This blog post delves deeply into how the fusion of brain and technology will transform human identity, and what new modes of existence a society sharing thoughts might create.
Are you familiar with the ‘Ship of Theseus’ paradox? This dilemma originates from the Greek and Roman mythological hero, Theseus. After slaying the famed Minotaur in the Cretan labyrinth, Theseus returned to Athens. The Athenians decided to preserve his ship to honor his achievement, maintaining it through extensive repairs over a long period, lasting until the time of Demetrius of Phaleron. To keep the ship intact, they replaced each plank as it rotted with a new one. As time passed, the ship became increasingly filled with new planks, prompting a philosopher to question: “Is this still the ship of Theseus?”
Renowned historian Yuval Noah Harari, in his book Sapiens, uses a similar logic to the example above to foresee the end of Sapiens. According to Chapter 20, ‘The End of Homo Sapiens,’ in Sapiens, humans, or Homo sapiens, have been subject to physical forces, chemical reactions, and natural selection like all living beings. However, due to the rapid advancement of science and technology, we are now reaching a stage where we transcend the limitations of living organisms. Yuval Harari defines this as ‘intelligent design’ and explains that it is being achieved through three scientific technologies: cyborg engineering, biotechnology, and the creation of inanimate entities.
Today, we will focus on cyborg engineering, the technology among these three that most profoundly impacts the end of Homo sapiens. A cyborg refers to an entity partially composed of biological and non-biological components. Are you, the reader of this article, a cyborg? Most would answer ‘no’ to this question. However, in a broader sense, not only those who use prosthetic limbs, artificial hands, or pacemakers, but also people dependent on smartphones or computers—that is, the majority of people on this planet—qualify as cyborgs. Just 20 years ago, smartphones didn’t exist. People had to memorize each other’s phone numbers to contact one another. But now, we turn on our smartphones and use the phone number data stored within to connect. In other words, the human brain has expanded outward. This aligns with the definition of a cyborg. Even in Sapiens, the possibility of technologies that program the human mind and spirit is mentioned. Similar to the ‘Ship of Theseus’ paradox described earlier, this raises the question: Can Sapiens, whose bodies and minds are increasingly mechanized, still be called Sapiens?
What’s more astonishing is that this is not all. Recent advancements in Internet of Things (IoT) technology suggest that not only the human body but society as a whole will be impacted by this transformation. Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently announced the establishment of Neuralink Corp and the development of Neural Lace technology. Neural Lace technology involves implanting a biochip into the brain, enabling the uploading and downloading of human thoughts through this interface. If realized, this technology could transcend collective intelligence, allowing the entire group to build a single database. Consequently, the specialization of professions, or the boundaries of so-called professional roles, are predicted to disappear. Furthermore, as the production and transmission of information become vastly easier, the entire social structure is expected to undergo a major transformation. Above all, the unification of human thought could lead to the loss of self-identity, and the simplification of society is also a concern. This sentence and the preceding one use commas somewhat excessively. While they were used appropriately to convey precise meaning, frequent commas can make sentences feel disjointed. If a sentence becomes too long, it is better to split it into two.
As human bodies, brains, and even social structures become increasingly cyborgized, is the ‘Sapiens’ we envision gradually becoming extinct? Whether this is extinction or not, it seems clear that a new era is dawning for humanity. However, there is no need to view this solely negatively. Where there is a beginning, there is an end; and where there is an end, there is inevitably another beginning. Just as the extinction of Homo erectus paved the way for the emergence of Homo sapiens, the end of Homo sapiens could also mark the start of a new humanity. The wisest path is likely to embrace the changes already underway—without fear, yet without lowering our guard—through social consensus.
