I ran across this video on X concerning the advancements in Neuralink. At first I was super impressed. This presentation given to investors is incredibly ambitious. It is filled with technological hope for detecting and curing things that we wouldn’t have thought possible just a few years ago. I was impressed and amazed.
At the very end, however, there is a line that shook me. He discussed how this technology moves them closer to being able to “go beyond the limits of our biology”. It is a glimpse into the Transhumanist goal of living forever as a being that has merged with technology as a silicone based being.
I don’t believe this will ever fully happen. I do believe human ingenuity will take us far. But I also believe the end result will be something akin to the Tower of Babel.
The Goal Of Transhumanism
The goal of transhumanism is to give eternal life by overcoming human limitations with technology. To some extent we already do this.
I wear glasses and have a knee replacement. I am using technology to overcome limitations. And there is no problem with this. But as with many other things, we can go too far.
If you think back to the movie Man of Steel the goal of this becomes quite clear. Superman’s father, Jor-el, uploaded his consciousness so that he could speak with his son at a date after his death. And Zod terminates his consciousness like one would delete a file from a computer.
Something akin to this is the transhumanist goal. It’s an uploading of all of our thoughts and desires into a database so that we can live forever, though our bodies lie dead in the ground.
I especially like Man of Steel’s portrayal of this, because it fits with what some Transhumanists are running toward. Joe-el has the ability to interact as if he were really there. Zod, the villain, understands that this person standing before him and arguing with him isn’t really human. But that’s for another discussion.
Some transhumanists would say that the end goal is something greater than Jor-el. They would say that it would be such a mingling of human with robot that the person lives forever. This would be more like what is seen in Robocop.
In Robocop parts of a man are mingled with robot and computer to extend his life. And this could be done indefinitely.
Neuralink is moving more toward Robocop than to Jor-el. And many of the people involved believe it to just be the next step in the evolutionary process. Humans are moving theirselves into the next phase of humanity. They believe humans are making their selves something more.
In fact, many believe that they will achieve making people “like gods”.
“Instead, bioengineers will take the old Sapiens body, and intentionally rewrite its genetic code, rewire its brain circuits, alter its biochemical balance, and even grow entirely new limbs. They will thereby create new godlings, who might be as different from us Sapiens as we are different from Homo erectus.” Yuval Noah Hurari, “Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow)
And I believe that this is just where the Tower of Babel is informative.
The Good
I believe that humans were placed on this earth to explore and create. Subduing the earth was a command given by God (Genesis 1:28). And so, I laud the efforts of the tech world to do just that.
I am amazed at the remarkable things that humanity is doing with technology right now. Many of them are remarkable and wonderful!
Consider the different things that make the news every day concerning AI. Advances in the spotting of cancer are coming. Some screening is spotting cancer before it happens. That’s fantastic news!
And that’s just in the area of medicine.
I have been impressed by the growing usefulness of of AI as an assistant. Ask Grok or Chat GPT for something and it will deliver impressive results. It can create images that you imagine, poems you imagine, and much more. It can search the recesses of the internet for statistics or other things that are helpful.
I’m impressed.
And I believe these things are good. But it’s all fraught with danger as well.
AI has vastly improved our lives already and I expect this to continue.
I do believe that Neuralink is going to do a significant amount of good. I go to hospitals and nursing homes often. If something can be done to reverse or take away things like Alzheimer’s, dementia…fantastic. If it can give the blind sight, that’s incredible.
I simply do not believe that we can write this off as all bad. If things keep moving as they are now, then these will be extraordinary advances for the good of mankind.
The Not-So-Good
When we start to dig into what Neuralink is, that’s when things get strange. Neuralink is a brain-computer interface. I’m definitely no expert. So I’ll say it the only way I know how.
The chip is implanted in the brain and by doing so, is able to control different parts of the body. The goal is that this brain-computer interface would work in such a way that the lame could walk.
That’s amazing. But if you take this just a little further, then you have a person that is so mingled with silicone that something akin to the Borg is created.
This is the first step in creating people that are mingled with computers. It’s the first step among many along the path to Transhumanism.
The Tower of Babel
Here is where the Tower of Babel is informative. Long ago people built a tower in an attempt to build a tower to the heavens.
“Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.””
Genesis 11:4 ESV
God had commanded the people to multiply and fill the Earth. They decided to make a name for their selves and, by their own labor get to God on their own.
They sought life with God, and possibly even eternal life through human effort.
What is it that the Transhumanist movement is attempting to do?
Well, at the least they are attempting to live forever. However, some of the proponents claim they want to be like gods through this experiment.
And so, what can we expect to happen?
I think the Tower of Babel is a good guide to the future here. Somehow the entire project will be destroyed and humanity will once again be put in their place.
How will that happen? I don’t know that part. But it will likely be extravagant! Gods will powerfully reveal His power in that event.
“So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.”
Genesis 11:8 ESV
Somehow, if this project continues, and people overreach then it will be overturned.
Conclusion
I am thankful for technology that takes away my limitations. I wear glasses. And my knee is more functional than it was before the replacement. If ever I lose the ability to see and an implanted chip could replace it, I will be thankful for that as well.
However, if this technology ever moves past this and into attempting to make people live forever or become godlike in some way then it will be a catastrophe of immense proportions.
Eternal life will only be found in Jesus Christ who lived, died, and conquered the grave for His people. And you will only find this life through faith in Him.
R. Dwain Minor
Since Neuralink is an Elon Musk company, I decided to use his AI to create images of him as a cyborg and as Robocop.
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