In a recent discussion, it was stated that human beings that see the human race as inadequate are trans-humanist. Trans-humanists believe that human beings need to be altered or changed to reach their full potential, and without such changes we are incomplete. Would I consider myself one such person? Not at all, I see the human race as being complete in our evolution and development. Do I want a synthetic organ so I can live longer, even forever? Or to decide the outcome of my offspring; everything from their eye color to their demeanor?
No, to that as well ... sort of. We all look to control or alter those aspects of existence with in our sphere of control. However, by doing [altering off spring or synthetic implants] so we take away the very essence of being human, our unpredictability, our vulnerability, or uniqueness. But I do consider myself a realist and I look around seeing what is going on in the world we live. We have pills to correct recital dysfunction and nothing for cancer. We invest ourselves in endeavors to the ends of space or the deepest parts of the oceans, but we do not know ourselves or take care of the people around us. Should we find what we are looking for in the galaxy around us, or uncover some new creatures in the sea would we know how best to approach them? Or what we may contract from our contact with them?
We knock on many a door, never questioning what lies behind. This has led us so far down the wrong courses in the past that we have been hindering ourselves since the beginning of time. What is the desire of a biomechanical scientist is not to make a human - cheetah hybrid so we can win more awards at the Olympics, it is so that we can better understand ourselves. In better understanding ourselves, we can then better understand all the aspects of the universe around us. It is truly the key to our survival and our understanding of matter.
Think about it this way: by reaching a higher level of understanding of everything human --i.e. the genome, DNA, brain activity, viral detection and prevention, etc.-- humans will be preparing themselves for any and all things. Not only that but without these concerns we can eliminate a lot of the wasteful by-products and pollutants that cause new conditions in the first place.
We find ourselves endeavoring to create things we need on the outside, when we truly must affect the processes on the inside for the effects to truly be positive and complete. The problems are not outside the being, they're inside.
So, what is the drive behind the biomechanical scientist? To allow for life as we know it on a higher level of homeostasis with the planet and universe in which we live. Not to create new human life forms but to ensure that we continue to exist and continue to gather information that can make the life we know, more productive. By integrating the outcome of biological, mechanical, technological, and sociological enterprises into the structure of our species, we can accomplish the things we do daily with all manner of devices, pills, creams, treatments, and technologies.
