It is remarkable that biology has created a creature as elaborate as a human being, one with both the intellectual dexterity and the physical coordination (e.g., opposable thumbs) to enable technology. However, we are far from optimal, especially with regard to thinking. As Hans Moravec argued back in 1988, when contemplating the implications of technological progress, no matter how much we fine-tune our DNA-based biology, our flesh-and-blood systems will be at a disadvantage relative to our purpose-engineered creations.[45] As writer Peter Weibel put it, Moravec understood that in this regard
...more
