The Nightmare World of 'Trans-humanism' - Polidicks

[RELEASE] Posted: August 26, 2011 2:50 pm Eastern © 2011 Ever since I became a newsman, I've researched events, developments and trends that are so bizarre, so frightening, so twisted and so unbelievable that they are nearly impossible to cover without being dismissed for "sensationalism." That's the problem with a story earlier this week in WND about something called "trans-humanism." It sounds like science fiction, but tragically it is science fact. You've heard of bio-engineering or genetic engineering. Well, it doesn't just involve crops and animals any more. Now there are active efforts under way to "improve" mankind – even to achieve immortality through science. If you want to get a glimpse of the experiments taking place that will remind you of "The Island of Dr. Moreau," I suggest you get a copy of a new video that introduces the brave new world of trans-humanism. It's called "Trans-Humanism: Destroying the Barriers." Read more: The nightmare world of 'trans-humanism' [url]http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=%20338217#ixzz1XU5tZRcD[/url] It involves altering human bodies – genetically, mechanically or both – to make them "better" than they've been for thousands of years, even affording them Superman-style abilities in both brains and brawn. Some scientists involved in this practice refer to it as "the next step in the evolutionary process." Nick Bostrom, an Oxford University philosophy professor and director of the Future of Humanity Institute, is at the forefront of the trans-humanist movement. "They (trans-humanists) yearn to reach intellectual heights as far above any current human genius as humans are above other primates," he says. They want "to be resistant to disease and impervious to aging; to have unlimited youth and vigor; to exercise control over their own desires, moods and mental states; to be able to avoid feeling tired, hateful or irritated about petty things; to have an increased capacity for pleasure, love, artistic appreciation and serenity; to experience novel states of consciousness that current human brains cannot access. It seems likely that the simple fact of living an indefinitely long, healthy, active life would take anyone to post-humanity if they went on accumulating memories, skills and intelligence." It might sound exciting. It might sound promising. But there's a darker side to what's going on. Author and researcher Tom Horn lays it all out in "Trans-Humanism: Destroying the Barriers," an hourlong DVD exploring the radical transformation of humanity. Imagine, for instance, the ways the Defense Department – and the militaries of foreign countries – are trying to use this new science to create new weapons and even indestructible "soldiers." Horn cites concerns by the likes of Stanford political scientist and author Francis Fukuyama, who reviewed emerging fields of science and the philosophy of trans-humanism. "He wrote a white paper in which he considered the combination of those two to probably be the most dangerous science and technological and philosophical concepts in the history of mankind which he believes could very quickly lead to an extinction-level event," Horn says. Horn claims the effort to transform humans into a different style of being is now being fast-tracked with billions of dollars – in both government and private funds. "One of the first things that President Obama did at the executive level as soon as he became president," he says in "Trans-Humanism," "[is] he overturned restrictions that had been put in place by President [George W.] Bush which would have prohibited federal dollars, American taxpayer money, flowing in to pay for experiments to be done on human-animal chimeras (combinations) and other forms of science such as stem-cell sciences – which is also important to the trans-humanist movement. (Column continues below) "But what most of the public doesn't realize is when we're talking about stem-cell sciences, we're almost always talking about the creation of a human-animal chimera from which those stem cells are being derived. But now, tax dollars in the United States from the federal level are flowing into thousands of laboratories." As Joe Kovacs wrote in this week's WND report on trans-humanism, "In 2006, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services even provided $773,000 to Case Law School in Cleveland for a two-year project to develop legal standards for tests on human subjects in research involving genetic technologies to enhance 'normal' individuals – to make them smarter, stronger or better-looking." As researchers have focused on blending animal attributes with human characteristics, the Reuters news agency published a report in 2009 in which scientists admitted their comfort with a "50/50 mix." "The public mostly is still under the impression that this is being done at the embryonic level, and that the amount of human DNA in a transgenic animal is so minute as to be excusable," says Horn. "But where they want the debate to go now is, 'Can we raise these to full maturity in the public's knowledge and experiment on part-humans, part-animals that are fully grown?' And by admitting that that's now where they want the public to be comfortable with this research, they also said that they knew that there are some rogue scientists out there that are not operating with federal dollars, and they're getting ahead of them in this technology, and it could even become a new kind of a weapon of mass destruction. It could, at a minimum, become a molecular biological nightmare." Are you ready to learn more? Check out "Trans-Humanism: Destroying the Barriers." Read more: The nightmare world of 'trans-humanism' [url]http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=%20338217#ixzz1XU5xARc6[/url] [/RELEASE] Source: [url]http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=%20338217[/url] [IMG]http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/2884/ludditesgonnaludd.jpg[/IMG]

I take it this is a luddite article? I do not agree with handing out artifically improved abilities like candy to those who can afford it, though.

