sangat menyenangkan bahwa hanya soal waktu, kita, manusia, akan sampai ke sana. Dan itu tak terhindarkan sebagaimana hukum alam & kehidupannya. Bukankah memang antara manusia itu saling menghancurkan sejak awal mulanya....

I am and am not worried about the idea of “tweaking” humans. New advancements can give meaningful lives to people who would otherwise be trapped in constricted existence. But there is always the question: where do you draw the line? As for extending life, I tend to follow the belief that it is by the knowledge that we are going to die that we know we are alive.

With the issue of overpopulation we really do not need immortality/expanded lifespans thrown into the mix. Talented and intelligent people should be spending their time focusing on fixing the world we live in right now instead of trying to make some kind of scientific utopia from it, because that's just a pipe dream.

I'm very fond of the idea of transhumanism, but wary of age increasing measures. It would be difficult if you could never advance in life because the people above you never retire or die. Promotions would be non-existant. Human augmentation, however, could do wonders for people with physical disabilities. War veterans, people who have been in accidents, etc. It would be cruel to deny someone the chance to walk again simply because the technology is "unnatural". Which is unusual to say that at all, when humans have always developed new technology to overcome hardships, so in a sense, any technology we create IS natural.

Not being constrained by age or disease would really give people the time to master multiple skills and take many paths in life, which to me sounds better than putting all of your eggs in one basket. Also, there is nothing noble and meaningful in suffering, only misery. I agree with those who said, who is that guy to speak for everyone.

As it is, most of us are forced to work like we're going to live forever, so we should get to.

Where do I sign up?

Compassion and empathy are important. Vita-More has a great sense of focus and humor in making Primo Posthuman nonrefundable or returnable if the user does not care for the body and take responsibility for his/her/its actions. I like this because too much of today's art and design is cyborg or based on bioart that is all about insects and adding ears to our arms. Vita-More has a vision to expand human life - to elevate our life - and to bring the arts and design into the transhumanist perspective as a possible future for humanity. There is no coercion or claim of what is right or wrong - it is just her view of what is possible and I like it. What might be missing is a more socio-political approach, but I did google her and she is giving lots of talks on ethics. That's good. Anyway, I'd like to see more!

> “If we go and intervene in these things in a frivolous sort of way,” Hurlbut argues, “then we could very easily disrupt the setting in which human life has its greatest meaning.”

Hurlbut assumes that he knows what gives life its "greatest meaning," and that everyone feels just like him about it. He also assumes that people couldn't adjust to new "settings" and find great meaning in those.

Who gave him the authority to pronounce the final word about those things in all our names?

What about those of us who think differently, like Natasha Vita-More? Frankly, technological solutions to aging & death can't happen fast enough to suit us.

Such an exciting frontier, I'm just sad/jealous that I probably won't be able to really take advantage of the technology. I've always dreamed of being able to modify myself at that level. I am all for people using their bodies for artistic expression. The bioethical problem, aside from that super dystopian picture we all know, seems only to be a mask for some discomfort. The idea we should "seek the moral and spiritual meaning of our lives in the midst of our suffering" just sounds masochistic.

Excellent article! Amazing perception of the human and the future. It makes sense that teh human body will become more of a prosthetic and that we will do all that we can to extend life. Too many children, parent, grandparents, friends and loved ones suffer from disease. Bravo for an excellent interview and artistic works!

I think may favorite part of the piece was the playing Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" in its original form then a techno-riffic version towards the end. I see what you did there, 360. Well done.

Humans have screwed up the planet so completely in their never-ending quest to produce and consume things, that we are on the brink of destroying ourselves. Why don't we spend our energy on first trying to solve the problems we've created, instead of ushering forth a whole new generation of bioethical dilemmas?

Focus on the things that are truly necessary, such as fixing genetic and chromosomal defects and deletions. That kind of technology would save the lives of children born with these conditions. And it's the furthest thing from "frivolous."

The only REAL improvement we can make on humans is to increase their levels of compassion. Without that, in our quest to enhance and prolong our lives, those with the most money and power,will probably just use the enhancements to build better soldiers and devise other ways to destroy the world in their search for personal gain. No one has ever shown that the ability to think better or run faster or live longer has resulted in making anyone more humane.