Hamlet’s Transhumanist Dilemma: Will Technology Replace Biology?

To be, or not to be: that was the question back when

Machines did not challenge the reign of men.

Will technology replace biology: that is the question now

When computers get exponentially smarter: why shouldn’t we bow?

Thus the dilemma facing the human race

Is about hardware and coding: What type to embrace?

Whether ’tis nobler to run DNA

On an ancient biological hardware – Evolution’s play!

Or ‘tis better to get up-to-date

And run binary code on the supercomputers of late.

But who is to say?

Is it nobler to suffer in the flesh

The slings and arrows of biology as destiny?

Or to hack ‘tis cursed body; and by technology

To live. Forever!

No more sickness, no more aging, no more death

Our mortal flesh is heir to.

The choice is yours and mine to make

But what a bind we find ourselves into:

To pick between humanity and immortality.

But what is human anyway?

A temporary grouping of the bits

En route to fall apart…

Or is there more to it?

A soul? A genome code? A conscience? Or, a pattern?

Some kind of essence, anyway?

I still don’t know for sure what it is

So, why am I afraid to lose what I don’t know?

…

Authors’ note:

As you may see this post is neither polished nor really finished. It is a work in progress and as such it may and probably will change as my personal thoughts and feelings about the technological singularity evolve.

Feel free to contribute your thoughts and feelings on the subject…

ORIGINAL: Singularity

by Socrates

September 18, 2010