Tom Horn is also a talentless hack by the way.

[QUOTE=GÃ©za!;32200016]I take it this is a luddite article? I still do not agree with handing out artifically improved abilities like candy to those who can afford it, though.[/QUOTE] Me neither, if only because that almost ensures that our current society forms will make them the domain of the rich and powerful.

[QUOTE=Craigewan;32200036]Me neither, if only because that almost ensures that our current society forms will make them the domain of the rich and powerful.[/QUOTE] [url]www.rfreitas.com/Nano/NoninflationaryPN.pdf[/url] Think 3D printers only they can manufacture their own resin out of shit and acetylene. Your arm is 1.1 when 1.2 is available? Torrent the .pdb file for 1.2, print it, attach it. The initial surgical procedure for laying down the plugs will be more expensive than the augmentations themselves.

This is probably making bio-engineering sound worse than it currently is... Also, inb4 Deus Ex Jokes

[QUOTE=a dumb bear;32200120]inb4 Deus Ex Jokes[/QUOTE] I may have asked for this.

Trans-humanism sure is the fuss right now.

[QUOTE=Eudoxia;32200100][url]www.rfreitas.com/Nano/NoninflationaryPN.pdf[/url] Think 3D printers only they can manufacture their own resin out of shit and acetylene. Your arm is 1.1 when 1.2 is available? Torrent the .pdb file for 1.2, print it, attach it. The initial surgical procedure for laying down the plugs will be more expensive than the augmentations themselves.[/QUOTE] Thanks for posting that, looks like a very interesting read.

W00t fearmongering. I love how he talks about tax-dollars being used to fund this, yet complains not about the VAST amounts more being used to fund wars and squeezing every last drop of oil out of the earth. Not to mention this: [quote]Imagine, for instance, the ways the Defense Department – and the militaries of foreign countries – are trying to use this new science to create new weapons and even indestructible "soldiers."[/quote] Well no shit there's going to be "abuse" of new technology. I don't see GPS being banned jut because it can be used to track people. I certainly don't see guns being banned even though they kill people - and in fact, transhumanism would benefit humanity a lot more than guns would. But god bless 'murrica :downs:

As much as I support transhumanism, it is foolish to ignore the possible misuses of it

I think as long as trans-humanism doesn't make us like the DOOM 3 demon, then it will be alright. [img]http://www.freakygaming.com/gallery/game_art/doom_3/pinky_demon.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=cqbcat;32200644]I think as long as trans-humanism doesn't make us like the DOOM 3 demon, then it will be alright. [img]http://www.freakygaming.com/gallery/game_art/doom_3/pinky_demon.jpg[/img][/QUOTE] Yeah, Revenant is where it's at. [img]http://images.wikia.com/doom/images/5/59/Revenant.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=carcarcargo;32200268]As much as I support transhumanism, it is foolish to ignore the possible misuses of it[/QUOTE] Maybe, but if they were to be used by a government as 'super soldiers' then they would probably hire their own scientists and do it in secret. All that we could effectively prevent is civilians from getting their hands on it.

Just read the comments. I want to be a different species from these people.

[QUOTE=Carbon Knight;32200721]Just read the comments. I want to be a different species from these people.[/QUOTE] This. Fuck Luddites, I'd be happy to split off into a species composed entirely of smart, happy, capable people. We're humanity goddamnit, we're better than animals and as such we shouldn't need to waste millions of years waiting for natural evolution.

[QUOTE=GÃ©za!;32200016]I take it this is a luddite article? I do not agree with handing out artifically improved abilities like candy to those who can afford it, though.[/QUOTE] Better join humanity front.

I can't remember, Did we ask for this?

Let's just hope they won't end up like the OTA.. [img]http://images.wikia.com/half-life/en/images/f/f5/Overwatch_Soldier_mp7.jpg[/img]

[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;32200844]This. Fuck Luddites, I'd be happy to split off into a species composed entirely of smart, happy, capable people. We're humanity goddamnit, we're better than animals and as such we shouldn't need to waste millions of years waiting for natural evolution.[/QUOTE] All those smart and capable people behind their computer screens. I'm not against technological advancement, obviously, and those who blindly fear it are ignorant, but people that are able to live without it have my fucking respect.

