The Concept Of Artificial Evolution [Technology-Induced Evolution, Transhumanism, And Singularity]

Introduction

Evolution; no doubt; has been one of the aspects of science that has been most theorized - the reason being that, we; in this present era; didn't witness the trail of evolution first-hand. So as it were; we are only left with pointers; of which "Oral Tradition, Written Record, and Archeology (and fossil study)" form the bedrock in this. In this survey, we will be considering the concept of induced human evolution and how technology has affected this. We will also look at the potential destination of human evolution. Note: In this survey, we will be zeroing in on just the human evolution.

_{[Image of what is happening now in evolution. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Author: Fonytas. CC BY-SA 4.0 licensed]}

Before we begin to dig deep into the technological aspect of this, let us go to the biological aspect first. According to the Darwinian proposition; evolution is characterized by some alterations within species, which can be passed down to many generations. Looking at this holistically, you would agree with me that Darwinism hinges on the fact that species can change with time, but which is also dependent on some factors - like environment and genetic make-up. Some species would crack under these factors, while some would adapt favorably to it, and pass on the adaptative features to future generations - this process is described as "Natural Selection".

No doubt, the species that display the most adaptative features get the chance of surviving through some cruel environmental conditions, and this gave rise the "Survival of the best fitted". In the same vain, the species that showed weak adaptative features probably got "cleaned" by the process of time and evolution, and that is when the species would be said to have gone into extinction. Though technically, Darwin must have missed some obvious points when he stated the theory of Natural Selection and the survival of the fittest. Even though; at that moment; he could be correct, but the advent of technology has altered a whole lot of things - including the process of evolution.

Remember this; evolution has been observed by many as a continuous process, though the trend and speed could get altered, and that's what technology has actually done. But there is something worthy to note: The purpose of evolution does not necessarily seek for the perfection of a specie but its survival _[ref]. So if the above assertion is true, then both the natural-driven evolution and the induced evolution seek to achieve the same result - human survival and sustainability.

_{[Image Source: Pixabay. CC0 licensed]}

Post-Darwinism Cum Technology-Induced Evolution

Over the years, the theory of evolution itself has evolved. Just like we saw that the Darwinian model focuses more on the natural causes and trend of evolution, let us look at what changed in this era. Can I shock you for a while? If a Neanderthal engages us; the modern man (Homo sapiens sapiens); in a fist-to-fist battle, they would probably knock us out in seconds, just like Michael Tyson did to Trevor Berbick. This was buttressed by the archeological discovery of the fossils of Neanderthals with high density boney structures. And also, their wider pelvic region would give them a much lower centre of gravity, and this would add up to their advantages over us (so by inference; they were stronger} _[ref].

Awesomely enough, the Homo sapiens survived through evolution, and are still surviving, but the Neanderthals didn't. Weren't they best fitted for survival; judging by their strength; than the extant modern man? Now, that is where Mechanical aid and Technology come into play. As man evolved from our ancestral ape-like creature (from the ancient Australopithecus), each stage of evolution was usually characterized by the usage of more complex tools (which started off as crude stone tools). These tools gave assistance to man, which in-turn ensured their survival through evolution.

So you see, that was why the later protégée of the ancient men survived better; not necessarily because of physical strength; but by reason of the assistance they had with tools - and the engineering of these tools was a function of their increased brain size (which also enabled them to evolve with better thinking abilities). So putting this scenario in apposition to the "Natural Selection", you would agree with me that at the point of introduction of tools in the trail of evolution; there was a flaw created in the overall system, and this became rather like "Technological Selection", as against the Darwinian Natural Selection.

_{[Crude stone tools. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain licensed]}

In this era of advanced technological development, many devices and inventions have been put in place to assist man, and this has led to the less reliance on our physical strength and abilities; but we are still surviving any way. So what happened to the "survival of the best fitted"? or are we witnessing "survival of the best technologically advanced"? If this is the case, then I would rather call this process "Technovolution" (technology-induced or artificial evolution) instead of just "evolution"; as there has been a paradigm shift from "nature" to "nurture".

And amazingly enough, technology has indeed sped up the process of evolution _[ref], and whether we believe it or not, technology is still in its infancy and it is advancing rapidly, and it is evidently affecting us in almost every ramification. But a question could arise - what would be the long term effect of these insane technological advancement on evolution? Or better rephrased - What would be the ultimate destination of technovolution? Well, let's find out.

Evolution and Transhumanism

The term "Transhumanism" is not entirely new in this era; except for the uninitiated. This explains a concept in which the extant modern humans can evolve far beyond the present limitations inherent in us (in physical strength, mental capabilities, etc) through the help of technology. This has always been sufficed with the symbol "H⁺" to represent some extra-human abilities. If you have ever heard about the story of Neil Harbisson (who has been inferred to be the first true cyborg) who got an antenna implant directly to his brain, which gave him the super-human ability to literally "hear" colours _[ref], then you would understand the concept of Transhumanism.

Just to reiterate something here; the extant modern man didn't just fall from oblivion; they are the resultant effect of evolution spanning through many millennia, which was also aided by series of genetic mutations. But amazingly enough, this era has also been greeted with advances in the field of genetic engineering; so much that; even genetic tweakings can be done directly to embryos to achieve a desired outcome _[ref]. And like you know, these mutations can be passed on to other generations, and this is one of the active tools for the process of transhumanism. No wonder it has been speculated by many that transhumanism could potentially lead to an extended life span, or maybe we could be in for the heralding of the age of an everlasting race; which would defy death.

But as it were, genetic engineering is not the only tool for the realization of transhumanism; there are others - like Artificial Intelligence, Bionics, and all whatnot. But overtly, the final destination in all these could be the achievement of Singularity - A point when the average brain power of the entire human race would be processed in apposition to the computational power of machines (more like a human-machine merger). And the truth is, the process has already been initiated. Take a look at this; if someone told you some centuries ago that you could control computers with your mind only, would you believe him? But now, the technology of Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) has brought this possibility. So why would you think that singularity would not be possible in the future?

_{[Countdown to singularity. Source: Wikimedia Commons. Courtesy Author: Ray Kurzweil. CC BY 1.0 licensed]}

When this era approaches, we could be witnessing a different kind of humans with enhanced abilities (strength of machines plus the strength of humans; and none of their weaknesses), and ultimately, digital immortality could be a reality - This is a type of immortality in which the human's consciousness can be uploaded on machines and the person can still exist posthumously; but in a kind of digital simulations. So you see, the natural process of evolution has been overridden by the force of technology. Let's just keep an open mind and welcome what technology has to offer in relation to evolution.

Conclusion

The concept of evolution; before the advent of technology; was viewed majorly as a natural process; of which "Natural Selection" and "survival of the fittest" were major players. But due to the advances in tech, there has been a paradigm shift from this natural process to an induced process of evolution. And the truth is; this process is actively continuous and it could be a farewell to evolution by natural selection.

Thanks for reading

References for further reading:

• Adaptation and Survival
• Singularityhub/technological evolution
• Controversy in Darwinian Model
• Advances in transhumanism
• Nationalgeographic_evolution, genetics, and technology

All Images are CC Licensed and are linked to their sources

gif by @foundation