused on combating aging and extending human lifespans.
AI Development
The race to develop advanced AI, driven in part by transhumanist visions of the Singularity, is reshaping industries and sparking public debate about the future of work and the potential existential risks of superintelligent machines.
Acceptance of Human Enhancement
Performance-enhancing drugs, cosmetic surgery, and cognitive enhancers like modafinil are becoming increasingly normalized. This gradual shift in attitudes paves the way for more radical forms of human enhancement in the future.
Science Fiction and Popular Culture
Transhumanist themes of AI, cybernetic enhancement, and life extension have become staples of science fiction, influencing how the public imagines and prepares for potential futures.
Conclusion: An Uncertain Future
"To Be A Machine" presents a nuanced look at the transhumanist movement, neither fully embracing nor dismissing its ambitious goals. O'Connell's journey reveals a subculture driven by a mix of scientific rigor, techno-utopianism, and deeply human desires to overcome our limitations and mortality.
As we stand on the brink of potentially transformative technological breakthroughs, the questions raised by transhumanists become increasingly relevant:
- How far should we go in our quest to enhance human capabilities?
- What are the risks and ethical implications of radically altering our biology?
- How do we ensure that powerful new technologies benefit humanity as a whole rather than exacerbating inequalities or leading to our destruction?
There are no easy answers, but the debate itself is crucial as we navigate an uncertain future. Whether the transhumanist vision comes to pass or not, their ideas are already shaping the development of technologies that will profoundly impact our lives in the coming decades.
O'Connell's exploration serves as a valuable primer on these important issues, encouraging readers to think critically about the future of humanity and our relationship with technology. As the line between human and machine continues to blur, we must grapple with what it truly means to be human and what kind of future we want to create.
The transhumanist movement, with all its promise and peril, represents a bold attempt to take control of human evolution and overcome our most fundamental limitations. Whether this quest ultimately leads to a utopian future of boundless potential or unforeseen disasters remains to be seen. What is clear is that the questions raised by transhumanism will only become more pressing as technology continues its relentless advance.
As we close the book, we're left with a mix of excitement and trepidation about the possibilities that lie ahead. The future imagined by transhumanists may seem like science fiction, but many of the technologies they envision are already in early stages of development. How we as a society choose to develop and implement these powerful tools will shape the course of human history.
"To Be A Machine" challenges us to engage with these vital questions now, before the full impact of these technologies is upon us. It's a call to think deeply about what we value most about our humanity and how we can responsibly harness the power of technology to enhance rather than diminish our human experience.
In the end, the transhumanist vision is a mirror reflecting our deepest hopes and fears about the future. By examining this movement, we gain insight not just into potential technological developments, but into the core of what drives us as a species - our eternal quest to transcend our limitations, to understand our place in the universe, and perhaps, ultimately, to cheat death itself.
As we stand on the threshold of what could be a new chapter in human evolution, O'Connell's exploration reminds us that the choices we make today will echo far into the future. Whether we embrace or reject the transhumanist path, we cannot ignore the profound questions it raises about the nature of consciousness, identity, and what it means to be human in an age of rapidly advancing technology.