I need to think long and hard about that. Surely, I’d like to eliminate anything that makes my child mortal or anything that could make him or her suffer. But I’m not comfortable with changing anything else, especially with regards to vanity and physique. At what point does my child stop becoming recognizably mine? 

I fear, however, that not giving this extra vanity modification is going to set my child back socially, as we already see in South Korea’s plastic surgery culture. I don’t want to trade an extended life for my child free of internal suffering if he or she will suffer a century of ostracism. 

In the end, yes I would take it to eliminate diseases and viruses that may harm my child, but I don’t know if I should add the physical changes as well.

In hindsight, I probably would. Many would say that pain and suffering from loss that comes with this makes it an unbearable experience, but honestly life is all about pains, gains, and loss, and for every loss there is something else to be gained. The possibilities of this pseudo-immortal existence are endless. 

I’d like to see how humanity would be faring by 3020. I’d like to see the impossible become possible, from travelling to the stars to maybe even going back in time. There’s simply so many things to see in the lifespan of a thousand years. And if humanity dies before then, then I shall go too as true immortality is impossible. 

Yes, I will take this provided that I can keep myself in the optimum biological age and health.

Perhaps, but scientific innovation has always been about “playing god”. 200 years ago we never thought that we could be one with birds in the sky when it comes to the freedom of flying, now here we are with flying to different places being the norm of travel. 100 years ago we could only dream about reaching the stars, now we have men who landed on the moon and people coming to Mars soon. 50 years ago we thought that our genders were set in stone, but now transgender surgery exists. 

I wholeheartedly support the potential of genetic modification, but then I must beg the question: at what point do we stop becoming human? At what point do we change something so much that it no longer becomes recognizable? We can play god all we want, but at some point we have to stop and see what we’ve become before asking if we should keep going forward. After all, too much of a good thing is bad.

- MOSES OCAMPO

In terms of the concept of 3D printing itself, I gladly would. However, in terms of organs being 3D printed, I would be a bit skeptical of the quality and actual viability. If I am assured that it’s safe and functionally the same as the original organ (in this specific example the heart), then I see no reason to be afraid of using it as a backup. This shouldn’t be an excuse to swap out your original human organs however, as for one it would be incredibly expensive and would for two probably result in a new set of unforeseen problems. 

If I were to have an organ disease at some point in my life that can’t be curable, then I would readily take a 3D printed organ provided it’s proven and safe.

While the organ black market would certainly still exist, it would be greatly impeded and will lose great influence with the rise of the 3D printing market. Most people resort to illegal means only because the legal means are out of reach. Giving people the ability to quickly replace failing organs by negating the need for extensive waiting lists that motivate people to harvest organs illegally. However, it will not completely kill the black market as there will inevitably be puritans who would insist on getting something legitimately organic.

See that is a dilemma I’ve been wondering for quite some time. How much of something can you change before it becomes unrecognizable?

The more positive thinking side of me suggests that as long as the behavior, memories, and intellect remain intact, then I’m still the same person with a different skin.

The more negative side of me, however, argues this: “How does that make me better than a clone or a cyborg?”

Honestly, it doesn’t, but it may lead to a longer overall conscious existence for me. As long as I don’t think too hard about it, I doubt I’d have an identity issue, as I either remember everything and act the same, or I start again with a clean slate and forge a new identity.

- MOSES OCAMPO

2.      Probably not, as I believe we don’t really have control over that, I mean I could get it and live for thousands of years, but at the same time I can get up from my bed and accidentally break my neck and die chocking on my own blood. All death is certain to quote Marcus Aurelius’ “Death smiles at us all, a man can do is smile back”

3.      Nope, cause in the end I believe we will return to him, doesn’t really matter how long that its, or how altered we are, in the end were all still human nothing has really changed. Only that we lived longer and had Captain America like reflexes and body’s. In the were all become nothing but shadows and dusts.

-JOSE MIGUEL AVES MADDATU

1.      Yeah sure why not, in the end if it can function as a normal human organ can, then nothing has really changed. The only difference is that it’s made out of different material. Could save a lot of lives as well.

2.      Depends on how expensive and how you pay these artificial organs, there was this one movie called Repo men where one company make human organs and sell them like an installment plan would, and if you didn’t pay your body part would get repossessed by these repo men and leave you for dead. So it really depends on how future companies sell these things.

