Self-building technologies
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Self‑building technologies François Kammerer1 Received: 9 January 2020 / Accepted: 11 March 2020 © Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract On the basis of two thought experiments, I argue that self-building technologies are possible given our current level of technological progress. We could already use technology to make us instantiate selfhood in a more perfect, complete manner. I then examine possible extensions of this thesis, regarding more radical self-building technologies which might become available in a distant future. I also discuss objections and reservations one might have about this view. Keywords Selfhood · Technology · Introspection · Self-representation · Artificial intelligence · Cognitive enhancement · Extended mind
1 Introduction1 The development of artificial intelligence and the possibility of cognitive enhancement that such a development offers— for example, through putative merging with AI—has recently raised concerns about the impact such enhancements could have on our selves. Could the process of enhancing ourselves by merging with AI lead to a loss of selfhood or even to the destruction of our own selves as such—for example, because the transition from carbon-based to silicon-based cognition that such a process implies does not allow for the upholding of consciousness or personal identity? (Schneider 2009, 2019; Schneider and Mandik 2018) These concerns are often balanced with the potential gains we can expect from merging with AI, in terms of intelligence, well-being, power or lifespan. Consequently, the question that arises sometimes seems to be: “should we merge with AI, and take the risk of sacrificing or destroying our own selves, in order to make huge gains in intelligence, well-being, etc.—or not?” (Agar 2010, 2012, 2014; Levy 2011). Although I take these concerns to be legitimate, I suspect their discussion sometimes ignores some potential uses of AI technology and cognitive enhancement: uses which correspond to what I call self-building technologies. Cognitively enhancing ourselves with the help of AI technology * François Kammerer [email protected] 1
FNRS, Université Catholique de Louvain, Institut Supérieur de Philosophie, CEFISES, Louvain‑la‑Neuve, Belgium
could not only make us gain intelligence, well-being, power or lifespan. It could also make us become more genuine selves—by increasing the control we have on our behavior as well as the coherence and the transparency of our cognitive and emotional lives. My goal here is to argue that such self-building technologies are possible (and arguably likely to be created), even given our current state of technological progress. Moreover, future technological progress might make radical versions of such technologies available, which could radically change the kind of beings we are. I describe two examples of possible technologies, which could already be implemented now (or in a near future) given the current state of technological progress (Sect. 1). Second, I argue that thes
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