EVOLUTION AND THE FUTURE OF HUMANITYHomo sapiens' galactic future

At any moment in time, any race – human or alien – that feels moved to pick up the gauntlet may do so. To whoever wins, the reward is survival” Strong [1965].

HUMANITYThe question we must answer is what of our essence – our humanity – should we pas on to our robotic descendants – they will be part of our evolving phylogeny.

We evolved naturally from matter over a three to four billion year period of time. We are only the latest biological experiment of nature, descended from a long line of vertebrates which finally achieved consciousness and self awareness and eventually led to language, social evolution and civilization.We will evolve further as Homo sapiens but have the opportunity to develop human chimera and a new species Homo roboticus. A species with a natural consciousness but a designed structure.Eventually we will evolve a new genus: Robotico earthensis. A species with a designed structure AND a designed consciousness.The design of consciousness is possibly the greatest task that humankind will ever undertake for it will be the basis for our galactic phylogeny.“The meek will inherit the Earth, the rest of us will go to the stars”

Consciousness

Consciousness and an introspective ability is the combined exception that sets the concept of humanity apart from other traits of living systems.

In this regard humanity is a collective trait of Homo, involving the adaptability of the human mind. As with other traits, it is a consequence of selection pressure.

At the root of the development of the humanity trait[s] is logic. This is not surprising for logic lies at the foundation of all natural systems.

Humanity emerged in modern Homo sapiens as logic became established as a basic trait of the species. Once logic was established the other traits associated with humanity could be derived: honesty, work motivation, preferential love, a sense of fairness and of justice.

Humanity is often associated with the related concept of humanism but humanism is not a necessary part of humanity. Humanism is an educational ideal, one of the foundations of which is the human potential to achieve good.

The humanity trait

• The humanity trait can be summarized as the “degree of development and inter-relatedness of capabilities......... that ... contribute to a dynamic reflexive dimension of self-awareness that forms the platform for intentionality and exercise of free will [choice]" Lagay [1999: page350-351].

• This essentially means the ability to reason and imagine and evolutionary this is a result of four specific physical traits.

1. The development of structures allowing true speech.

2. The development of hands that can manipulate objects in three

dimensions.

3. The development of a highly mobile bipedal posture.

4. The development of a brain showing surprising plasticity.

Homo roboticus

Important steps leading to H. roboticus are already taking place

• Xenotransplantation

• Organ replacement

• Embryo manipulation

• Cloning

• Mechanical replacement

• Genetic enhancement

WHAT WE WANT IS TOTAL BODY REPLACEMENT

i.e. a brain transplant

Immortality

“Anyone able to perpetually regenerate, reinvigorate, and replace aged or diseased parts of their body could live in the same body

from birth to eternity with their persona intact.” Shotski [2002]

• There is a biological mechanism that has allowed humankind to adapt to new environments, and this will provide the drive for humankind’s expansion throughout the Solar System and perhaps beyond. Hopefully, our collected consciousness will be part of what is offered to the future.

• “Biological enhancements will lead us into unexplored realms, eventually challenging our basic ideas about what it means to be human”. Gregory Stock [2002].

• Chimera will be a necessary part of our evolution if we are to colonize the Solar System.

The future

The importance of this DARPA/NASA initiative is that it will lead to technical innovation.

• The production of chimera with properties derived from our knowledge of other species here on Earth i.e. adaptation to freezing temperatures or a methane environment.

• Spinal cord repair in Homo sapiens, because this must be solved for a whole body transplant to occur. This is necessary for Homo roboticus to evolve. The future will necessitate linking a conscious brain to a manufactured body. Attaching a brain, with an already contained consciousness [mind] will follow as a result of research into neural chord reattachment. I am referring here to a mind-brain transplant using a living human being who needs a new body: a technique that is not too far on in the future. Body donation, ethically, should be treated no differently than heart or kidney donation.

Homo roboticus

• The concept of Homo roboticus lies not simply in modifying the human body to adapt to changing conditions [including cell death] but the development of a completely manufactured body with a conventional brain and a mind containing conventional consciousness i.e. true brain transplant.

• There are three ways in which this probably can be developed.

1. Implanting a pre-existing brain into a manufactured biological body.

2. Implanting a pre-existing brain into a manufactured mechanical body.

3. Implanting a pre-existing brain into a hybrid bio-mechanical body.

Questions

For those who take a moral stance against the effort to develop Homo roboticus I ask two questions.

QUESTION ONE: “If you know your death will shortly occur but I offer you the opportunity for your mind to live on within another body, will you allow your brain to be transplanted into a manufactured biological body that has human form?”

QUESTION TWO: “If you know your death will shortly occur but I offer you the opportunity for your mind to live on within another body, will you allow your brain to be transplanted into a manufactured mechanical body that has the form of a fish that will be placed in the Pacific Ocean to explore that oceanic world?” This includes the availability of suicide.

I believe the moral question of implanting a human consciousness inside a fish-like marine Homo roboticus var. oceanicus will be of only passing concern.

Robotico earthensisThe final phase of our phylogeny: from Australopithecus to Homo

will be the genus Robotico: an individual with manufactured [designed] body structure and manufactured [designed] consciousness. The organism is a self-replicating species.

A brain that will be programmable to contain a specific mind-set is not outside the bounds of currant scientific possibility. The origin of consciousness lies in understanding how matter reacts to an environmental change.

There is no reason to believe that the reductionist approach, which allows understanding of primitive physico-chemical reactions, will not work when attempting to understand intelligent reactions.

Consciousness evolved as an adaptive survival mechanism involving better perception of what is happening and predicting what is about to happen.

Questions

As a scientist I do not have any morals I only have ethics.

The most important questions to be answered and documented for those who will develop Robotico earthensis are:

1. What defines the humanity of Homo sapiens today; and,

2. What of our essence should be passed on to future generations?

Evolutionary fact suggests that the genus Robotico could eventually evolve into something in which the concept of humanity is either a hindrance or a lethal trait. However, from humankind’s viewpoint the goal will be to make sure that the representatives of the genus maintain a concept of humanity.

Isaac Asimov's prime directive is both pointless and futile

The population size