September 15, 2011

Today in 2151, I divided the students up into three groups, one for each of the readings: Drexler, Moravec, and Bear. All had to do with transhumanism in some way. Drexler's is concerned with the application of nanotechnology, but the implications of such a machine would wreak havoc on Capitalism (not that that would be a bad thing). Moravec's is concerned with human evolution and linking with robots. He extrapolates what that sort of future would be like, reminding me of Simmon's "moravecs" and much of the latter part of Stross' Accelerando.

Finally, I wanted the to see how these two pieces were used in Bear's "Blood Music," but I'm not sure if that was successful. Bear's story asks what is real—meaning what is valuable to us. Where is the center of our consciousness, and how thoughtless science can put all that we cherish in jeopardy.

Is there a spirit, an élan? Are humans more than the sum of their parts?