When does the shift from merely human to officially cyborg take place?

[Larniavc]

When does a person shift from being merely human and officially become a cyborg?



We all know that persons with pace-makers and artificial limbs aren’t looked upon in that way. However this following fellow, Neil Harbisson, was officially declared a cyborg when he had an antenna receiving signals from satellites was implanted in his skull.





Doesn’t this mean that the criteron is that our brains must be involved and must attain some power beyond the normal fot the classification of cyborg to be valid? If a microchip implanted in the brain to control epilepsy doesn’t transform us into a cyborg but another microchip allowing us access to the Internet does, then that conclusion would seem obvious. What do you think?

I don't think there is an official specification.

Maybe ask the cyborg union?

 

[Sammy-San]

Wouldn't you consider a cyborg animal a hybrid?

Is that even possible?

 

[Landon Caeli]

My mom has a bionic eye -I consider her a cyborg.

 

[Radrook]

Is that even possible?

Why not? If they can do it to humans they can do it to animals as well.

The Coming Age of Cyborg Animals
http://io9.gizmodo.com/our-pets-are-turning-into-cyborgs-1668268176

 

[Sammy-San]

Why not? If they can do it to humans they can do it to animals as well.

How would cybernetics destroy the image of God?

People say the mark of the beast will do that, but with cyborgs it doesnt make sense.v

 

[Radrook]

My mom has a bionic eye -I consider her a cyborg.

Are you serious?

 

[Radrook]

How would cybernetics destroy the image of God?

People say the mark of the beast will do that, but with cyborgs it doesnt make sense.v

Well, because the image of God is a human being and not some mixture of machine and man. If Adam had been a cyborg, then there would be no alteration since God would have tacitly given permission via example. Perhaps what we really need is a definition of what it means to be human. How much modification is allowed before humanity is lost would depend on that definition. How would you define being human?

 

[Landon Caeli]

Are you serious?

Yeah she had her retina replaced. It even has a tiny logo on it from the manufacturer that can be seen with a microscope.

I call her a cyborg, but she doesn't think of herself as such.

 

[bhsmte]

So what an old book tells us to do is natural and what happens in nature is unnatural?

Nailed it!

 

[CrystalDragon]

Yeah she had her retina replaced. It even has a tiny logo on it from the manufacturer that can be seen with a microscope.

I call her a cyborg, but she doesn't think of herself as such.

Out of curiosity, did she not have sight in that eye before she got the bionic one, and how well can she see with it in comparison to the other? Does it look different? I'm curious because I was born not being able to see out of my left eye.

 

[Radrook]

Yeah she had her retina replaced. It even has a tiny logo on it from the manufacturer that can be seen with a microscope.

I call her a cyborg, but she doesn't think of herself as such.

How much modification would a person have to undergo before we would consider him or her a cyborg is the question. I know that no matter how modified my mom would be, she would always be my mom and never a cyborg to me.

 

[CrystalDragon]

How much modification would a person have to undergo before we would consider him or her a cyborg is the question. I know that no matter how modified my mom would be, she would always be my mom and never a cyborg to me.

I'd say call someone a cyborg when they themselves want to be called that.

 

[Radrook]

I'd say call someone a cyborg when they themselves want to be called that.

Yes, that of course would be the compassionate, respectful and proper thing to do. I think that if we ever get to the point where there is a sharp difference between those who are drastically modified and those who perhaps might not have the money to afford it, a name other than cyborg might be substituted. There just seems to be something about that name that is dehumanizing. Maybe the term TEH for Technologically Enhanced humans might be chosen.

 

[Larniavc]

The distinguishing principle seems to be gaining enhanced capabilities over normal humans, so a pace-maker wouldn't count.

So what about breast implants?

 

[bhsmte]

So what about breast implants?

Home grown, no silicone!

 

[Landon Caeli]

Out of curiosity, did she not have sight in that eye before she got the bionic one, and how well can she see with it in comparison to the other? Does it look different? I'm curious because I was born not being able to see out of my left eye.

She had sight before it was damaged. She now wears glasses with only 1 perscription lens -for the original eye.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

Also after the Flood we are given permission to use them as food

Huh?

Are you saying that before the mythical flood, all creatures were vegetarians? Or just all humans?

So we aren't doing anything wrong with animals in those areas unless there is cruelty involved

Hmmm.... Define "cruelty" please...
My sister, for example, thinks it's "cruel" that I can REALLY enjoy a nicely grilled piece of red meat.
Me neighbour thinks it's cruel that new medicine is first tested on rabbits.
I think it's cruel the way crockodiles are treated that are being breed specifically for turning into leather purses and shoes.
A friend of mine thinks it's cruel that at the end of the ramadan, sheep are being sacrificially slaughtered without any regard for making it an "insta-kill" to minize it's suffering.

It seems to me that what is cruel and what not, especially as it pertains to animals, is a very subjective manner.

Also, it isn't playing God to help a human with science so that the human can see, hear, or move about again

What about when the hearing, sight and loco-motion of that human is 10 out of 10 for a homo sapiens, but technology/science "improves upon it", making it a 13 out of 10 instead?

So if indeed it is to show compassion turning a person into a cyborg isn't a sin.

How about when it is to triple general life-expectancy?

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

God made people and making people cyborgs is tampering with what God made.

If "god made people", then it seems to me that doing anything improve upon the human condition, be it by means of "cyrborg-ing" or otherwise, could be called "tampering with what god made".

Spliting siamese twins through surgeory, organ transplantation (either from taken from other people or simply grown in the lab from your very own stemcells - yea, they can do that these days...), re-attaching lost limbs/hands/fingers/what-have-you, pulling your wisdom teeth, removing your appendix, placing a pacemaker,....

Basically just about any medical procedure would qualify to such a general statement as in the quote above.

 

[Radrook]

She had sight before it was damaged. She now wears glasses with only 1 perscription lens -for the original eye.

So it is like a glass eye for aesthetics purposes only? The word cyber means that there is a functional component other than just appearance. That is why a woman with silicon boob transplants would not be considered a candidate for a cyborg.

Internet-related prefixes such as e-, i-, cyber-, info-, techno- and net- are added to a wide range of existing words to describe new, Internet- or computer-related flavors of existing concepts, often electronic products and services that already have a non-electronic counterpart.
Internet-related prefixes - Wikipedia

 

[CrystalDragon]

She had sight before it was damaged. She now wears glasses with only 1 perscription lens -for the original eye.

So theoretically, could it be used to give sigh to a blind eye or are we not there yet?