Discussion Questions

The Ethical issues of Cybernetics

1. Is it ethical to create a "superhuman" where machines are in charge of key human functions such as thought control and communication?

2. Is it ethical to allow some humans, probably the wealthy ones to communicate through cybernetics and not others?

3. Should there be a limit placed on the integration of humans and computers and electronic technology?

The Ethical Issues of Lay Information on Cybernetics

1. Is there a disconnect between the perception and the reality of cybernetics?

2. Can the fears of cybernetics seen in shows such as star trek be seen as a real fear of human machine integration, or more accurately as a fear of a reality where technology is our primary medium of interaction? Or perhaps as something else?

3. Is it ethical for futurists to pose what-if scenarios about the possible future state of technology without also giving them a sober description of the present state of it?

The Limitations of Cybernetics

1. Is this hypothetical communication through cybernetics really superior to the cellular phones and portable computers already developed?

2. Can pacemakers be called cybernetics? If they can, why do they not seem to raise the same ethical fervor as the currently non-existent technologies of cybernetic fiction?

3. Does the nature of current technologies such as pacemakers suggest that cybernetics lack the essential flexibility necessary to make them blend naturally with the human body?

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