Tech Humanism at An Event Apart: throwback trackback

Kate O’Neill (@kateo) just gave an amazing talk about Tech Humanism, raising all kinds of questions about what it means to be human. Which naturally got me thinking, being someone who uses technology. A lot. And I remembered a paper I wrote answering a similar sort of question. And I went digging around in the Wayback machine and found it—mostly intact. So in all it’s pixelated freshman-graphic-designer glory:

Way back in 1995 or 1996, in a writing class in college I was asked to respond to the question “Is the human body obsolete?” As I had spent many years as a bicycle racer, and continue to work with my hands and my mind together, I felt particularly strongly about the notions set forth by the likes of Marvin Minsky, Alan Turing, and Hans Moravec. I’d be more than a little hesitant to ever give up my body for a mechanical replacement.