When Dominique Leclerc wants an alternative method to receive her insulin shots, the options are limited. Currently, there’s no way to automate the process and what she’s searching for may not exist at all. And what she uncovers raises other concerns. In her gripping documentary, simply titled Posthumans, some folks may well have to give up their humanity just to get treatment.
When Marc Roux says many options exist, not all of them are available for every man. Some technologies are not affordable. As the president of the French Transhumanist Association, just what he suggests is not all that scary. But as for who has access to them still requires various communities to accept what’s coming.
I’ve been following this world because its use for companionship or to monitor one’s health is not perfect. I’m simply reminded about My Husband, the Cyborg, (review) because that individual wanted the implant for all the wrong reasons! Ever since Star Trek’s original series aired “Return to Tomorrow,” I’ve always been interested in how man and machine can integrate. Next Generation’s “The Measure of a Man” addressed the topic, but how artificial intelligence dreams of electric sheep brings up a lot of ethical concerns. And even today, it remains a subject of study and fictional exploration.
Thirty minutes into this work, what Leclerc learns doesn’t lead her anywhere closer to what she hopes to achieve. As a diabetic, she’s weary of the current methods available used to monitor her health. Her goal is to find out whether new technologies exist to assist in her life. She hates to slow down, and what she discovers unearths some interesting and perhaps unsettling facts.
For example, Anders Sandberg said the ideas emerged during the counterculture movements from the late 60s. Even the big tech firms have plans, and they are not saying why they’re so invested. When this individual works for the Future for Humanity Institute at Oxford, he hopes to advance society rather than serve secret agendas.
Whether that’s for this filmmaker’s need to make being a diabetic, the diversity is not altogether scary. Some people want independence despite their age, and while no veritable fountain of youth exists, to help them in their twilight is as beneficial.
When this filmmaker holds a sign which reads, “My Body, My Data,” just who is taking ownership depends. These tools must log data, and that information must go somewhere so specialists can adjust the devices as needed. And just who may alter the program is a valid concern. When that’s how some CPAP services selling machines work, some people either do not care or are worried.
But to see how machines can help with coping with some human ailments says it all. This video journal is not about how to become a Borg. Instead, it’s in showing the pros and cons of embracing a new way of living. The ultimate choice is with the person wanting more tech in their body than using it in an old-fashioned kind of way.
For further reading:
Is Neil a Man or Cyborg? A Documentary That Questions Humanity’s Relationship With Tech
Decoding that “Glitch In The Matrix” The Documentary