I recently sat down to dinner with three close friends.  After some time, the conversation entered into some intriguing domain.  The following question was posed: “What moment in history best defines mankind?”  There are so many instances where man has done something of great significance.  How could one choose just one defining moment?  It would need to be an event of upmost importance – one that changed the course of history in a major way.  It should also reflect the nature of our species and set us apart from other ones.  After some pondering, each of us expressed our respective view on the matter.

The first opinion came quickly, and it was a bit of a gut reaction.  My friend said that man’s defining moment was when the internet entered into the public domain.  Certainly, this drastically altered the course of history.  In a couple of decades, the event led to a global village here on Earth.  It is already difficult today to imagine life without the worldwide web.  The advent of the internet also reflects man’s desire to connect, communicate, and express oneself.  The internet has allowed billions of individuals to communicate instantaneously.  Finally, this suggestion is a valid one because it sets us apart from all other creatures on Earth; the ingenuity required for such a tool is simply beyond the capability of any other animal from these parts.

Friend number two rang in, stating that perhaps the moment that audiovisual equipment was invented was the defining one.  At first glance, this suggestion seems like an odd choice.  Let’s take a closer look before brushing it off.  When images and sound could be stored in a memory outside one’s own brain, the ultimate method of recording history had arrived.  We sometimes forget that the concept of time loses its significance without memory.  Indeed, the passage of time could now be documented for future generations or even civilizations.  The information would not lose accuracy with time, so in a sense, time could be encapsulated with this device.  Film is also perhaps the most versatile art form, and art is most certainly a defining feature of man.

At this point, I expressed my opinion.  I said that man is defined by its desire to explore and discover, and therefore the lunar landing represents man’s crowning achievement thus far.  If man wanted a claim to fame, this was it.  Columbus discovering a new part of land on Earth was very important, but man’s ability to leave the celestial body on which it evolved to set foot on another, despite all of the hurdles involved in doing so, represented a valid nomination for man’s defining moment.  It was the first step towards an endless realm of possibilities, and a wonderful illustration of our ingenuity, perseverance, and insatiable curiosity.  The moment also represents the end of a space race, which implies man’s underlying competitive nature.

The fourth member at the table had patiently considered our points of view.  Thus far, three engineering feats had been presented by three men.  The soul woman at the table gathered her thoughts, and expressed her view, which upon reflection, is probably the best of the lot.

She stated that the moment that defines man is not really an engineering feat at all, but rather a biological one.  The moment that defines man is the moment where man became defined, ie, the final evolutionary step that brought us into this current adaptation of hominid, Homo sapiens.  Perhaps it was the moment when man discovered it could use bones as weapons to fight off other animals, as suggested in the film, 2001: A Space Odyssey.  She argued that all of the engineering feats that followed this quintessential moment of evolution were inevitable consequences of our coming into existence as a species.

This notion implies another.  Are we all best defined as individuals the moment we are born?  I could not argue against the defining moment of the Universe being the big bang.  In the end, is it our roots that best define us?  Are the initial conditions of greater significance than the governing equations?

The point of view that man’s step into Homo sapiens was its defining moment proved extremely compelling that evening, and none of the three men could muster much argument against it.  And besides, on this night, the woman who provided this incredible insight was also the woman who prepared a delicious dinner for the four of us to enjoy.  If a competitive spirit is a part of man’s definition, then score one for the lady.           

I want to share with you the most engaging talk that I witnessed in recent years.  The lecture, which can be found on ted.com, was given by Juan Enriquez in February 2009, as the economic collapse was beginning to be sharply felt in North America.  The eighteen minute presentation shook me to the core.  While it moves along in an entertaining fashion, it eventually ends up in extremely intriguing territory, with fascinating yet plausible predictions for the relative near future of mankind.  I will give a brief summary of the content of the lecture (link for talk).

Among other things, it is unsustainable practices that have led to the economic downturn.  Companies with tunnel vision have taken the shareholders dollar and put it through the shredder.  Today, when trying to move forward from our dark economic situation, we must be very careful where our time, energy, and of course, money, is invested.  More than ever, our focus should be held firmly upon areas with anticipated growth.  According to futurist, Juan Enriquez, our attention should turn to science, and in particular, the fields of cell growth, tissue growth, and robotics.

