[ExI] Better Bodies?

[Natasha Vita-More]

Thank you for the link. Great!

 

 <http://www.natasha.cc/> Natasha Vita-More, PhD

esDESiGN_email

Co-Editor: The Transhumanist Reader (Wiley-Blackwell Pub.)
<http://www.amazon.com/Transhumanist-Reader-Contemporary-Technology-Philosop
hy/dp/1118334310/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363616965&sr=1-1&keywords=t
he+transhumanist+reader> Available at Amazon!

 

Adjunct Professor, University of Advancing Technology

Chairman,  <http://www.humanityplus.org/> Humanity+



 

From: extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org
[mailto:extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Mike Dougherty
Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2013 1:57 PM
To: ExI chat list
Subject: Re: [ExI] Better Bodies?

 

On Thu, Mar 21, 2013 at 4:01 PM, Natasha Vita-More <natasha at natasha.cc>
wrote:

 

So, let me ask you:  What evidence do you have that we need better bodies
(graphs, statistics, charges, academic papers, your own expert opinions,
etc.)?

 


on 3/4 my wife stepped down from an outdoor 8 inch step and blew out her
ankle, dislocating her left foot and in the fall badly sprained her right
foot.  The medical service she has received has been great.  I am thankful
that it exists and is readily available where we live. 

However, it is surprising to me how unconcerned everyone seems to be -
chalking it up to "these things happen."  While it is nice for us that these
doctors have had sufficient practice that we benefit from their experience
rather than fumbling around with "try it and see" solutions, I am disturbed
by how easily people can break themselves.

When you said 'better bodies' I immediately thought of a skeleton capable of
resisting at least an order of magnitude more shock/stress than mere bones.


During the recovery/healing process my wife has been "walking" by lifting
herself on her hands with a walker (crutches were too difficult with a cast
on one ankle and boot on the other)  Muscle fatigue in her arms limits
mobility.  Perhaps this simply underscores the need to continuously keep
fitness a priority - but what constitutes 'fit enough'?  Muscles that build
up more quickly on-demand/as-needed would have been a nice feature to even
temporarily upgrade if our [better] bodies were so adjustable.  

Yeah, I don't have academic resources as evidence to convince anyone that we
need better bodies.  This is a personal anecdote that would be very
relatable to an average first-worlder.  It does suggest a possible source
for statistics:  sports-related orthopedic injuries vs non-sport orthopedic
injuries - obviously sports performance levels would be at the extreme usage
limits, professional sports even more so.  Better bodies would allow the
rest of us to push performance to professional sports levels without
increasing the likelihood for personal injury that exists now simply walking
down some steps.

I imagine sources like this:
http://www.schwebel.com/userfiles/files/Fractures%281024%29.pdf
are nice info-snacks, but maybe not sufficient for your purpose.  Good luck,
though I know I don't need much convincing that we need better bodies.  :)

 

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