Rethinking Intelligence: Why Pigs?
After researching “Smartest Animals,” I came across one that I did not expect: pigs. As I continued to read, I found that, apart from the slaughter farms that we are used to seeing them in, they are quite intelligent. So, when asked what animal that I would hybridize with, I would choose a pig. I feel that they are misunderstood due to the environment that they are often placed in, which I identify heavily with since I am Black and a woman.
Now, if I could hybridize with a pig, I would stop at cognitive adaptations because the lifestyle that they have to live is not great. They are placed in crowded, unclean conditions so they can be used for our own pleasure. They aren’t given the opportunity to reach their full potential because their place in life has already been determined. Regarding their cognitive state, they have great memory, are socially and emotionally aware, and have intelligence that outranks some animals that we consider to be the smartest. Even though I have these traits as a person, it interests me that pigs have all these traits as well and no one ever talks about them. They are only known for being stupid, lazy, and unclean, but none of these things are true. I think this is why I identify with them so much, because when the world stereotypes me as a Black woman, it is never to show my full potential, only to degrade me and put me in a box.
Humanity, Identity, and the Limits of Hybridization
I also would only go as far as cognitive hybridization because I think any further combining would leave me with less humanity. As I would change physically and behaviorally, other people would stop seeing me as a human. While I believe every living thing has purpose and is important, to be viewed as human there are certain traits I must maintain, like a resemblance to humans physically and behaviorally. I think humanity is heavily related to the way we think, reason, feel, and look. If I become too much like a pig, I would lose a lot of these traits that connect me to humanity.
When considering a technology like this, I see the greatest connection to Donna Haraway’s idea of the cyborg. The cyborg breaks the binary boundaries that are set by society by being part human and part machine. It takes the hierarchical nature of the binaries away because it is not choosing to be one or the other; it is both and neither—it is something brand new. The binary between humans and animals places humans higher on the hierarchical scale. With a technology like this, it allows for humans to merge with animals, thus breaking that binary. While this could be a good thing, there could be a host of issues that occur due to its implementation.
Inequality and Ethical Questions of Hybrid Technology
While I think everyone should have access to this technology, realistically, it will only be available to the wealthy given the cost of something like this. People who are poor may be stuck like those in Neuromancer who began to get unsafe operations to upgrade in order to survive. Since people will begin to use this technology to possibly get the speed of a cheetah or the strength of a gorilla, those who cannot afford the best will have to do their best to keep up. Those who were able to afford the better operation will likely develop some sort of superiority over those who could not, which can create a similar division to that of the wealthy and the poor now.
This thought experiment forced me to see many things that I had not considered. Introducing a technology like this could be helpful and initiate great scientific innovations. However, like all other things, there will be good and bad, as well as many ethical, legal, and moral questions raised. How would our rights change? Who would benefit from the new systems created? I think these questions, and many others, should be considered if this type of technology was developed.
AI Attestation: AI was used to edit the grammar of the final draft and create headings.