So this happened... Scientists were able to make some monkeys smarter by implanting a neuroprosthesis (an array of electrodes) in their cerebral cortex. This was part of a study to find a way to "facilitate and/or recover the cognitive function when such circumstances impair appropriate decision making." In other words, this brain implant could fix your brain after a stroke or dementia.
The interesting side effect that they found was that it was also able to IMPROVE the cognition of the test subjects. Outside of testing scales, that probably didn't mean all that much of an improvement - the monkeys probably didn't start reading Hamlet or playing chess. However, the implication is still there that we stand at the doorway of Uplifting animal intelligence from that of the common domestic and feral beast to that of the common and bestial human.
The question is should we? From the point of being able to improve primate cognition through medical brain implants, you find yourself looking at a "Flowers for Algernon" situation with a non-permanent improvement, and not a "Planet of the Apes" situation where the change was genetic and permanent. Since we would be able to deactivate this implant, we would remain in control. So the danger of revolution is minimal.
I don't question the ethics of changing the cognition of a primate from the stand point of "do we have the right?" either, isn't it the responsibility of one being to help his brother. However, this could lead one to ask, is this cognitive enhancement an improvement? Would we be "helping" them? Are they better off as they are? Are they happier?
No, I would ask should we from the standpoint of, are we ready? Ready to take on the responsibility. We have a hard enough time with just one sapient species on the planet, and becoming the parent to a new species is a great responsibility - not to be taken lightly.
Once you uplift a species, you can't just kick them out of the garden and say, "good luck out there", expect them to get a 9-to-5 job, and become a productive member of society. Nor do we want to "improve" a species just to make them smarter pets or slave labor. We've been down that road before and should have learned better by now.
No, I don't think we are ready to "improve" another species until we can improve ourselves.
[source]
Journal of Neural Engineering
io9: Scientists make monkeys smarter using brain implants
io9: Should we upgrade the intelligence of animals
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1 comment:
hmm.. i wonder how you represent this kind of implant in Palladium Game terms.. and what kind of drawback would be appropriate to balance it for a game.
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