A discussion on damaged limbs and prostheses.

[Dirty Hipsters]

It depends on three criteria.

1. Just how damaged is the part? That is, could it be repaired without flat-out replacement in a timely manner?

It no longer works. Like lets say the nerves and tendons on your hand are so damaged that you can't move your fingers. Basically your hand is permanently a claw. Could your hand be repaired at some point? Possibly with years and years of surgery and hundreds of thousands of dollars and even then no guarantees (and it will probably never function as well as it did before it was damaged).

2. Could I upgrade the replaced part later on? If I get, say, the first in a new line of prosthetic legs and it has issues, I want to be able to pick up a better model eventually.

Sure, why not? It might possibly require extra surgery every time you want to change to a newer model.

3. How functional is the part in comparison to the flesh version? For instance, if I replace a hand, I would like to have a sense of touch. If I replace my stomach, I want to keep my old diet. And so on. And if it does more, even better! Also, if it can be messed with by the manufacturers.

The prostheses is functionally worse than a real hand. You won't have a sense of touch, you can't grip things as precisely as you can with a real human hand. Your prosthetic hand's dexterity is 60% of what a real flesh and blood hand would be. It is however better than the hand you currently have, which has almost no dexterity whatsoever.

 

[MCerberus]

Humanity has evolved to have your brain map tools as extensions of your own body (it's one of those weird tricks we picked up that makes or species Terminators, really neat if you look into it), and science has made mechanical transhumanism a thing from modern limbs to pacemakers all the way back to the invention of glasses.

There really isn't a discussion to me.

 

[Luminous_Umbra]

SNIP

Pfft, that's an easy choice then: Ditch the flesh and get a new hand. Some function is better than no function and if it can be swapped out for better models which might eventually be better or at least equal? What reason (assuming I can afford it) would I have to say no?

 

[FalloutJack]

You've heard the expression, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"? Well, the reverse is true as well. If it IS broke, DO fix it!

 

[archvile93]

I wouldn't even wait to get damaged, I'd just take whatever cybernetics you got, hack the outdated models off now. Why would I want to be more human anyway? Your body's just a barely functional result of evolution's "good enough" mindset (if it had a mind anyway, you know what I mean.)

Edit: Just noticed you said works better than your damaged parts, not works better than a fully functional one. In that case yes I'd still get it replaced but only if I was irreparably injured. If we're talking about augments that are better than what we have even at full functionality, then my first answer stands.

 

[Mister K]

I would never, never ever, NEVER EVER replace perfectly functional, natural limbs like some idjits in Deus Ex do. However, I would get prostetics if my organic parts cannot work as intended and cannot be healed.

 

[Palindromemordnilap_v1legacy]

I'm ridiculously shortsighted, seriously cannot see more than an inch or so in front of my own face without everything descending into blurry blobs like a late Monet painting. Without my glasses everyone looks like Slenderman because I can't see their features, just a sort of blob where their head is. I can maybe see their hair assuming it hasn't fused with how I see the background. And yet for whatever reason my eyes are also oddly photosensitive; oddly because its only legit sunlight that sets them off, like they're extra vulnerable to UV or something. Man-made lighting doesn't faze me but natural light can burn something fierce. Even on overcast days I'm not safe as the glare off clouds is enough to make me squint up.
So would I replace those janky bastards currently lodged in my sockets with something that can see properly and doesn't make me start sneezing whenever the sun pops out to say hello? Yes, yes please, sign me up

 

[9tailedflame]

Yea, i'd absolutely optimize my body as best i could given money isn't an issue. Though i'd be pretty cautious about experimental proceeding and things that weren't strict upgrades.