Örebro universitet Handelshögskolan Informatik C Handledare: Annika Andersson Examinator: Johan Pettersson HT2014/2015-01-09 Should I Cyborg? A study into public opinion on Human Enhancement Technologies Julius Mikkelä (920807) Abstract In this essay I have performed semi-structured interviews with 4 candidates to discover their perspective and opinions on the emerging debate of Human Enhancement and Transhumanism in regards to what potential positive and negative aspects they perceived of in regards to the use of Human Enhancement Technologies. The interviews were constructed from a framework of subject-relevant categories derived from literature which I alongside my interview findings present as a solid framework in itself, or as a basis for expansion, for future work and research into Human Enhancement. From my interviews I concluded that the most perceived-of negative aspects were power abuse, addiction, identity or personality loss, associated harmful effects and overpopulation, while the most perceived-of positive aspects regarded therapeutic use, danger reduction, health improvement and sense enhancement. Beyond this I concluded that further research is required to fully understand the subject of Human Enhancement and how the „general public‟ perceives it. Keywords: Human Enhancement Technologies, Human Enhancement, NBIC, Human Augmentation, Transhumanism, Bioconservatism, Bioliberalism, Bioethics Foreword: Regarding Informatics Given that the field this essay is done for is Informatics, I realize a certain need to justify the connection between Informatics and Human Enhancement Technologies. Informatics is a broad field grounded in its focus on the processing, use and cultivation of information and the engineering of information systems. “Informatics studies the application of information technology to practically any field, while considering its impact on individuals, organizations, and society. It uses computation as a universal tool to solve problems in other fields, to communicate, and to express ideas.” Among the premier and vanguarding Human Enhancement Technologies are Brain-Computer Interfaces that allow direct communication between a human brain and a computer, Robotic Prostheses which uses software to allow advanced motor functions and Virtual/Augmented Reality devices that allow people to experience altered or entirely fictional environments and experiences. Any of these technologies, and especially in use, would easily fall within the realm of Informatics, however researching them, their use and their social, moral and philosophical implications alone would give a very narrow view of the subject. As such I have decided to apply Informatics‟ inherent nature of being multidisciplinary and applicable over several fields to include otherwise non-Informatics aspects to give a larger and better view of the subject of Human Enhancement Technologies. Contents Concept List ............................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 2 Introduction, Part One: A Brief History of „Enhancements‟ ................................................. 2 Introduction, Part Two: Human Advancement Technologies & Transhumanism ................. 3 Purpose ................................................................................................................................... 5 Interested Parties .................................................................................................................... 5 Perspective Disclaimer ........................................................................................................... 5 Demarcation ........................................................................................................................... 5 Method ....................................................................................................................................... 7 Literature Study ...................................................................................................................... 7 Interviews ............................................................................................................................... 8 Skype interviews .................................................................................................................. 10 Questionnaire & Interview Format ...................................................................................... 10 Interviewees ......................................................................................................................... 10 Interview issues .................................................................................................................... 11 Theory ...................................................................................................................................... 13 What is Human Enhancement? ............................................................................................ 13 Negative and Positive Aspects ............................................................................................. 14 Negative and Positive Aspects with Human Enhancement ................................................. 15 Negative Aspects .............................................................................................................. 15 Positive Aspects ............................................................................................................... 17 Concepts from the Enhancement Debate ............................................................................. 18 Result & Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 21 Positive Aspects ................................................................................................................... 21 Negative Aspects .................................................................................................................. 26 Discussion ................................................................................................................................ 33 Conclusions .............................................................................................................................. 37 Post-Project Review & Criticism ............................................................................................. 37 Reference list ............................................................................................................................ 38 Attachments .............................................................................................................................. 42 Attachment 1 - Literature Study ........................................................................................... 42 Scopus, 2014-11-20 .......................................................................................................... 42 Literature Study, Scopus Review ..................................................................................... 47 Attachment 2 – Interview Format ........................................................................................ 55 Attachment 3 - Interviews .................................................................................................... 63 Interview 1: “Athena” ...................................................................................................... 63 Interview 2: “Aphrodite” .................................................................................................. 78 Interview 3: “Nike” .......................................................................................................... 94 Interview 4: “Perseus” .................................................................................................... 115 Concept List Transhumanism: (1) The intellectual and cultural movement that affirms the possibility and desirability of fundamentally improving the human condition through applied reason, especially by developing and making widely available technologies to eliminate aging and to greatly enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities. (2) The study of the ramifications, promises, and potential dangers of technologies that will enable us to overcome fundamental human limitations, and the related study of the ethical matters involved in developing and using such technologies. (Bostrom, N., et al., 1999; More, M., 1990; Bostrom, N., 2005; More, M., 2013) Bioliberalism: A philosophical stance (in this case) on the use of Human Enhancement Technologies that promotes the individual‟s right and the need for (state) neutrality on the subject of Enhancement Technologies. “The distinguishing mark of bioliberalism is its claim for liberty and (state) neutrality concerning the use of enhancement technologies.” (Ranisch, R. (2014) Bioconservatism: “... is a stance of hesitancy about technological development in general and tends to maintain a strong opposition to the genetic, prosthetic or cognitive modification of human beings in particular.” (Carrico, D., 2006) Human Enhancement (HE): “... a modification aimed at improving individual human performance and brought about by science-based or technology-based interventions in the human body.”(European Parliament, 2009, p. 22) Human Enhancement Technologies (HET): Sometimes