What do you think the future would be like if people decide to convert themselves into robots for a better life? I been thinking about this idea for a while; believing that if we kept using technology, we might become machines ourselves. Of course not everybody will choose to give up their humanity, but if androids become the next dominate species, the last humans might become rare. Everything would be run by machines in the future.
Since the dawn of the internet age, with so many people immersed in technology and nothing but escalation in sight, it's been my prediction that the human race will evolve into bodies consisting of little more than a brain, an index finger, and reproductive organs. Kind of an interesting mental image, eh?
At a minimum, you need to keep your brain. Or (maybe?) a digital copy of your brain. Otherwise you are nothing but a machine and there is no "becoming" anything. So long as you continue to think like a human, you basically are a human.
What's this what if business? Kidding. This reminds me sort of, of a Robin Williams movie - can't remember the title but every second of everyone's life was recorded in a brain chip? like a movie, and at their funeral Robin would make a nice copy ( for the family ) editing out all the person's sins. I would think if a person's brain and all their emotions, thoughts, dreams could be visualized like movies - The whole Big Brother idea of Thought police could become a reality. Or at the very least, your girlfriend would hack your brain to find out why you were two hours late. Privacy would be nil.
Or the firewall business would be really booming, plus a "false memory" industry - a layer of memories to wear on top of your own.
Lol - yeah, the cheating woman: see I told you I was at the mall tonight. Man: hey, rewind - the dates on the newspaper are from two weeks ago. Cheating woman: Damn, that Marty and his piece-of-junk memories!
If they kept their brains, they would be consider as cyborgs. Androids would have downloaded human memories and personalities from their original human bodies. I think we will treat ourselves like our own computers and cell phone devices. We would share our looks and information like computers. And everybody will look perfect. Or worst, we might look like plastic talking dolls.
If we keep buying consumer goods like zombies, we'd become zombies ourselves. So in this case, humans becoming robots is an allegory on mindless electronic users?
Interesting thought. You seen Ghost in the Shell? And to the OP - watch Ghost in the Shell. It's about a society where humans and androids co-exist (a pretty common theme in anime, in all honesty) and Major, an android woman with some human cells, is concerned with the idea of being alive. It's mostly a philosophical movie, but it's one of those cult classics, and if you're gonna go ahead with your idea, then you definitely must watch it.
Ghost In The Shell 2 is good too, and the graphics are spectacular. Also try Richard K Morgan's "Takeshi Kovacs - Altered Carbon" series of books about a future where minds can be stored and transmitted to be uploaded to another body, as well as think and act while inside the computer servers.
Wasn't aware that there's a sequel. Shall have a look! Takeshi Kovacs sounds kinda cool. What's the story?
Takeshi is a former UN Envoy in the 25th century. Since minds can be stored, dying isn't that big of a problem any more. Genetically manufactured bodies called "sleeves" can be purchased when something happens to the old one or if you need to space travel. You only transmit the data not the body. Kind of like email Of course the rich get better bodies and anti-aging and stuff (what's new). Anyway, a rich guy gets killed and the memory chip in his spine is destroyed so he loses 48 hours and doesn't know who murdered him. He hires Takeshi to investigate. Very hard boiled detective story with very good SF elements and Philip K. Dick Award Best Novel winner 2003. Worth reading.
It might even make good homework for me. My novel also has the idea of getting rid of death - not in this way, mine's fantasy, but right now a world devoid of death has me completely stuck as to the consequences of that. Thanks
I had already started a thread similar to this in the debate forum. There is a Russian millionaire that has hired some of the best engineers and neurologist in the world to work on a way to download someone's consciousness and memories into a robot.
This reminds me of the comic book Surrogates (not the movie because that sucks). Humans use perfect and beautiful androids, and download into from their living room coaches, majority of people spend their waking days outside in their android. But in terms of being a full android... I don't know. Seems hard to believe that people would give up who they are so that they can fully become an android. Doesn't seem like a lot of positives to be gained from it. Or maybe I'm interpreting you wrong.
No, it's about full immortality. You could always be 'saved' into some computer and uploaded into a new robot, or, maybe eventually into a cloned body. The idea is that people get to choose who they want to be, and live forever.
I was generally speaking of the OP's post. But that's interesting though, and it's a bit insane that people are working on this. Why bother wasting time on extending one's life by uploading memories into a robot, when you can spend those resource on removing ageing due to DNA replication That actually reminds me of Altered Carbon, it didn't have robots but people could download their memories into clone bodies. Anyways, freaking weird stuff.
My cousin does Stem Cell research, and he posts articles and stuff that I read, and you would be amazed how it works. I don't mean to derail the thread but I can explain it if people want or just send me a message.
Oh I already seen it, and I love it. And the Major is hot for a cyborg chick. Alter Carbon can also be good reference. If an android dies, then it can upload its memory into another android body. What about reproduction? Of course they can build new bodies, but what about new souls?
Of course, it is likely that the sense of taste and smell won't be as good in an android, if it exists at all, so no more warm cookies and sizzling steaks, ice cream, chocolate .... One of the earliest SF novels dealing with this subjects was Neil R Jones's "Professor Jameson" series. He is the last human, and he only survives because his brain was placed inside a robot body by the Zoromes (pretty much like Cybermen).
