Considering Inequality: Cybernetic Advancements Will Only Increase Disparities
In the wake of the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who lost his life at the hands of the police, racism has again been catapulted front and center, and a good part of our national dialogue centers on this issue. Racism is disgusting; and disparities between the races exist.
However, the era we’re moving into, with its leap into science fiction with Elon Musk’s implantable Neuralink microchips connected via ultra-high bandwith connections to extremely fast computers, has the potential to create a new species: Homo cyborgicus. The procedure is fast and easy; all that’s required is a needle-like machine pushing a super-fine thread into the brain, sort of like a sewing machine or a stapler Of course, these new technologies promise to help the blind see and the lame walk; however there is a dark side to all this that must not be ignored.
Individuals will be able to increase their intelligence beyond means available by traditional avenues such as applied study and disciplined focus. Augmented reality systems will bring a significant advantage to the new human cyborgs. Traditional humans will be unable to compete; the new human form will have better memory, better analytical ability, and who knows what other new and exotic abilities yet unavailable before the advent of coupling a human mind with artificial intelligence.
But who will be candidates for this elective surgery? Who will choose to implant a link to artificial intelligence in their skulls? . AI will be available to the already overly advantaged. It’s assured; there’s no other way this might work out in reality.
For anything but the alleviation of paralysis, blindness, and other infirmities, health insurance will certainly not cover these surgeries. So, who will be receiving the chip? Of course, it will be those who are already ahead of the pack, economically.
This will undoubtedly create a classist disparity that will also run along racial lines. Socioeconomic factors will be the determinant as to who will be augmented, and who will remain purely human.
There’s no other answer but to ban the use of this technology for anyone other than a person in need of such to help with a life threatening, or significantly limiting incapacity. If these measures are not taken now, socioeconomic inequality and significant differences regarding access to opportunity for Black, and Brown peoples, will become more solidified, permanently even.
There’s no doubt that our nation’s history is fraught with institutional and culturally ingrained racism, dating back to the days of Jim Crow segregation in the South, all the way back to colonial era slavery.
While many argue that there is no longer any such racism remaining in American society, that point is debatable. The entire history of Black folks migrating from the Southern plantations and fields to the mean stress of the North, detailed in the pages of Claude Brown’s seminal work Manchild In The Promised Land, demonstrates that Black people have had a difficult time thriving, through no fault of their own.
The legacy of slavery did not end with the Emancipation Proclamation; rather, it persisted as a shadow, influencing events and society in ways that were less obvious, though no less stark. Consider the War on Drugs, a Reagan-era development that was first begun by President Richard Nixon. Disparities in sentencing for crack cocaine, as oppose to other forms of the drug, led to mass incarceration of young Black men, as crack predominated in urban ghettos.
Likewise, differences in access to housing and educational opportunities continued to exist. At this point, the United States has certainly tackled the majority of issues; anyone doubting this would be hard-pressed to find the sorts of biases that existed in past centuries and decades in out modern era. Skin color plays less of a role than ever; in fact programs focusing on social equality make certain that these historical disparities are corrected, via governmental action.
Our United States government should take preemptive action to head this off before it becomes a society-wide issue. If implants solely for the purposes of becoming “smarter” become commonplace, or even if such procedures remain rare occurrences, those cybernetic humans will be living with an unfair advantage to everyone else.
Inevitably, this advantage will translate along already existing inequalities, and disadvantaged groups of all colors and ethnicities will be left behind. And, those inequalities will surely reflect longstanding racial inequalities, as there is significant overlap among the two. There’s just no other possibility. The people of the United States should confront this issue now, before it’s too late.
Yikes! That’s the creepy brain sewing machine that will poke a needle through the skull to turn you into a zombie. Remember the C.I.A. RATS took a bull and made it a slave using a brain implant. That was the wicked doctor Delgado. Take the C.I.A. and put them all in prison and we’ll be better off.
You really trust Elon Musk? How about this, even if you do, you really trust the C.I.A. NOT to subvert the technology and use it to make a nation of 300+ million zombie slaves?
Here I’ll go out on a limb: Anyone who knows the inside info knows that those “extra-legal contractors” running around causing havoc in the U.S. are practically zombies themselves? Some of those guys are already “chipped” and have been for years. It doesn’t look like it helps you much in terms of functioning as anything but a slave. Most of them can’t carry on a conversation or walk in a straight line.
-CravenLunatic88
You talk so much paranoid schizophrenic conspiracy theorist BULLS**T. Take your meds. Please? Take deep breathes. And remove anything sharp from your immediate vicinity. It’s all for your own good.
Your ideas of the CIA comes from TV and movies. It’s all a lot more mundane than you probably would believe. The reality is, it’s not James Bond 007 stuff. Sorry to disappoint you. Mostly analysts with boring jobs sitting in front of a computer screen 40 hours a week. Sheesh.
Take off your tinfoil hat and breathe in the air.I know you’re going to think my comment is part of the conspiracy. THE CIA actually protects you. It is true there were weird experiments in the 60s. But that was going on all over the world, in every hospital. Nothing to do with what you think.
And these “contractors”? WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? Anyone reading what you wrote knows you’re nuts.
schizo
What are extra-legal contractors?
The guy is extra-crazy. Don’t pay attention to his ramblings. I respect that SI prints everything but some of these commenters are way off the deep end. This guy has to be the worst.
Thank you Dean for reporting on this. Elon Musk is a menace to us all. I’d like to know what you think of all this, in terms of your faith.
Without getting into the specifics of my faith:
I think technology is good and can ease suffering. That goes for anything from medications to artificial limbs. And so, if this is used to restore the sight to a person, or otherwise help them live a full life, in my eyes it’s OK.
BUT>>>>>>If it’s used to unfairly get an advantage over others….lie more effectively..cheat…steal…deceive….then it’s not good at all, from a “faith” point of view…
There’s the question of whether creating cyborgs is outside of the Divine Plan. That’s a good question, and I’m afraid it’s above my pay grade. lol
Some religious people shun some, or all, technology. Cell phones have only recently come into use in some sects of some faiths. Then again, you have the Amish who still ride around with a horse and buggy.
Here’s a simple test: Does the technology bring you more worldliness, or bring you closer to a life of faith? If the answer is “It depends,” then it’s not (inherently) evil but rather something that can be put to use for Good…or for bad. It all depends on whose hands it’s in.
Remember, though,humans are weak and prone to sin. That means that anything that can increase personal power and enhance the ego element is a hazard, and must be dealt with using EXTREME care. This tech is one example.
Thank you, sir. makes a lot of sense.
I am torn. Would it be cool to see in infrared? I could tell if you’re sick and avoid you!
To have superhuman strength? I could win MVP with ease! or may not, maybe it takes more than that?
To be able to get my exam answers displayed on a screen in my mind? lol
That machine gives me the creeps.
I, for one, can’t wait be part of the singularity.