Cyborgs: Are They Human?

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Cyborgs are a very common recurring motif within science fiction works such as books, movies, television, and so on. We see these cyborgs everywhere in this genre, but we only somewhat grasp the concept of humanity within cyborgs. A cyborg is an organism that consists of both artificial and natural components hence the full name “cybernetic organism.” For clarification, when I speak about cyborgs, I am referring to the organisms or beings that are artificially created rather than humans with cybernetic modifications. One key trait in cyborgs is their uncanny ability to replicate the thought processes and emotions of human being even though they aren’t human. My argument is that cyborgs, (more specifically the ones created artificially to look like humans) are in fact, not human at all, and I will explain why.

To begin, there are certain similarities in human beings that we are able to compare to cyborgs. One comparison between humans and cyborgs is the way signals are sent throughout their bodies. Both cyborgs and humans send low-impulse electrical signals throughout the body. Those signals are sent to the brain or central processing unit whenever the each of the five senses are stimulated in some way and evoke an emotional response. For example, if you touch something hot, the signal, that tells your brain that sensation of burning, travels to the brain via the nerves. For human beings, this is true; while cyborgs may have organically-created mechanisms similar to human nerves, as well as integrated circuits that pass the same type of electrical signals.

What it means to be human is not limited to physiological aspects such as the nerves and brains. There are other aspects besides organic materials that define a h...

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...part of us that is eternal. We as humans do not have a complete understanding of what a soul is or how we were created by God as both material being and spirit. We are not capable of replicating the human soul. The consequence, therefore, is that anything artificially created by humans will lack a true soul. Our dependence upon God as the Creator and Sustainer of human life on Earth is an integral part of our humanity. We are able to have a hope for the future even after we die because we are children of God. By grace we are allowed to live forever. That relationship with God as his image bearers, which robots and artificially-created cyborgs lack, should not be taken for granted. Our existence is due to God’s capability to create and redeem perfectly out of his love for us. That is the distinction that allows us to divide the line between human and non-human.

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