I am almost certainly jumping the gun here. I have done only a little research and given the matter some thought. It seems to me, at least initially, that:<div><br></div><div>Therapy is, as previously stated, the return to normal range of a capability in a particular human (I speak here of humans for ease of reference, but I think this can be applied elsewhere).</div>
<div><br></div><div>Enhancement is the improvement of a capability in a particular human beyond the individual's normal range, up to and including the best or highest performance observed in the human species.</div><div>
<br></div><div>Extension is the improvement of a capability in a particular human beyond the best or highest performance observed in the human species.</div><div><br></div><div>Augmentation is the addition of a capability to a particular human, which that human did not previously possess. There is the possibility of extension after augmentation.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Am I somewhere in the ballpark?</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks and regards</div><div><br></div><div>John<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Sat, Jan 14, 2012 at 6:41 PM, Natasha Vita-More <span dir="ltr"><natasha@natasha.cc></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">HI Mirco,<br>
<br>
Thanks. Actually, I thought I had said this clearly in my original email,<br>
but I guess not. I was looking for the historical use of the phrase "humane<br>
enhancement", not humans altering biology, which is ancient (we can go as<br>
far back as the Alchemists).<br>
<br>
Best,<br>
Natasha<br>
<div class="im"><br>
Natasha Vita-More<br>
PhD Researcher, Univ. of Plymouth, UK<br>
</div>Chairman, Humanity+<br>
Co-Editor, The Transhumanist Reader<br>
<div class="im HOEnZb"><br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: <a href="mailto:extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org">extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org</a><br>
[mailto:<a href="mailto:extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org">extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org</a>] On Behalf Of Mirco Romanato<br>
Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2012 8:49 AM<br>
To: ExI chat list<br>
Subject: Re: [ExI] Taxonomy of Human Enhancement<br>
<br>
</div><div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5">Il 10/01/2012 15:15, Natasha Vita-More ha scritto:<br>
> Putting varied pieces together, I have a pretty clear understanding<br>
> now. It is a synthesis of preceding and subsequent social events and<br>
> technological paradigmatic shifts that spawned cybernetics' HCI and<br>
> BCI and biotechnology's gene therapy. Issues of therapy vs.<br>
> enhancement arose. The New York Times article and Science mag<br>
> article in 1972 spawned a concern and bioethics became a theoretical<br>
> business.<br>
<br>
Don't know if it is fit to the request, but the "human enhancement" idea<br>
is old.<br>
I have not direct access to the original strips of 1940's Captain<br>
America but the talk is about a super-soldier serum able to enhance the<br>
subject abilities at the peak of human ability.<br>
<br>
Probably the idea come from the then newly developed substances:<br>
<br>
<br>
> <a href="http://www.cesar.umd.edu/cesar/drugs/steroids.asp" target="_blank">http://www.cesar.umd.edu/cesar/drugs/steroids.asp</a><br>
><br>
> "The history of anabolic steroids can be traced back to as early as<br>
> 1930's, before the term steroid was even used. In the 1930's, a team<br>
> of scientists was able to create a synthetic form of testosterone (a<br>
> male hormone) to help treat men who were unable to produce enough of<br>
> the hormone for normal growth, development, and sexual functioning.<br>
> Later, during World War II it was found that this artificial form of<br>
> testosterone could be used to help malnourished soldiers gain weight<br>
> and improve performance."<br>
><br>
> <a href="http://www.resistance88.com/topics/sport/nazisteroids1.htm#.TxGU3_kmbTo" target="_blank">http://www.resistance88.com/topics/sport/nazisteroids1.htm#.TxGU3_kmbTo</a><br>
><br>
> Medicinally, steroids obviously have a very legitimate purpose for<br>
> being. Athletically, their profound effect on the performance and<br>
> appearance of users can neither be ignored nor denied. However,<br>
> steroids didn't start being utilized for non-medical reasons for<br>
> about a decade after being created. In the 40s, Nazi doctors provided<br>
> steroids to their soldiers in an effort to make them more aggressive.<br>
> The Soviet Union followed suit in the 50s by giving them to their<br>
> athletes to enhance performance and strength..<br>
<br>
Mirco<br>
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