Is there a limit to technology?

Welcome back!

I like to consider myself a very tech savvy user and because of that I am always thinking about the next big thing. However how far can that curiosity go? Is there a point where there is no difference between us as humans and technology?

We create different technologies to accomplish a task we either regularly do or would like to regularly do, replace a function we have lost due to an accident or a function that we never had, or just to entertain ourselves. What if we find a way to automate all of our regular tasks, there no longer is any other unique way to entertain ourselves or we are able to replace the entire human body using technology? What would be the next step?

We are a long ways off from answering these questions. In fact we as a species may even become extinct by that time so answering the question won't even be relevant. However I would like to think that if we ever need to answer these questions we would expand our definition of technology and continue our curiosity.

When you hear "technology" what do you usually think about? The phone in your pocket? The tablet you are carrying? The computer that you edit videos on or play games on? The cloud that you interact with via the Internet? I think most of us think of technology in this way. I don't think I would be wrong in saying that most human beings think of technology as artificial devices used to enhance our lives. So what if we expand our definition of technology to include both organic and inorganic material?

Currently any manipulation of organic material is thought of as "medicine" or "biology" and not "technology." My question is why? Is there really a big difference between a brain and a CPU? Or eyes and a camera? Our brains do a pretty similar job to CPUs. CPUs are used as the central hub for every calculation and task done by a computer. If the CPU as a whole is interrupted then your computer usually stops functioning and than if the CPU is severely damaged your computer will probably die. Modern computer also have multiple cores similar to how our brains have multiple lobes.

If someone or something were to cut your brain stem then your body would shut down. If a brain surgeon were to interact with your brain they would be able to stimulate your brain to move certain parts parts of your body or effect your speech. We have multiple lobes that control different aspects of our body. Not unlike how different cores in a CPU could accomplish a separate task. It is not very hard to imagine a brain as a CPU. Now of course each species has a different type of brain but each CPU could have a different architecture as well.

Then of course cameras are similar to our eyes allowing us to see the physical world. So why couldn't we blur the lines between biology and technology? Maybe the next step after technology as most know it is to recreate ourselves and grow different objects using organic molecules? To me it is interesting to think about the possibilities but also a bit scary. I mean if we could freely modify ourselves would we lose our sense of humanity? What kind of social restrictions would such modifications cause?

To help think about this topic I want to show what technology is and why we need both digital and analog technology. So my next two posts will be entiteled: The Pitfalls of Digital Technology and The Need for Analog Technology. As I mentioned in my post yesterday my next blog post will be at 7:00 PM ET on Sunday. Be sure to check back then!

Bye for now,

Superskull85 - The Dark Skull