Author: Zakiyah M.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

In the film Blade Runner (1982), Tyrell Corporation is responsible for the creation of replicants that eventually became illegal to have on Earth. The corporation created these human-like replicants with the mindset of making them “More Human Than Human”. The replicants would have the capacity to complete tasks that many humans would not want to do, which from a anthropocentric view, seems very appealing. However, Tyrell Corporation disregarded the ethically aspects of this creation by not only making the replicants look human-like, even though they are viewed as servants, but also by adding artificial intelligence that gave the replicants consciousness and false memories similar to that of humans. Even as replicants began to deviate from their original roles, individuals from Tyrell Corporation continued to produce and use them for their own personal use. This a prime example of corporate greed and is a common theme that is also seen in the real world.

In the real world, it is commonly seen that CEOs of corporations care more about themselves and their companies than the overall wellness of the people that they serve. For example, Jeff Bezos is one of the richest people in the world with a net worth of a couple hundred billion while the starting wage for individuals who work at Amazon shipping facilities is under twenty dollars per hour. This comparison is very similar to Tyrell Corporation in which they continuously used the free labor of sentient replicants to do all the work that they did not want to do themselves. This imbalance caused by corporate greed widens the economic gap between the upper class and lower class, making it harder for those with less income to continue to afford to live as the rich get even more rich. Jeff Bezos is not the only CEO like this. Many large corporations are heading in the same direction in which their greed continuously puts the masses at a large disadvantage as the corporations profit from the work of the people.

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This course has definitely made me consider how technological advancements have and will continue to shape our world. Prior to this class, I did not think much about these types of enhancements in humans. I am not much of a science fiction person, so I did not have much interest in considering topics that fell into that realm of conversation. After this course though, I think more about how technology has continuously shaped the human experience. I did not think to consider a lot of the technology that is present now like hearing aids, pacemakers, and artificial limbs as human augmentations since they are so normalized. It has occurred to me though that at one point in time these things were considered anomalies, even though in the present we see that many benefit from them.

In the future, I can see scientists and researchers continuing to work to produce technology of a similar nature to the ones that I previously mentioned, especially ones that work in a way similar to hearing aids. I think that a lot of work will be done to create technology that can help the body make up for lost sensations like sight and touch. I think they will also find ways to create devices that can be used in place receiving an organ transplant since they are not easily accessible. It is likely that technology of the near future will work more to improve the quality of life for those who may have some loss of function rather than enhancing it for those who already have full function. I would be willing to try technology of this caliber if I needed it because it could possibly help with my health or ability to perform certain tasks. However, I think I would be less likely to try an augmentation that my body does not need. For example, if augmentations were created to give me more strength or supersonic hearing, I do not think that I would want it. These are things that I do not need and would therefore likely avoid.

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If I could hybridize with another animal, I think I would want to hybridize with a dolphin. Dolphins are the most intelligent of the mammalian family. It has been seen that dolphins understand spoken language by humans in various languages. This plays a role in the ability that they have to learn complex tricks that humans have taught them. Scientists also believe that dolphins understand the syntax of specific phrases spoken by humans and use this differentiation ability to decipher between various commands that they are given. Dolphins also seem to have a sense of self-awareness. In one experiment, they placed mirrors in front a dolphin with markers on the body and noticed that the dolphin looked at specific markers on its body in the mirror. This acknowledge is something that is rarely seen in animals.

If I were to hybridize with a dolphin, I would want its intelligence, without having the brain size that dolphins have. It would make my head too big for a human body. However, I think merging my brain capacity with the capacity that dolphin brains have would allow for me to be more aware of my surroundings. Dolphins are skilled hunters and have a specialized way of communicating with other dolphins. I think that this would be beneficial to me above water, but also underwater. In addition to the intelligence that dolphins have, I would want the tail and other structures that allow for dolphins to swim under water. I would want these structures to be very similar to the way it appears on mermaids in fiction. With the dolphin-like intelligence, I would be able to travel under water and see the depths of the ocean. I unfortunately do not think that I would be able to communicate to sea animals outside of dolphins, but I would be able to observe them in their natural habit. If I were to accomplish this hybridization goal, I think that I would compromise a lot of my humanity. I doubt that it would be possible to have tail that disappears when I reach land. Therefore, I would likely become a water-bound individual, which takes away a large part of the human experience.