[QUOTE=Chrille;32201377]All those smart and capable people behind their computer screens. I'm not against technological advancement, obviously, and those who blindly fear it are ignorant, but people that are able to live without it have my fucking respect.[/QUOTE] Even the people who live without "high technology" use some form of technology clothes, houses, and every kind of tool imaginable is technology

[QUOTE=Turnips5;32201436]Even the people who live without "high technology" use some form of technology clothes, houses, and every kind of tool imaginable is technology[/QUOTE] Yeah well, those who live with minimal technology.

[QUOTE=Chrille;32201377]All those smart and capable people behind their computer screens. I'm not against technological advancement, obviously, and those who blindly fear it are ignorant, but people that are able to live without it have my fucking respect.[/QUOTE] Respect, yes. Desire to be one of them, absolutely not. As a society we owe everything we have to technology, without it we'd still be dying of malaria and impacted wisdom teeth at age 30.

[QUOTE=Chrille;32201377]All those smart and capable people behind their computer screens. I'm not against technological advancement, obviously, and those who blindly fear it are ignorant, but people that are able to live without it have my fucking respect.[/QUOTE] My body is ready to be augmented.

Not sure if we can control it even if we tried. As long as there's someone with the money, someone else will work for that money and make something possible if he's capable of it. Not to say we shouldn't regulate it, but I do wonder how far we'll come with that. But abandoning new technology from the start would be outright stupid. That kind of person ought to be living in the woods away from civilization and even the most basic hunting tools. Humans are the nerds of the animal kingdom, we've always needed and have been attracted to technology, and I doubt that will change any time soon. The problem isn't the tool, it's the people. Our technology has evolved way faster than our social skills and maturity to handle these things. War is so cruel and yet it is so common because the people making the crucial decisions are too far away from the suffering to consider it as more than a price to pay on the tactical chess board. Politicians cut into their own purses and the next generation doesn't understand the decision and grows corrupt because they think they deserve higher wages considering their education and the responsibility they have to shoulder. Some of them grow into mercenaries that support laws and decisions that benefit a certain corporation that guarantees them a job after their political career with which they can make way more money than they used to, and that for minimal effort ("consultants"). Judges have to be prevented from growing corrupt with exceptionally high wages. Voters don't inform themselves about politics all year long, but (if at all) only just before the election when the campaigns are already rolling and people are measured by their goals, not their actions. Most people are too caught up in their private lives and their own problems to even start thinking about the big stuff; the older you grow and the more responsibilities of adulthood emerge, the less nerve and motivation you find. I think the article misses the point about stem-cell sciences tho. Our main focus there right now is compatible organ cloning to replace damaged limbs and crippled organs. [b]TL;DR Whether you use a knife for combat or making dinner depends on the people that wield it. This is where our attention should be.[/b]

From the article: [quote]As researchers have focused on blending animal attributes with human characteristics, the Reuters news agency published a report in 2009 in which scientists admitted their comfort with a "50/50 mix."[/quote] My god they're making real life Furrys. The fucking horror.

I like how they paint Obama as some transhumanist when all he was doing was freeing up money for stem cell research.

[QUOTE=Marik Bentusi;32201736]Not sure if we can control it even if we tried. As long as there's someone with the money, someone else will work for that money and make something possible if he's capable of it. Not to say we shouldn't regulate it, but I do wonder how far we'll come with that. But abandoning new technology from the start would be outright stupid. That kind of person ought to be living in the woods away from civilization and even the most basic hunting tools. Humans are the nerds of the animal kingdom, we've always needed and have been attracted to technology, and I doubt that will change any time soon. I think the article misses the point about stem-cell sciences tho. Our main focus there right now is compatible organ cloning to replace damaged limbs and crippled organs.[/QUOTE] Because of your avatar, I read that whole damn thing in Adam Jensen's gravely voice.

Bill Taggart: The Myth of human augmentation. Now at the Detroit Convention Center.

It's a shame that the people who bring up arguments against transhumanism in the media are such idiots. It's not a black-and-white thing, but the news portrays it as that, as do people in threads like these that jump on the "hurr luddism" bandwagon