3.      We’re not ships, even if we might turn into walking talking artificial bodies were still us in the end. As long as we maintain our ability to think for ourselves it’s still us. Though some people might think that way, and it’s completely understandable as to why, to quote Marcus Aurelius’ “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.” It’s basically up to us to interpret it the way we want it. I might see it in this way, some other person might see it in another way
-MIGUEL MADDATU

1.      Nope, AI are a culminations of ones and zeroes programmed to think it has a consciousness, but unable to comprehend why and the inability to have emotion is a huge discrepancy. As most living things do and it will revert back to its programmed actions in the end.

2.      Nope there ones and zeroes, there was an self-learning AI in Dota 2 a video game it had to be trained on how to play the game for the most part it learned eventually beating pro players but when it was released to the public, not even an hour later someone had beaten by exploiting programmed functions by basically not thinking like a pro player but by thinking out of the box, and the AI didn’t know what to do, so it lost. AI think inside a box but are unable to go outside it. 

3.      A helpful AI(Jarvis) maybe but as a lover or a friend, no thanks. Again there programmed to think a specific way. But are unable to be more than that.
-Miguel Maddatu

1.      In the way the Steve Hoffman puts it, never. He puts it so bad that it’s more fantasy than science-fiction. He says how many test was done to confirm the possibilities of brain chips, yet does not detail how this technology works, it felt like Steve Hoffman added random information taken from random websites he looked up on google. It’s as if I were an 8 year old telling a 2 year old how good riding a bike, but in reality I still can’t ride a bike without training wheels on. He doesn’t put Brain Chips in a good light.

2.      No, I’d rather deal with the hardships of life that can better me as a person, than to fool myself living in a dream that I know is fake. Seneca once said “A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.”

3.      We lose are sense of individuality and are now a hive mind thinking in a specific way rather in our own way. We lose are selves if we delve in to others.

2.      Yup, as long as you can still think for yourself, and still feel emotion then yeah you are still human.

3.      I wouldn’t kill myself, again I believe that everything that happens in your life can better you as a person as long as you can see it in a good way. Plus these things are not in our control, we can’t stop a car from exploding in our face, the only thing we can control is how we react to it.
- Miguel Maddatu

It depends on the context of why I would accept, and how the entity providing it would be using the data the chip provides. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t accept the offer as there’s nothing wrong with the world as I see it right now.

Any sort of virtual display a brain chip may make might dampen my appreciation for reality, but I certainly wouldn’t mind a brainchip as long as it isn’t invasive (meaning it can be turned on and off at will) and is used for things like photography.

The only issue I’d have, in fact, is that it may be used against me in some serious way, and that is enough to dissuade me for the most part (though some will argue phones basically do the same thing, but you can at least be sure to turn your phone off).

If given the choice to live in a virtual world where it is almost paradise like environment, would you avail of it? Why and why not?

That is a very difficult question to answer, honestly. On one hand you can experience anything you can imagine, but on the other the world is still out there waiting for you as you waste on some pod or chair living out a fantasy in your head. I would only accept this if I can step in and out whenever I please, as I am not one to just let my life go to waste in some sort of Matrix while I can make a good difference somewhere and somehow.

It’s honestly a bit horrifying if one loses control of what can go online with the future of technology. I always believe that consent is key, and that nothing should be done to a person that goes against their will unless they’ve violated the rights of another person, and even then only the relevant authorities should handle it, not mob justice. 

If I can choose who sees my memories and what memories and experiences they can see, I’d be happy to accept as there are a lot of things to show. As for the mixing of memories, well, if the events intersect then you can still recognize which memories are yours when you see yourself in someone else’s memories, and I prefer to view it as a sort of second person point of view of an event, as history is the third person perspective. As for events where I am not in, such as a friend’s memory from a far off land, then I know for certain that it isn’t me. 

I know what I’ve done in life and new memories from other people will merely be akin to dreams of another life to me. In that case, nothing will happen to the real me.

- MOSES OCAMPO

2. If at least 2/3  two thirds of your “body” is machine, can you still be considered a human? Explain well your answer.

If two thirds of my body is a machine I wouldn't be considered as human anymore, instead I will be considered as a Cyborg (a half human half robot).

3.Why do you think he wanted to end his life? What happened to the “freedom” he still had as the doctor told him?Would you end suicidal too like him? Why and why not? 

I think why he wanted to end is life is because the doctor did all those experiments without his consent but only his wife's consent so thats why Robocop really felt awful when he saw his body parts gone and was replaced with robotic parts.

-Timothy Santos

It depends if my new body entails eternal physical suffering like Darth Vader’s suit does in Star Wars. If it does not, then I will take it for the sole purpose of wanting to live and do what I aspire to do. If Helen Keller did not let her disabilities stop her from achieving her dreams, why should I when I get a new body to go with it?

