Towards Political Transhumanism - Bodily Autonomy
Obviously, once you’ve decided to go out and do something, you have to then figure out what you are going to do before you can even make a plan to do it. Since the goal is to bring about a certain state of affairs in the future, we must then look at what we want, and what is not up to that standard in the present day, and focus our efforts there.
One of the bigger concerns is morphological freedom. This has been used variously in my experience to refer to both the state of being technologically able to decide that one’s body is whatever they want it to be, and also the political state of being sovereign over one’s body. To remove confusion, I will use the phrase “bodily autonomy” to refer to the latter, which obviously is something we will want if we get the former as it is hard to enjoy technologies one is not permitted to have because they are banned from civilian usage.
There are many sub-categories of this, but I will try to focus on things that are immediately relevant to our modern society and also will benefit a more free future when that technology becomes relevant. In the broadest terms there is the matter of what one is allowed to put in one’s body, what one is allowed to take out of it or replace, and the matter of not being socially punished for those decisions, even if you are not per se legally punished.
So what falls under these three parts? Obviously, in the matter of “putting things in,” we have the issue of various kinds of drugs which are heavily regulated. As far as taking things out, surgical measures immediately come to mind, and how it is very difficult to get a doctor to perform a surgery you consent to but is not strictly “required” even if you are both aware of the risks involved (unless, perhaps, it is cosmetic). But perhaps for one of these you were thinking of genetic editing, which can put things in to and take things out of people’s DNA sequences? Or perhaps children, who come and go from the mother’s womb, but not without frankly creepy levels of rules on how that is supposed to occur?
And obviously, the last concern of escaping more nebulous social punishment touches on all of these, but goes double for any “merely” cosmetic option which is unlikely to be restricted legally but may be severely punished socially if you decide to modify your body in a way people don’t like, or perhaps is considered “unprofessional.” Likewise encompassing, also, is the freedom to choose to not take on a popular modification, which, is… well, equally likely to get one socially ridiculed if you refuse.
I will go in to greater depth for these categories in my next few posts on this subject, but I felt it worth the time to explain my reasons for selecting those subjects. If you look in to any of these subcategories it’s plain to see that we aren’t really all that free. You may luck out and none of the existing social or legal pressures happen to be at odds with your personal desires, but those laws and organizations are still there, waiting for you to go against them – and as long as those restrictions are in place, they will be the model for future laws on the matter. We need to improve on the present if we want a better future.
(via ozylikes)
1 month ago · tagged #the best heuristic for oppressed people since sharp stick time #fuck the natural order #nothing to add but tags · 20 notes · source: 2centjubilee · .permalink
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