On The Threat Of Extinction Of The Human Race

Alex Tabarrok is not bothered by the prospect of the eventual extinction of the human race. He thinks our genetically engineered successors will be cyborgs and cease to be humans. This begs the question: what is a human? Is someone with a 170 IQ still homo sapiens? Well, yes. Suppose genetic engineering produces a lot more very high IQ people whose bodies last a couple of centuries even without medical intervention. Will they still be humans? Yes. Yet this will usher in a huge change in human societies. Very bright people will function at a higher level. This does not strike me as an extinction event. If society radically changes because the average IQ rises to, say, 150 does the...
Source: FuturePundit - Category: Research Authors: Source Type: blogs