A major technological wave is headed towards man, and the nations that ride this wave will be rewarded for having done so; nations who do not see it coming will be blindsided, and their futures will not be pretty.  So, what does this wave look like?

Certain areas of biology are seeing rapid growth.  Generating cells and tissues in a controlled lab environment is becoming commonplace.  In recent years, new surgical options have opened up for certain patients due to ingenuity in manipulating stem cells and tissues.  An artificial trachea may now be formed by spray-painting cartilage with the patient’s trachea cells.  Artificial bladders have also been synthesized and installed into the bodies of several patients.  Perhaps the most incredible recent innovation is the ability to transform skin cells into stem cells.  This essentially means that your skin, with proper manipulation, can be converted into any part of your body.

Robotics engineering is seeing advances on a similar scale to that of bioengineering.  Today, robots are being built for all kinds of purposes.  Many can emulate the motions and tasks of organic beings.  Though not intelligent, some robots can walk on uneven surfaces and up and down hills.  There is one at McGill University that can swim.  There is another at Harvard the size of a penny that can fly, with or without a buzzing sound.  Robots are becoming utilized for military purposes, and also for entertainment in theme parks.

The crossroads between bio and robo advances are compelling.  Leading up to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Oscar Pistorius, a double-amputee sprinter, won a court appeal that allowed him to compete in the regular Olympic Games.  Previously, he had dominated the field in the Special Olympics.  The only reason he did not represent his country at the games was that he failed to qualify; his qualification run was slow by a hair.  We will see a mixed field of sprinters in the coming decades as the technology for “impaired” sprinters improves.  Before long, the blades attached to these athletes’ lower legs will leave athletes like Usain Bolt in the dust.  By the year 2050, all of the world’s fastest runners will have artificial legs.

Let us look at other physical disabilities.  Today’s cutting edge technology will soon allow blind people to see light and dark.  Although these first cut optical implants will not allow blind people to see as well as someone with unimpaired vision, the technology will evolve.  In some time, a blind person will be able to see with 20/20 vision.  Not long after this milestone is met, it will be surpassed, and before long, humans will be able to see in infrared and other frequency spectra.  Imagine if somebody could magnify an image by one hundred times without the use of a microscope.  Again, the disadvantaged will become the advantaged, the disabled enabled.

 

Similar advances are occurring today for the deaf.  Again, evolving technology will one day allow the hearing impaired to hear like anyone else, and soon after that, allow them to hear with greater precision and with a wider frequency range.  Perhaps they will have dials on the sides of their heads to monitor volume and frequency range.  By now, you probably see where this is going.

As Darwin pointed out, evolution is a natural state.  We often forget that Homo sapiens are just one kind of hominid.  Twenty-one other species of hominid, like Neanderthals, have existed on Earth.  It is more common to have co-existence of various species of hominid than to have just one as we do today.  But, life evolves. 

Enriquez concludes that at some point in the 21^st Century, we will see a species overlap amongst hominids.  He calls it Homo evolutes, because it will represent a hominid that takes control of its own evolution ... Heavy stuff.  I think I would call it Robo sapiens, because it sounds cooler.

 

Either way, man is on the verge of being presented with a choice: To evolve or not to evolve?  If these near-term predictions hold true, and I believe they will, then we will not only see those with disabilities taking advantage of self-improving opportunities.  After all, many already pay large sums of money for laser eye surgery, hair removal, whiter teeth, etc.  So, someone with adequate vision and hearing may one day opt for super vision, and super hearing.  It is clear that along with these technological advances, ethical questions begin to emerge.  You can be sure that religious groups will be all over this stuff with large signs and megaphones.

It is quite possible that dividing lines may occur between the hominids.  In the Marvel series, X-Men, evolution occurs naturally at the DNA level (mutation), and mutants and non-mutants try to share the world as tension builds between them.  Perhaps, with the emergence of a new species, such a scenario could occur.  Acceptance across dividing lines would be essential.

What does the wave of technology look like?  The extents to which these scenarios will play out are hard to predict, but the general picture presented here urges us to pay attention - either learn to surf or stay out of the ocean.  A species that does not change to best thrive in its environment risks extinction; the same can be said about a business.  CEOs of technological companies should consider where they fit in to this brave new world.  Furthermore, organic beings should be extra respectful towards the disabled, as they will be the first ones to leap tall buildings in a single bound.