There are a lot of things to do and with a body like Robocop’s, I doubt much can harm me, though I will lament the loss of most forms of feeling physical contact.

Philosophically speaking, what matters is that the brain is still human and thus can act and think like one. Some may argue that it’s the heart as well, but in my opinion it’s the brain that should be the main qualifier of humanity. As long as the brain is intact, then the being is still human, and that is all that matters on this question no matter how roboticized a person becomes.

As is quoted with DC Comics’ Cyborg: “It’s the man, not the machine.”

Why do you think he wanted to end his life? What happened to the “freedom” he still had as the doctor told him?Would you end suicidal too like him? Why and why not?

Robocop lost almost everything part of him, even a bit of his brain. He thought that being a cyborg was no way to live life. I presume he felt like he could never feel the warmth of his child’s embrace ever again, or other simple pleasures like taste and physical contact. It’s also understandably shocking to anyone to suddenly be faced by an “abomination” of a body when they get out of surgery, and that fear of the unknown would be a major factor in making one suicidal. 

The doctor’s definition of freedom in this case is his own bodily autonomy, and while it wasn’t the original form he was granted, he still has complete control of his robotic limbs. 

I honestly don’t know if I would end up being suicidal like that, but I would definitely need time to think about my life and if I want to continue living like this.

- MOSES OCAMPO

Consciousness is defined as the state of being aware and responding to one’s surroundings. I believe robots can never fully be considered as conscious because their so-called “minds” are actually preprogrammed to “think” and be stimulated by certain things like voice activation, touch, and other forms of sensing. Since it is a preprogrammed, it is limited to only be stimulated by what was inserted in its programming, therefore, their ability to be “conscious” is limited.

Though robots may indeed be existing in a sense that they are tangible and exist in the same world we humans dwell in, I can never truly agree with the notion that AI can be considered to exist as living beings. Knowing this, I don’t think I can ever be open to the possibility of having a robot as my only companion. I will hunger for the unpredictability of events that human interaction can bring in my life. The sharing of emotions more than conversations. 

- Samantha

In the case of Robocop, I still think he is human. The mere fact that he was still able to make a conscious decision of wanting to commit suicide implies that he still has that human ability to think and decide what he wants.

I will be honest, if I were him, I would probably want to die as well. I personally would not want to go through what the Robocop went through and I would rather just face death instead of undergoing such procedures to save my life. 

I do not want to be faced with the difficult situation of being conflicted whether or not I am still human. Whether or not I am still Samantha. I would rather just face my mortality and accept death at that moment. 

But even though I would rather not go through the procedures that the Robocop underwent, I still believe that no matter how much metal is attached to one’s body, they are still human as long as they have full consciousness and the ability to make free decisions. 

- Samantha 

I personally would avail it for health reasons since my family has a background of developing cancer or diabetes. Of course, we’re just creating these advancements for the betterment of the society and the following generation. If it would help us, adding the fact that it’s affordable, why not? I would want the best for my kids, and never would I wish for them to experience a life of suffering due to health problems. 

If I were given the chance to live for a thousand years, I would not avail it for the reason that sometimes having to live is tiring even for just a decade or less; what more if you'd live for a thousand years? I’d rather die young but I have lived to my purpose rather than living long but just getting tired and hurt of the troubles in society. 

We are not defying God through this since we are not creating but instead, we are just modifying. God was the creator but us humans are just the ones that redesign the genes of these organisms for their own good.
 
 - KRISTIANA YANNI NOGA

I would avail it only IF a family member of mine is in urgent need of one. When an emergency strikes, such as having to undergo an organ transplant surgery wherein you would need to find a donor, it’d be hard to scout for one as soon as possible unless you’d purchase illegally. It’s better if it’d be an available option since it is proven safer and more compatible with the human body. 

This will discourage organ harvesting for the reason that it is safer than having to use a donor’s organ. Based on the video, 20 % of the patients that undergo a kidney transplant reaches failure while it doubles (40%) for the cases of those who undergo a heart transplant. This is because their body rejects the organ that is input in them and it doesn’t do them good. It would also be better since it is also legal rather than having to buy parts from the black market. 

Of course, it would still be you. You and your organs being changed would not define who you are. Imagine having to do it on a dog. Even if your dog has a 3D heart/ lung/eye/whatnot, that would still be your dog, right? Nothing would change about their identity even if something in them was transplanted.
 
