ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON http://www.betterhumans.com
Betterhumans. A very aspirational word for which the human species has progressed and struggled through several civilizations. An appropriate question would now be : Are we better humans ? .
"Yes" would be the answer any person from the "Developed world" shall give upto a probability of 90 %. Such a believer would say that the human species has learnt to harness the mineral resources and build successive civilizations, enroute developing culture, improved scientific techniques and better control over the vulnerability to the elements of nature. In fact, many would point out to the incredible increase in life span due to eradication of most diseases and better healthcare, thanks to all the developments from the serendipity of Penicillin to the sheer genius of Genetic Recombination technology.We have developed our bodie's passive immunity (via vaccination / immunization ) to such an extent that only the most mutagenic of viruses or the most resistant strains of bacteria can multiply within our bodies. And research is ongoing against those vulnerabilities as well. We can all see the glory of our species in clear supremacy over much of the hardships that this planet and the immediate outer space can throw at us as a species. We now possess the engineering skills developed from our own experience and from the amalgamation of skills gathered from the other "engineer" species (some examples would be spiders and termites) we share this planet with. We can also grow enormous quantities of food through transgenic and mechanized agriculture. At the time these words are written, Bionics and prosthetic technologies have also developed to an extent where an entire organ or an entire limb can be transplanted / complimented with such technology. In a nutshell, we have become "Better Humans". Or have we ?
However, there is a 10 % in any population which would not think so. They do not have adequate healthcare, cannot afford the latest intravenous injection that can reduce heartache, nor can they stay long enough in a hospital bed with a rapidly escalating bill. Incredibly, this 10 % of the population in a "developed country" is what translates or compares to "90" of a different population. This population resides in the "Developing world".
I live in one of the fastest countries in terms of development, India. However, I share a prespective of the kind that many others in similarly evolving nations fear. Let me use the simple example of an elastic band being stretched from both sides. Eventually, the laws of physics would dictate that the band snap if the band is pulled equally from both sides. If the band is pulled with greater pressure on one side, then the other side would lose it's anchor eventually and rapidly accelerate to the other side. Now, if we consider the two sides as the two sides of economic / social growth, then the scenario I am trying to explain is easily visualized in your brains / minds / hearts; whichever you think works for your intellectual consideration. I see an increased contrast between the "haves" and the "have nots". One one side of the global human species spectrum, the human species is experiencing the full benefits of it's evolution. On the other side, our species is lagging behind on all these advancements. In the coming years, there will be a very rapid acceleration of technological progress as is predicted by numerous thoughts including the "Singularity".
Most futurists are worried about issues such as the radical transformation / supplementation of the human body , the imminent risks of artificial intelligence systems , even the existential dangers of a nuclear holocaust. While all of these events and scenarios are entirely possible and worth brainstorming over, I fail to understand why the majority of futurists fail to draw predictions on the issues that need immediate attention. Issues such as the eradication of Poverty, the inavailability of "essential" foods , the equal generation of intellectual property through education , the need for free and clean "energy" ! Such issues are usually seen from a global prespective to be solved by governments and not by people. It is usually at this stage that I am confused. Is the "Government" supposed to be like a corporation that solves certain problems by itself; within it's enforcing circle and rakes in profits ? Or is it an institution formed by the people with a guiding constitution who contribute their efforts to the government for the benefit of the entire country ? Most of us have forgotten the quotes of two people who talked to masses of people in two extremes of the world. One was John F.Kennedy who urged people to ask themselves what they have done for their countries. The other was Mahathma Gandhi who urged people to always think of the benefits or effects their endeavour is going to make on the lowest section of society ( Gandhiji's Talisman ). The answer to my confusion is very simple, if the question to whether we are really better humans can be answered.
When I listened to my first lecture in 1997 about "Cyborgs" at the University of Madras from a Japanese professor, I was amazed at how advanced prothetics technology had become. I was one of the people who asked him a question at the end of his lecture. My question was whether these technologies were affordable for amputees in India and his answer was sadly in the negative. He was not expecting such a question since he had focussed all his energy on the "cyborg" concept and how philosophically and technologically sophisticated it was. It truly was, except that it does not mean anything to a poor factory worker in India with a family to support who lost his hands, or to a victim of a land mine blast in a country such as Vietnam. In India as in any other country, sophisticated prosthetic technology is available only to those who can afford it, and that is a bare minimum. The poor still have to go for the "Jaipur leg" which is by my account, the most technologically sound prosthetic for an ordinary indisposed person.
This condition of apathy extends all the way from prosthetics to drug development. Rich people who are rockstars or business tycoons can afford to extend their lifespans inspite of a HIV infection by more than 10 years; thanks to the latest in expensive AIDS drugs. However, a normal member of society who suffers from the HIV virus must take the routinely available medicines that may or may not help his non-immune body.
Most people who write or research about the advancement of the human body or it's enhancement are insensitive to whether such advanced technologies are available to every human being. Many among us would shrug a shoulder and say it is "the way the world works, so deal with it". But sadly, most of us do not realize that all of this can change if there is a small effort to change our consciousness.
The most important philosophical and an existential reality that we must bore into our collective consciousness is that tides can change very quickly even if we ourselves do not change. The consequences of our indifference to NOT making and developing technology that is equitably available to all members of our species will overwhelm us one day. Already, there are conspiracy theories that a great percentage of the "undeveloped" world will be conveniently re-exploited leaving an "elite" population to dictate terms. Deep inside all of your hearts, you know that this is wrong. So, with all of our gadgetry and medical miracles, are we better humans ? NO.
In order to be "Betterhumans", we must first become "Better Persons". We are well on our path in terms of the desire if the number of huge online memberships to social causes could be assessed. However, technologies that are being developed must become accessible to all spectrums of our species. It is time to stop thinking of ourselves as members of a country or a race or even a gender. Even now, we look back and wonder if it really was this same human kind which was responsible for genocides or colonialism or slavery ! If we were appaled by such past discriminations and exploitations, we must have learnt our lessons by now.
It is therefore important for every aspirant of the better human race to develop and support technology that is affordable and of benefit to all sections of the human race. Only when we fully develop such a compassionate outlook to our own species; can we fully mature to take care of the other species and eventually the planet and the universe. Such is the power of our destiny.
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 License
