Seite - 160 - in Cyborg Mind - What Brain–Computer and Mind–Cyberspace Interfaces Mean for Cyberneuroethics

160 • Cyborg Mind Similarly, it is difficult to say whether or not persons are human if they are conscious inside a computer. They may certainly be persons with a conscious- ness but may not be categorised as human persons. Their bodies would be computers, but would their minds be similar to those of human beings? It would also be difficult to state, with any certainty, whether such computer persons are alive. Another possibility is to just consider the new being as a nonhuman person if it is able to think like a human being. But, of course, this comes back to asking how it is possible to know whether a computer has become conscious, especially since, as already indicated, it is very difficult to even quantify consciousness.251 It is also important to ask whether the value that is accorded to human bodies, including the human brain, may be diminished with such tech- nology. This raises the question whether the human brain can simply be compared to a machine that has little value in comparison to the mind of a person  – a mind that could also exist inside a computer hard disk. In short, whilst there is much to celebrate in terms of advances made in the field of science and technology, it is becoming increasingly apparent, particularly in the field of neurotechnology, that human bodies and brains are quickly becoming projects to master, take control over, design and fuse according to humanity’s own desires. Therefore, it is crucial to consider how far such neuronal interfaces can challenge and impact concepts of human integrity and dignity. The Transhuman and Posthuman Body It is now possible to envisage a future in which parts of the human body are substantially replaced or upgraded by machines (generally defined as transhu- manism) or where the body no longer even resembles, in any way, that of a human person (generally defined as posthumanism). This of course will have significant repercussions on biological or physical anthropology and may even completely transform the whole discipline. Transhumanism The proposal that humanity should use technology to go beyond the restric- tions of the present human body, including the brain, was described as ‘trans- humanism’ by the British biologist Julian Huxley (1887–1975), who was the brother of Aldous Huxley (1894–1963), the author of the 1932 book Brave New World.252 He used the term for the title of an influential 1957 article, though the word itself derives from an earlier 1940 paper by the Canadian This open access edition has been made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license thanks to the support of Knowledge Unlatched. Not for resale.