In this blog post, we will examine the boundaries between technological advancement and humanity, and explore whether consciousness can be the criterion that separates humanity from machines.
Lifelogging, the concept of health management that records and digitizes all aspects of human life, has been gaining attention in recent years. This is because it is a revolutionary method that enables comprehensive health management through the collection and big data analysis of personal information recorded and analyzed 24 hours a day using wearable devices and chips implanted in the body.
The combination of human life extension and technological advancement is also prominent in the fields of regenerative medicine for organ regeneration and reproduction, as well as physical and mental anti-aging. Regenerative medicine involves culturing stem cells to regenerate and produce new organs to replace those that have worn out during a person’s lifetime. In addition, the discovery of SRT1720, a drug that activates the anti-aging gene SIRT1, and telomeres, which are responsible for aging, literally slow down human aging and enable us to reverse time. Not only physical aging, but also mental aging, such as dementia, can be treated through memory device implantation technology called brain implants and reverse engineering that reveals the secrets of the brain.
When technology goes beyond being a mere aid to humans and becomes more closely integrated with them, the concept of cyborgs is born. Cyborgs are humans equipped with mechanical devices, which become part of their bodies. While cyborgs as depicted in movies may be fantastical, devices such as pacemakers and hearing aids are already cyborgs in our everyday lives. In the future, cyborg technology may advance to the point where even normal people can enhance their physical abilities by attaching external mechanical devices to their bodies. Or, with the advancement of brain engineering, it may be possible to upload the mind so that the body dies but the spirit lives on forever. With such revolutionary advances in technology, even diseases that are currently incurable may be treatable in the future, leading to the creation of frozen humans.
On the surface, this book takes a neutral stance without expressing any opinion on technological advancement, but the author is favorable toward it. Furthermore, considering the technologies introduced in this book and their impact on the advancement of human life, I am also favorable toward the desire to sustain human life and the technological advancement that accompanies it. This is because it is human nature and the essence of technology. Not only humans, but all living things have an instinctive desire to preserve their own lives, and it is only natural that humans exercise their intellectual abilities to achieve this. Furthermore, technology, whether good or bad, is inherently progressive, and if it does not progress and remains stagnant, it can no longer be called technology, so the advancement of technology should be pursued.
However, before that, there is something missing from the “United Nations Future Report 2045.” That is the philosophical part. Reading the contents of this book, one may wonder where the boundary between humans and technology lies, and whether it is right for humans to develop technology to this extent without following the natural order of things.
Regarding these issues, I argue that the philosophical part needs to be reinforced to establish a certain ideological foundation for technological development. The controversy surrounding technological advancement stems from concerns about what will happen after technological advancement, which in turn stems from a lack of philosophical foundation. In a situation where philosophy has not been fully established, concerns about whether humans, who will gain a life that is unnatural and, to exaggerate a little, close to eternal life, will be able to adapt to and cope with that life lead to concerns about excessive technological advancement and, further, to ethical and religious reasons.
The ideological basis for this begins with consideration of where the boundaries between humans, machines, and technology lie. This topic has been seriously discussed by recent scholars under the concept of “prosthesis” and is a major theme in fields such as anthropology and posthuman studies. The boundary between humans and technology is a profound topic that is discussed in such depth, but in a way, it can be explained simply by the concept of “consciousness.” People often refer to humans as rational animals, and when asked what distinguishes humans from robots, they answer that it is the ability to think and judge for themselves. In other words, it is a difference in consciousness. The barrier between humans and machines may be fluid depending on the situation, but it is only a matter of degree, and the element of consciousness is always present. In other words, the element of consciousness means that humans can control machines. If humans invent a technology or become cyborgs by implanting machines into their bodies, and they are unable to control those machines, the relationship between humans and machines will be reversed, and humans will be manipulated by machines. From the perspective of consciousness, this means that the consciousness of machines has surpassed that of humans, and from the perspective of humans, it is already in a state of uncontrollability.
In other words, humans must pursue technological development based on the idea that they must be able to control it. Here, control refers not only to control over the technology itself, but also consideration of the social and cultural impact of the technology. For example, thanks to technological advances over the past 30 years, human life expectancy has increased by nearly 20 years. However, society has not grown at the same pace as technological advancement, and various problems associated with an aging society, such as employment for the elderly, have emerged. This phenomenon occurred because the basic idea of maintaining a controllable level was forgotten, and medical technology was developed without consideration for other factors. As a result, people belatedly recognized the problems and made social and cultural efforts, such as reforming the tax system and actively utilizing the resources of the elderly. Take Japan, one of the most super-aged countries, as an example. In 2002, the government allocated 7.27 billion yen to the Silver Human Resources Center to improve issues related to aging. However, if social and cultural efforts had been made at the same time as technological development, the same results could have been achieved with much less cost and time.
In summary, with the recent development of innovative technologies, the boundaries between humans, machines, and technology have become blurred, leading to many opinions and debates. I am fundamentally in favor of continuous technological advancement. However, I do not mean unconditional approval. I believe that balanced development is only possible if technological advancement is based on the idea that technology itself, as well as its social and cultural aspects, should be under human control, that is, that human consciousness should be superior. Therefore, if humans pursue the preservation of human life while also considering social, institutional, and cultural development, this can be interpreted as a pure challenge for survival, rather than a violation of nature.
