Poll: Human Augmentations. Your Stance?

[Professor Cubbage]

I guess having augmented arms would be kinda awesome but the real question is why should we stop there. There's every chance that people would simply upgrade their entire bodies and cease to be human which doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. Augmentations are also likely to be expensive so it would lead to most of humanity being oppressed by the wealthy.

 

[Esotera]

Yeah, damn human augmentations, who would ever need those?

Spoiler

People should be able to do whatever they want to their bodies, as long as it doesn't cause a nanoplauge or something terrible like that. So research into potentially deadly technologies would have to be carefully regulated. Asides from that, augment away. We've been doing it for thousands of years already, I don't see the issue.

 

[CFriis87]

I'd wait till Sarif industries comes out with their genetic Patient X research that makes Versalifes damned immunosuppressants unnecessary. Then I'd probably get as much as I can afford.
Nano-augs making my mechanical augs obsolete? Hell, I'll just get some nano-augs too.
Noone ever said I couldn't have both.

 

[hermes]

Sorry, but artificial augmentations are not entirely new, neither entirely science fiction material. From plastic surgery to artificial hearts and kidneys, humanity has used its domain on technology to improve their body in different ways.

Even with the trailer, which is an exaggeration since I think companies would not indulge into such lengths without the government pocking them, there are different kinds of augmentations shown, with different levels of justifications. Its harder to justify someone that implants cameras in his eyes or a PC on his brain than a man who lost an arm or both legs. In that sense, augmentations can be pretty cool, no matter the "its against god and the natural order" argument.

 

[WanderingFool]

Actually, isnt the plot around Deus Ex:HR start with an attack on Sarif while they were close to realising a cure to the immunosuppressant problem? Oh god... plot flashes...

 

[Hiikuro]

I'd certainly want nano-machines that could filter my blood and selectively remove poisons, not interested in much more though.

This kind of augmentation reminds me of the transition from mechanics/simple electric systems to electronics that happened just half a century ago (and look at how beneficial that turned out). We already have a lot of augmentations available to us already, like drugs, cosmetics, dental braces, artificial hearts, artificial limbs and probably a lot of other enhancements. Granted, some of those are for correcting defects, but others are for improving life.

But as with all of those, I prefer to limit myself to what I need. I'd certainly do the same for any new improvements that may come along.

 

[daydreamerdeluxe]

Hrm. I'm not convinced immuno-suppressants would be required. People inserting metal into their flesh has been happening for millennia (I personally have my ear pierced, and had no adverse effects), non-invasive neuron triggering is possible already (whilst the caps required for those are quite unwieldy at the moment, that tech can only improve), and it's not exactly like current prosthetics, which are, of course, just primitive augmentations, require immuno-suppressant drugs as far as I'm aware. Nor, indeed, do pacemakers or artificial cochleas - which, again, are primitive augmentations - to my knowledge.

Therefore, it stands to reason that advanced augmentations such as strength-enhancing limbs or replacement, more efficient organs, should not require constant immuno-suppressing drug usage, which does, regrettably, still leave the potential for external control. The only possibility there would be to ensure that all prosthetics are deaf and dumb when it comes to signals from outside the body, but that would be disadvantageous if it comes to brain augs that could be used to bypass computers and get straight onto the web...

Anywhom, I'm big on human augmentations I would certainly upgrade myself, given the chance: I personally don't plan on living and dying on this one little rock, I'd like to eventually upload into a fully electronic chassis and live for centuries exploring the universe, or simply the cultures that we humans create in them. We've been augmenting ourselves since we developed the sharp rock that makes the spear, and now we get the chance to bring those augmentations inside the body. It's not exactly like our previous inventions have had no impact on our internal workings; the internet, whilst being a continuously external influence, is demonstrating just how plastic the human brain is, so we're just taking the next step.

In regards to losing our humanity, I always point people to Aaron Diaz's A Thinking Ape's Critique of Trans-Simianism, found here: http://dresdencodak.com/2009/05/15/a-thinking-apes-critique-of-trans-simianism-repost/

 

[Lazy Kitty]

I'm all for human-augmentation in general.
If you can improve yourself, why not?

 

[Alexias_Sandar]

Honestly? If an augmentation aids someone who needs it...I see no issue at all. Frankly, elective cybernetic surgery isn't any different than getting a nose job or breast augmentation. Further, medical augmentations that actually help say injured or crippled people live with a better quality of life? Why would ANYONE oppose such?

 

[Dominic Burchnall]

It's technically not even evil. It's just......good business.

Being a massive cynic, I'd say those two terms are pretty much synonomous.

The only character in the trailer that this shows extracts from who I have any understanding for is the dad with the augmented arm, tossing an American football in the air and catching it. He explains that he lost his arm (though exactly how isn't specified), and one of his first thoughts was not being able to play with his son any more. For that reason, I empathise with him. Replacing body parts that have been destroyed through accident or injury if 100% good in my book, although hyper-priced immuno-suppressants sours the deal somewhat. But as for the hiker and the piano player, augmenting out of feelings of superiority, is just not right. As the professor in the video states, there really is no reason for trading perfectly functional body parts for mechanicals which won't be fully under your control. If she had had crippling arthritis in her fingers, fine. If he had damaged cataracts, fine. But swopping them out because you can? Stupid.

I think that the replacement body parts are the right way to go for badly injured people, but they should be limited to replacements, not enhancements, or else the fear factor emphasised in the video grinds into being. And of course, the ruinous prices for the pharmaceuticals is corporate greed at its worst.

 

[Samurai Silhouette]

I'm for heavy augmentations as long as they're not superficial. It'd be neat to safely jump another 20 feet high and run 50+ miles per hour.

 

[Tanakh]

Yes please, where do i sign?

As long as i keep my neural network topology and reaction thresholds, that is.

 

[thiosk]

Im developing brain implants. My wallet wants everyone to view augs as beneficial and necessary.

 

[Syzygy23]

Seems like a whole lot of pro-human pro-natural BS about staying pure and all that crap.

Listen, if augmentations can make us better human beings and give people who can't operate their limbs the chance to walk, I have NOTHING against that.

The problem with that idea is that giving people totally awesome robo-arms with the strength of twelve gorillas actually makes them better humans... or just gives them a new tool to be assholes.

Other than that, I'm totally pro transhuman. I can't wait until I can have a laser-eye, rocket feet, and hands that can transform into laser guns! At least, that's what it SHOULD be like, but we all know that scientists are a bunch of lazy, humorless BEAN COUNTERS. If they weren't, we'd have had our flying cars back in 2000, which is when the jetsons said we would have them or something. Jetsons was in the future and the future = science, therefore it is the fault of Scientists that the world is still uncool and not the future. If you DON'T think about that chain of logic, it makes PERFECT SENSE.

 

[teebeeohh]

I'd wait for the nano augs in the original Deus Ex, less messy than getting a robotic arm grafted to me. Once that technology is out then its hello cloaking and super strength augs.

but you do know that you will most likely wait for a very long time and then won't even be compatible with the tech? and since human revolution is the second deus ex game nanotechnology never reached the point where it would work for anyone.

 

[Jodah]

If God didn't want us improving his design he wouldn't have given us thumbs.

 

[The-Epicly-Named-Man]

Two words; nano-bots (okay, maybe one conjoined word but whatever). Fuck robo-arms, I wanna live forever. Besides, if I ever get into a fire fight, there are such things as guns and bullet proof vests. Plus they don't require major surgery.