Page - 162 - in Cyborg Mind - What Brain–Computer and Mind–Cyberspace Interfaces Mean for Cyberneuroethics

162 • Cyborg Mind In other words, transhumanists agree that human nature is not fixed and that the human species can change over time beyond its biological limita- tions. Some would also accept a future where sexual reproduction becomes obsolete because it is replaced with technology.260 However, it is difficult to know where to draw the line between humans and machines if a person has been changed through technology. Indeed, it is possible to ask whether a human being with an important artificial neuronal implant is still a human.261 These are dilemmas that will continue to evolve in modern society in the light of new possibilities. But even if a human brain eventually becomes mostly nonbiological, humanity is likely to retain an overall notion of what constitutes beauty with regard to the human body, as this is deeply embedded in human values. Until now, when persons are considered to be physically good-looking, this is generally seen as a measure of their biological health, intellectual competence and even moral balance, which may be useful in increasing their reproduc- tive chances and of having descendants. Yet, given that the human body may change over time, ideas of what is considered beautiful may also change.262 In other words, if reproduction becomes nonsexual or even nonbiological in the future, a different sense of beauty may emerge.263 Transhumanism can also be compared to an understanding of the ‘end times’ when the human species will both transcend itself and bring about its own planned obsolescence. As Julian Huxley indicated, transhumanism is a ‘religion without revelation’.264 But there are significant differences between his beliefs and those of contemporary transhumanists, who are usually only interested in using technology to develop the human species. Transhumanism also offers an ethical vision in which technological inno- vation is the central human achievement and thereby becomes the medium for achieving authenticity, liberty and justice.265 However, transhumanists may be somewhat disingenuous when claim- ing that they strive for immortality and, at the same time, see themselves as the descendants of humanists. This is because humanists generally consider humanity as a ‘good’ and would not accept the transformation of the human species into something that is no longer human. Many humanists believed that being human is the pinnacle of evolutionary achievement and would not want to replace this humanity with anything else. With transhumanism, on the other hand, the state of being human is merely a stage in the evolutionary process towards a higher ‘good’, though there is often no indication about what this actually represents.266 This implies that transhumanists cannot be compared to humanists in any meaningful way. 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.