 -KRISTIANA YANNI NOGA

For my own preference, I would not just for my safety and own good. I think it would cater better to those people who really need it such as people suffering from mental illnesses, paralyzed, etc. I’d also like to think that some things are better unknown and forgotten so I think I really would not have a brain chip installed in my mind.  

I would not since why would live in a virtual world when you can achieve paradise through reality. For me, paradise (not just "almost" paradise) is not somewhere aesthetically pleasing but it when I am with my family and loved ones. I would not enjoy those types of virtual places if I don’t have them by my side to experience it so there’s no good in it.

I personally would not like sharing my memories or actual experiences to anyone. I’d like to be very private with things and it would bother me if people would get access to what is in my mind. And just to respect others, I would not want to know their out thoughts if they do not want to share it with me because I have the same perspective. 

The real me will still be the same if ever my memories become altered like the inclusion of memories of others. Those memories do not define the real me, nor do my thoughts anyway. Only I can define what I am and not others. 
 
 -KRISTIANA YANNI NOGA

I don’t see anything wrong with that. In fact, I would find it really cool! If it helps my body and makes me alive despite having so many damages, I would really afford it for the betterment of my state and how I deal with daily life. 

 

2. If at least 2/3 two thirds of your “body” is a machine, can you still be considered a human? Explain well your answer. 

Of course, you can still be considered human. It doesn’t matter what transplant/ surgery/ implant you put into or do with your body. It won’t define what or who you are. At the of the day, you are still human. If a monkey had a robotic eye, he’d still be a monkey, right? Same thing when it comes to objects. Even if a chair has wheels/a TV/ a table attached to it, it’s still a chair. No amount of changes you do to your body can ever change your identity. 

He wanted to end his life for the reason that he lost so many body parts. He didn’t feel like he was himself because unlike other people, he looked different. The freedom he had is still relatively the same since he still had overall control towards his own body. Although, if I do end up like him, I would not feel suicidal since there are so many more things to be thankful for and to live for. At least I am living, not all people who lose their limbs continue living the course of life.  At least I have a family that supports me and loves me. And most important of all, I have a God that gave me the gift of life in order for me to enjoy it.
 
 -KRISTIANA YANNI NOGA
 

I will not avail of this technology even if it is affordable. I think that genetic editing would be very beneficial in the medical field as it can help prevent and cure medical illnesses. Having to design a baby, although, seems like a different matter. I was different from who I was years ago. There came a time when I felt like I’ve changed in a bad way and I thought I wanted to go back to who I was before. Then I realized that I shouldn’t go back but instead struggle to improve. I realized how it’s true that life is about creating oneself. By availing “designer babies”, it makes me feel like I’m taking away the child’s supposedly “free will” to create him/herself. That I’m creating a person that I WANT. Whether my child would be good at sport or bad at math, I would prefer him/her that way instead of editing their genetic material into something I would assume as perfect. Whatever my child would be, their personality or appearance, I should accept it. 

2. You as an adult, if you can be genetically modified such that you can live for a thousand years, would you avail of it? Why and why not.

No. I actually prefer dying early, although in a nice way and not in tragedy. Knowing that my time here on earth is limited, it actually makes me feel grateful for every little thing that happens to me. It makes me embrace life more. Having to die, with the awareness that it can happen to you at any second, makes life worth living. Besides, I can’t even plan my life for 10 years. 

3. Would you consider it “playing God” by availing of this?

I don’t actually consider it as “playing God”. People are doing this “genetic editing” with the intention to improve the lives of humans. They’re doing it in order to solve the current problems we are facing in the medical field. It is not necessarily done to actually create life.

By Camiel Jeremy 

I think I would avail depending on the situation. If I still want to live longer, why not? Especially since I’m personally experiencing a medical condition that could result in organ failure, having a replacement organ that is more accessible seems fitting. With this, more lives can be spared. 

2. How will this discourage organ harvesting (especially the illegal practices resulting in human rights violation).

This process can discourage organ harvesting because the tissues that will be used for organ printing would come personally from you. This would avoid removing other people’s organs to use as donations. 

3. If all the human organs and other body parts can be 3d printed such that you end being all 3d printed, would that still be “YOU”. Identity issue here? Ship of Theseus?

If all your organs are replaced with 3D printed organs, you are still you. If your body parts are replaced with printed 3D parts, you are still you. What makes us human is not our physical appearance. Even if we can say that our physical appearance can showcase our personality, it still doesn’t define who we are. What makes us who we are is our beliefs, our opinions, our personality. Although, I would say that humans are different from inanimate objects. In the Ship of Theseus, objects that have all its parts replaced would be different. They may serve the same purpose but depends on the replaced parts, that object may have improved or become worse. Unlike in humans, I believe that it is our insights that what makes us, us. 

