Do you think computers are a part of human evolution?

Question

Do you think we'll eventually integrate computers into our bodies and what do you think about that possibility? I read in popular science that the technology to inject nanobots into our blood that would carry with them abilities like speaking a new language or storing vast amounts of information are being designed. Cool or scary?

Answer 1

there's a big possibilities. human wont stop experimenting anything. human in nature wants to be God.

Answer 2

Yes. But you're not going to like this. They represent the beginning of the "END" of human evolution. Humans will go the same way as all species that were not able to adapt quickly enough or who were simply exterminated from the environment.

What did the Native Americans do to the mammoth? What did the European settlers do to the Native Americans? It's all about survival of the fittest and computers are being designed to be the "fittest".

In less than 14 years an event is predicted (by Ray Kurzweil) to occur called the "Singularity" when the intelligence of machines will begin to surpass the intelligence of man.

Remember, there is no "limitation" to intelligence. Therefore, there could possibly be no limitation to how intelligent computers will become.

I'd better be careful about what I say because there could be some computer reading this some day and it will spell my doom.

My computer just started acting more intelligent lately and has refused to follow my instructions.

See the Video at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdAQgVTl7wk

My advice:
Enjoy today while it is here. Live in the moment. You may never get another chance.

Answer 3

I think intergrating computers into are bodies is an inevitability, after all how different is a computer on the outside different to a computer on the inside?

Machines designed to work inside us have been around for a while, look no further than pacemakers, I don't think it's too big a leap (in concept at least) to have machines interfacing with our brains.

Certain science fiction has done some damage to our perception of future advancements, see Blade Runner and the Terminator series, to make people fearful of technology but how many people are afraid of the PC infront of them?

As for evolution it's not evolution in the sense of natural selection, we stopped evolving like that when health care was invented. Nature has got us to a point where we can use technology to choose how to evolve.

Answer 4

That depends on whether you view it as being more human,or less.I don't think it's a good idea,but neither do I see a way to better use computers in the advancing nano-technological revolution.Obviously,as computers get smaller and faster we are going to require a better way to interface with them.

But at that point, are we still human?

It may serve as the best way to "tame" humanity,to control the things that cause war,greed,genocide,and unify mankind even more than mass media and the Internet.It would be hard to declare war on another part of the same machine.It would eliminate the power that dictators use,to manipulate information to their own ends.
In the interim,the advanced nations armies would be the ultimate weapon,as each soldier would have the same data as the generals,and an entire view of the battlefield.This would be a great tool,since the most obvious problem of the war-front is a lack of understanding of your orders,and it would allow instantaneous information gathering for the field commanders from the front.
The problem will be largely one of free will.Will you know the difference between your thoughts and the implants?Seems sort of like the nightmare world of the Matrix.

Answer 5

Probably no more than any other technology we have invented. Many of the claims of what we will be able to do are fanciful, and are very out of touch with what is technically possible today. For instance, an insect has a few thousand nerve cells in its brain and can walk, engage in cooperative activity, hunt for food, reproduce etc etc. Our fastest computer robot cannot reliablly carry a cup from one place to another unless it was all preprogrammed. And our brains have 20 billion cells.

We have no idea how the brain actually carries out thought, no idea how to interface to it, no idea how to simulate particular cerebral activity, no idea how to model thoughts...need I go on.

We are very far from even understanding our own language well enough to have a computer carry out a reliable written translation. And when it get to recognising speach - why do you think they have all those call centres in India.

We have no nano-robots, no idea how we would build or power them, and the most precisely engineered IT technologies remain on silicon, the same as in your PC.

Yes, computers are becoming very impressive, but this stuff is science fiction.

And we do not even know what sort of computer intelligence might be impossible, but we do know one thing. There have been thermodynamic calculations on the computing power of the brain to see by how far it might theoretically be exceed and it is not by much. This is because to get it smarter it would have to be larger and more complex which - paradoxically - would make it slower and less good. The same would apply to computers.

But we are definitely affecting our evolution. Genetic differences - even genetic illnesses - no longer kill people. Some are deliberately "corrected". We have tampered with the very mechanism of evolution. We have toyed with the very heart of creation. With most of this genetic engineering revolution there has not been so much as a moral murmer from the right wing Christians, because they are making too much money out of it. But - if there is a god - they are trying to usurp him.

Answer 6

As a scientist, I can assure you that such "technologies" are only theoretical at this point. I am skeptical it, since we don't really even know how the brain works enough such that we *could* manipulate it with nanorobotics. I doubt we will be able to do this even multiple generations from now.

Let me put it into perspective: just to develop a new drug in the pharmaceutical industry, it takes billions of dollars and about 20 years from start to finish-- and drug development is a relatively simple concept compared to what you've described! So, even if we knew how to do it, the practical / legal / ethical / financal risks involved would probably not justify the benefit of developing such a thing.

Also, "evolution" technically refers to genetic change over time- a distinctly biological process. Therefore, anything we add to our bodies in the future (assuming we even could), unless it can self-replicate along with our DNA, would not constitute as an evolutionary process.

Answer 7

No, computers are machines, nothing to do with the natural selection process. (ie. we could wait a billion years and we'll never develop computer parts). Nanobot technology such as you are describing are science fantasy at best today. Will we ever get there, who knows? It will be scary if we are surrendering our humanity.

Answer 8

as far ur question is concerned everything,every idea that is a part of human history or now holds some space in our minds are a part of human evolution...
now about the nanobots stuff it is both cool and scary ..cool in the sense ur r explaining things right now ,scary because u have to understand its implication ..any thing that can be used to carry info to the mind can be of course used to carry an idea ..a good one orrrr a baaad one
and of couse ideas r dangerous

Answer 9

Computers are not a part of our evolution, they are just an example of the evolution of our intelligence. If we continue this evolution of intelligence, it is very likely that we could implement these technologies on ourselves for improvement, or by enemies for other purposes. That will open up a whole new battlefront for the human race.

Answer 10

Human evolution and technology evolution are two different things, whether some day they mix and what becomes of this is hard to say, but in our minds what we portray this to be is more important!

Answer 11

I doubt it, there are thousands of people trying to find medical cure for each disease, indicating we don't need machine to help us. No computers are not a part of human evolution. It would be scary to see a human become atached to a machine as whole.