Artificial Body Parts Superior to Natural Ones

[Rukentuts]

There's plenty of work for non-augments. Elsewhere.

Unless they can augment a brain, most of us working in tech / science will be unaffected.

[Elim Garak]

Not to mention that hiring augments will cost a lot - not every company will be able to allow such luxury

[UnCorpse]

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Iron_Hands#.UJ52f4dNt8E
http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Adep...s#.UJ52pIdNt8E

The flesh is weak.

Lets just hope it doesn't de-evolve into fanaticism and a religious cult.

[Adam Jensen]

Ridiculous concept. Even if human augmentation was possible, imagine the bills for maintenance of the non-organic parts, the trips to the shop every now and then. AND FOR FUCKING WHAT ?! So you can lift 100 kilos or run faster ?!

So you can be a more efficient laborer for massive corporations that now only hire augmented people because who cares if you can only bench 350 pounds, they want the guy who can pick up a steel I beam with one hand. Or perhaps they'll only hire a guy with augmented fingers that can type 300 words per second, with brain augments so he can think that fast as well.

If we take it far enough, the benefits will start to outweigh the cost and the effects on society will become potentially devastating, or potentially beneficial.

[Vathdar]

Not to mention that hiring augments will cost a lot - not every company will be able to allow such luxury

But why would it cost more? The individual people are paying for their own augments and for their maintanance aswell, not the company. It is up to the people to decide what wage is acceptable to them. But in an economic situation like what we currently have, I don't see a reason why they wouldn't just accept a job for the same salary as an unaugmented human.

And yes, brain augmentation would be the biggest problem. Increased reaction times, better reflexes and so on. Though this is probably a lot farther away than superior artificial limbs, eyes, hearing and whatever else.

[artemishunter1]

Hello, I'm putting together a presentation on the advancement of artificial body part technology and what possible effects it could have when we develop and can create body parts that are better than what humans naturaly have, and I'd love to hear some opinions on it.

It most likely is gona have a huge effect on the job market when it becomes affordable to the middle class, "augmented" humans being able to preform the same jobs better than regular humans. Why would a business hire a normal human when the other one can preform the same job better and for the same money? Might even see businesses hiring only people with a specific upgrade. Of course not everyone is going to be willing or have the money to replace their perfectly fine, natural body parts with artificial ones and this will segregate them from the people who do.
Unemployment would just get worse, with even more people on welfare the economy would get worse and might just go spiralling out of control.

Personaly I don't see goverments being able to properly regulate such things, as they usualy screw things up. We also shouldn't outlaw such research, standing in the way of science is never good, technology isn't inherently good or bad, it just depends on how we use it.
Not to mention all the people who lost limbs or body parts for whatever reason, blind and deaf people, we don't have the right to deny them proper replacements just because we are afraid what might happen, do we?

And yes, i got the inspiration from Deux Ex. :P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGzpzlvf0Gs The live action trailer sums it all up pretty nicely.

You are right. Technology is not inherantly good or evil, just like death ray and weaponized Ebola.

[Elim Garak]

But why would it cost more? The individual people are paying for their own augments and for their maintanance aswell, not the company. It is up to the people to decide what wage is acceptable to them. But in an economic situation like what we currently have, I don't see a reason why they wouldn't just accept a job for the same salary as an unaugmented human

1. Augments are expensive - not everyone will be able to allow them
2. Augmented people are better at a job
3. Augmented people have increased bills to pay.
4. Augmented people will ask bigger salary
5. Companies will provide either bigger salaries or Augmentation Maintenance packages - that is the Employer will pay for Augments maintenance as long as augmentee works for him.
6. Lesser Companies will hire normals instead.

[Vathdar]

Or a different example, nuclear power plants and nuclear bombs.

1. Augments are expensive - not everyone will be able to allow them
2. Augmented people are better at a job
3. Augmented people have increased bills to pay.
4. Augmented people will ask bigger salary
5. Companies will provide either bigger salaries or Augmentation Maintenance packages - that is the Employer will pay for Augments maintenance as long as augmentee works for him.
6. Lesser Companies will hire normals instead.

But doesn't that also depend on, will their augments increase their productivity enough to compensate for notably higher wages, and the amount of money other companies are willing to pay these people. But I see your point.

[Adam Jensen]

You are right. Technology is not inherantly good or evil, just like death ray and weaponized Ebola.

The technology required to make a deathray isn't evil. Neither is the technology required to weaponize ebola. The splitting of the atom was used to kill 200,000 Japanese, but that in and of itself is not evil, it was also used to power thousands of cities. To weaponize ebola for example, would require modifying a virus so it can be dispersed in some form. Well, take Mass Effect 3 for an example; what if instead of using such a dispersal to spread a modified deadly disease, you used it to spread a modified cure for a rampant disease?

[Didactic]

So you can be a more efficient laborer for massive corporations that now only hire augmented people because who cares if you can only bench 350 pounds, they want the guy who can pick up a steel I beam with one hand. Or perhaps they'll only hire a guy with augmented fingers that can type 300 words per second, with brain augments so he can think that fast as well.

If we take it far enough, the benefits will start to outweigh the cost and the effects on society will become potentially devastating, or potentially beneficial.

To be fair, I don't think the argument that augmented people will become prolific in manufacturing is necessarily valid, because the advantages of pure robots far outstrip that of humans save in specialised luxury products. Even the augmented fingers is not necessarily the way it will go; a direct brain uplink would be vastly more efficient.

[Adam Jensen]

To be fair, I don't think the argument that augmented people will become prolific in manufacturing is necessarily valid, because the advantages of pure robots far outstrip that of humans save in specialised luxury products. Even the augmented fingers is not necessarily the way it will go; a direct brain uplink would be vastly more efficient.

But then that also depends on how quickly we develop AI capable of doing these tasks.

[Didactic]

But then that also depends on how quickly we develop AI capable of doing these tasks.

How quickly we develop -inexpensive- AI, you mean.

[Powerogue]

I was thinking genetic enhancements would become the problem, Gattaca comes to mind. Though if we get both at the same time, genetically enhanced cyborgs, things are going to get weird.

I'm not sure how many people will volunteer to get perfectly functional limbs hacked off and replaced though. Better or not. It'll probably be mostly for disabled rich people for quite a while.

[capitano666]

I'm quite sure laws would be set in place to prevent any kind of discrimination on the job.

...at least in Europe

[Auloria]

I'm quite sure laws would be set in place to prevent any kind of discrimination on the job.

...at least in Europe

My first instinct says that Americans will discriminate against people WITH augmentation.

[capitano666]

My first instinct says that Americans will discriminate against people WITH augmentation.

haha, yeah that's possible

[Vathdar]

But you can be sure that if people realy are willing to have their perfectly healthy body parts replaced and it's raking in money to the businesses making the prostethics, there will be plenty of advertising to make it look "cool" and so on. And you know what effect good advertising has on the masses...

[worprz]

Repairing/replacing them could be easier/cheaper than healing, also lack of pain is an advantage over natural limbs^^

That is why genetic enhancements are the obvious choice Why replace parts when your body regenerates itself? Plus if there is another ice age anyone with robotic parts would be screwed. Also pain is a good thing even if you don't like it, there is a disease that causes people to not feel pain and they bite their tongues off or burn themselves. I guess you could argue that your mechanical limbs don't get infected.

[Krolikn]

I'd rather have my sense of touch instead of "superior" mechanical limbs.