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Can technology cheat death?

Miller (2011) determines one of the main aims of extropianism and transhumanism as the chance to transcend the fragility and limitations of the human body.

This article by Saphora Smith (2018) describes some of the attempts by pioneers in the field to develop immortality by digitizing the brain through scanning technologies. While technology is making this target seem ever closer, it is not the storage of memory after death that is being questioned but the ability to store consciousness.

Similarly, some people question the scope of living forever or as the great Freddie Mercury once sang ‘Who wants to live forever‘. Others question the role of the soul or spirit after death. Where does technology stop prolonging life and start promoting immortality?

References:

Miller, V. (2011). The Body and Information Technology. Understanding digital culture. pp.207-223. London: Sage.

Saphora, S., (2018) ‘Disrupting death:  Technologists explore ways to digitize life’ NBCNews, 25th July, Culture. Available at: https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/tech/your-brain-cloud-how-tech-world-wants-disrupt-death-ncna894191 (Accessed: 23rd January 2020).

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#mscedc…Great session this morning deconstructing the films and finding common symbols and meanings. I need to spend some time watching (again) some of the most significant sci-fi films on cyborgs, robots and cyberworlds. Looking forward to the weekend.

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A strong attempt at defining some of the myths around cyborgs this morning with some very good thinking outside the box. The idea of the ’embedded human’ of extropianism (Miller, 2011) and technological embodiment through the eyes of the machine was an original way how the filmmakers brought to life the idea of a machine more human than a human counterpart.

Somehow I also remembered a short story by  Raymond E. Banks called ‘The Ear Friend’. The tale is about a hearing aid used by people in a future world that created an illusion of living in a virtual world in which everything was perfect. Removing the ear friend (as the story goes) was considered an act of madness and defiance.

References:

Miller, V. (2011). The Body and Information Technology. Understanding Digital Culture. pp.207-223, London: Sage.