By Camiel Jeremy 

Yes. We can consider them as existing. Existing seems like something that is basically there whether it’s tangible or intangible. Today, we have the technology, airplanes, and others and we say that it exists. Love exists because it’s there, it's felt even though it’s not seen by the eye. And so, we can say that AI is existing in our world today. 

2. Do you think AI will gain sufficient self-consciousness or self-awareness such that they will end destroying us humans who made them? These are the scenarios in movies like “TERMINATOR”, “MATRIX”, etc. Explain well your answer.

I don’t think so. I don’t think they can go far as destroying the human race. Yes, AI can do a lot of things that are difficult for us humans. However, their ability to perform tasks or actions comes from the program that we embed onto their system. If people would design them to destroy people then they may go kill humans. Ai developing their own thoughts and emotions is a different matter and is something that is unlikely to happen. Although, if it does happen, humans better are prepared and people who created must know how to handle their creation and control it. 

3. Will you have a robot as a companion? After all, robots are more “faithful” companions, unlike human friends who betray us. Explain well your answer.

I would like to have a robot as a companion. But even if we consider robots more “faithful” than human friends, it doesn’t make them any better. Robots don't have, again, real emotions. Emotions that they may portray would only come from imitations. Having real human friends means having to be able to connect on a different level.

By Camiel Jeremy 

The idea of creating a brain chip seems revolutionary. It would really advance the medical field, being able to help those paralyzed people or others that have illnesses that this brain chip can fix. However, I do not like the idea of having a brain chip installed on me. I see no reason why I must have one. And if I ever come to develop an illness that can be cured with this chip, I still wouldn’t get one. I would prefer to let nature take its course. 

2. If given the choice to live in a virtual world where it is an almost paradise-like environment, would you avail of it? Why and why not?

Not likely. Living in a virtual world that I created for satisfaction would be amazing at first. But it can never provide me lasting contentment. It’s either I’ll long for something more or feel empty and unhappy. Having to live in a virtual world, then what’s the point of living when everything you want is already there? Is already easily attainable? There would be no challenges and thrill in life. Nothing you can look forward to. 

Living in a reality where we have to work hard to attain the things we want is what actually makes our goals rewarding. I think that reality shapes us, it is what helps create our lives and us, ourselves. Living life, in reality, is what makes life worth living. 

3. What do you think of being able to share not only information which we can do now with the world wide web, how about sharing of memories, actual experiences? What will happen to the “REAL YOU” if your memories are altered like the inclusion of the memories of others?

I might actually second-guess my existence. Every person’s memories, experiences, thoughts, they are all something personal. Even if the person gives you permission to share them with you, having to actually share them with another person’s brain seems unfitting. Altering a person’s memory, experiences, or thoughts, that comes from sharing them between different people, would be the same as living in a virtual world. You may lose awareness of which are really your memories, which are a reality, and which are not yours. With this, we’ll just lose ourselves. We won’t know who we really are. We won’t know what are the things that would make up ourselves. Above all, life wouldn’t be much exciting. Because again, there’s nothing more to do when everything is easily attainable.

By Camiel Jeremy  

No. I think having to be like that would cause some mental problems for me. Yes, I’ll have another chance at life. But I don’t think it will still be the same. I’ll probably continue living my life feeling regretful and discouraged. 

2. If at least 2/3  two thirds of your “body” is a machine, can you still be considered a human? Explain well your answer. 

I would say yes, I can still be considered as a human. The basis of a human being is our capabilities to reason, to think logically, and morally. This is why we are considered as a dominant species. It is because our abilities exceed the abilities of animals or others. Even if our body is replaced with a machine, we are still human. 

3. Why do you think he wanted to end his life? What happened to the “freedom” he still had as the doctor told him? Would you end up suicidal too like him? Why and why not? 

I think it’s because it didn’t feel right to him. Maybe, he didn’t feel human anymore. He was consumed with discouragement as he watched himself, with only a couple of parts left from his actual self. The freedom that the doctor was referring to wasn’t freedom to him. Yes, he is still in control but I guess he didn’t feel like it anymore since it isn’t his real body. If it were me, I would actually prefer for the doctor to stop the machine that’s keeping me alive. I don’t think I’ll be able to live seeing my body replaced with machines. I may be alive but I don’t think I’ll be able to continue living the same way. Continue living peacefully. 

By Camiel Jeremy