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Technology & the Body Where are we going and what does it mean?. Mr Jonathan White BMedSci ( Hons ) MB BCh BAO MSc(Med Ed) PhD FRCS(Gen Surg ) Associate Professor and Tom Williams Chair in Surgical Education Department of Surgery, University of Alberta jswhite1@ualberta.ca. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Technology & the Body
Where are we going and what does it mean?
Mr Jonathan WhiteBMedSci(Hons) MB BCh BAO MSc(Med Ed) PhD FRCS(Gen Surg)
Associate Professor and Tom Williams Chair in Surgical Education
Department of Surgery, University of Alberta
jswhite1@ualberta.ca
Who is this guy?
Tom Williams Endowed Chair in Surgical Education
What are we for?http://www.tinyurl.com/surgery101
What are we for?http://www.tinyurl.com/surgery101
The Good Side of Biology• It’s free• It’s familiar• It’s self-replicating & (mostly) self-repairing• It’s got a long battery life• It looks after itself: homeostasis, autonomic
system• We evolved with it: opposable thumbs, bipedal
locomotion, the brain• It’s all we’ve got for now
The Downside of Biology• It’s unreliable and fragile• No back-up function – can’t restore after a crash • No warranty: single-use only• It has a limited shelf life• Some of the basic functions are messy• Making new units is fun but slow• Limited processor speeds• Limited capacity for upgrades
Alternatives to the Body?
Option 1Transcend through
controlling the Body
Option 2Transcend through
Augmentation of the Body
Option 3Transcend by backing up
the body
Option 4Transcend by running on
another substrate
Option 5Transcend by abandoning
the physical entirely
Kurzweil:“Saturating our local space-time continuum with information”
The Body & Technology
Where are we going and what does it mean?
Mr Jonathan WhiteBMedSci(Hons) MB BCh BAO MSc(Med Ed) PhD FRCS(Gen Surg)
Associate Professor and Tom Williams Chair in Surgical Education
Department of Surgery, University of Alberta
jswhite1@ualberta.ca
A sensitive subject
Technology
Information
Technology
Information
Understand
Control
Augment
Backup
Abandon
Transcend
Connectedness
Fragility
Time
Loss
Fear
WE ARE KURZWEIL’S SPIRITUAL MACHINES
What are we for?
For Discussion
Thinking the Unthinkable
• What would it mean if we moved to something better than biology?
• Something reliable and upgradeable with a low rate of breakdown and a back-up function?
Thinking the Unthinkable
• No eating, sleeping, pooping• No work• No poverty, no war• No need to reproduce• No pressure of time• No separation• No death
Thinking the Unthinkable
• Are you still you if your body changes?
• Would you want to leave your body behind?
• What happens to those who don’t want to transcend?
Some Scenarios
All your friends are buying the new iPhone 10 which has a trans-cranial cortical interface featuring a heads-up display projected on your retina and an AI personal assistant which can screen and auto-answer your email. You have already noticed that they are not texting you as much as they used to because your old phone does not work with the retinal display.
Would you buy one?
Scenario 1 of 5
Your research field is growing increasingly complex and arcane. A colleague tells you he is running a “parallel personality” on a hard drive 24/7, which reviews new information for him and summarizes it for him every 7 days. The personality is also writing manuscripts for him - his productivity is astronomical. Quietly, he tells you the personality is also suggesting new research directions and has started giving him career advice.
Would you follow suit?
Scenario 2 of 5
You are diagnosed with a rapidly-advancing, incurable disease. Your doctor recommends that you be uploaded to a new body which can be grown from your own DNA. He says that the process will replicate your healthy body exactly and the latest papers suggest that at least 80% of your personality will also be transferred. Your new body can be ready in a week. Your partner says “I don’t want to lose you.”
What would you do?
Scenario 3 of 5
You partner is diagnosed with a rapidly-advancing, incurable disease and quickly passes away. You are devastated. After the funeral, a scientist calls you to say that, unknown to you, your partner had arranged for one of those new “brain backups” every month for the last year or so, and that if you wish their personality can be downloaded into a new body.
What would you do?
Scenario 4 of 5
You are uploaded to a synthetic substrate of your choice. You no longer need to eat, sleep, work or reproduce. Your new body will last for at least 10,000 years, and you can switch to a new one if get bored with it.
How (and where and with whom) would you spend your time?
Scenario 5 of 5
To the end of the universe?
QUESTIONS?
Technology & the Body
Where are we going and what does it mean?
Mr Jonathan WhiteBMedSci(Hons) MB BCh BAO MSc(Med Ed) PhD FRCS(Gen Surg)
Associate Professor and Tom Williams Chair in Surgical Education
Department of Surgery, University of Alberta
jswhite1@ualberta.ca
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