Futurology

Human enhancement is an enduring futurist topic. Next to space travel and colonization, household robots, and flying cars , the idea of enhanced humans stands out as a bold, yet ethically fraught preoccupation of those who imagine a distant future. A wide continuum of activities fall under the umbrella of human enhancement , often known as transhumanism or biohacking, and other terms. Some proponents argue that enhancement is a matter of survival in terms of adapting to changing climate. Others advocate for extending the human lifespan, warding off death indefinitely. There are a vast number of biotechnical enhancements such as smart skin, bionic limbs with AI, and gene editing such as CRISPR. A recent scientific article explored the idea that vaccinations can be considered a form of human enhancement, an illuminating observation that serves as a reminder of the fact that human enhancement is not exactly new. The prevalence of visual impairment that comes with age has made eyeglasses...