As a possibility for the extinction of the human species, scientists are raising the possibility of genetic manipulation and the creation of a new species through human-machine combinations. This doesn’t mean the end of humanity, but rather a modified form of survival, and it raises deep questions about human identity.
If the current human species were to become extinct, what would be the reason? Common answers to this question include nuclear war, pandemics, and climate change. These threats that humans face have been threatening our survival for a long time and are scenarios that scientists and futurists have warned us about. Human history has been a series of overcoming these crises, but the current situation is very different from the past. Thanks to advances in science and technology, we are far more informed and capable of solving complex problems than ever before. But at the same time, we can’t ignore the fact that these technologies are exposing us to new levels of risk.
Some scientists have raised the possibility of a different kind of extinction. That is, the extinction of humans but not of the human race. This concept may be difficult to grasp intuitively, but if we look at some of the advances made by modern science and technology, we can see the possibilities. It’s not simply a matter of natural disasters or wars wiping out humanity, but rather the evolutionary path that humans themselves have chosen. To understand this, it’s important to take a brief look at human history and evolution.
For billions of years, organisms have been evolving in accordance with the laws of nature. None of them deliberately chose their evolutionary path; they literally evolved naturally. Humans have similarly evolved to become Homo sapiens, but our rapid advances in science and technology have made it possible for us to attempt to overcome the laws of nature. We’ve artificially created green fluorescent rabbits through genetic manipulation, grown giant ears on the backs of mice, and even developed the ability to reanimate extinct animals. These technological advances suggest that the laws of nature that have held for billions of years have been broken.
This raises a key question. Can we genetically engineer ourselves to be mentally and physically superior and alien to the rest of the human race? This question goes beyond mere scientific curiosity and raises deep philosophical questions about human identity. If such a manipulation is possible, and if the degree of superiority and alienation is so great that we can no longer be considered the same creature, can we really call those humans the same species? In that case, Homo sapiens would be effectively extinct, replaced by a new species. But we didn’t go extinct. The new species that replaced us descended from us. So we’re extinct, but not extinct.
A similar case to the previous one is the combination of humans and machines. This is the cyborg, the subject of many popular media, including “The Terminator”. You might think that cyborgs are fictionalized by the fact that they’re all machines, but they’re not just fiction. We’re already seeing early forms of cyborg technology in our daily lives. Advances in technology have led to the use of so-called prosthetic organs, which are replacing not only prosthetic hands and legs but also organs such as the heart, and even electrodes implanted in a monkey’s brain to control an artificial arm that is completely separate from its body and invisible. This means that the line between human and machine is becoming increasingly blurred.
If we take it a step further, we could apply the same technology to humans to create cyborgs. This could lead to a blurred state where it’s hard to tell if a person is a human or a robot. No one would call a person with a prosthetic hand a robot, and no one would call a talking robot a person. But if technology blurs and breaks down the lines, we may no longer be able to call ourselves Homo sapiens. This change is not limited to the physical dimension.
Physical changes are not the only thing to note about cyborgs. If we can implant electrodes in our brains to give us a third arm that we didn’t even know we had, what if we could connect our brains directly to computers? It would be interesting to have a large number of brains connected to computers, creating an “internet of brains”. We are approaching a time when these technological possibilities are not just imagined, but can be realized. But it also threatens our identity. For example, when we hear or read about someone else’s experience, we know that it is their experience. But if someone connects to the brain’s internet and obtains someone else’s memories, they may remember them as if they were their own. In this case, we might question whether our memories are really ours, and we might have feelings and desires that we can’t even imagine.
Will these people be the same species as us? This question highlights the need for a deeper discussion of how current advances in science and technology will affect human identity. More than just scientific discoveries, these changes raise fundamental questions about how we will exist as a species.
The idea that humanity could become extinct without destroying itself is truly mind-boggling. Our growing scientific knowledge and technological capabilities have brought us farther away from extinction, but ironically, closer to it. Faced with this reality, we must seriously consider what direction we should take. While it’s clear that science and technology are essential tools for our survival, we must also consider the possibility that they will transform us into something new.
The future of humanity depends on the choices we make now, and the outcome of those choices will directly determine the fate of Homo sapiens. In the end, humanity may survive, but it’s doubtful that survival will look like what we want it to look like today. In the end, the human race of the future will evolve or transform in ways we cannot imagine, and in the process, we may have to redefine the nature of humanity. This is not just an imaginary challenge, but a very real one.
