Enhancing Me: The hope and the hype of human enhancement
By Pete Moore
To be published by Wiley - May 2008
Should we insert chips into our children, so we can track where they are?
If you could live forever, would you want to?
If you could download your mind onto a computer, would it “become” you?
Should we force violent criminals to have mood-controlling brain implants?
Would you want technology to improve your memory… or help you forget?
Scientific developments constantly raise new questions and give glimpses of new horizons. Research has revealed much about how the body works and what happens as we age. Some observers now claim that we know enough to significantly change our bodies, our brains, our emotions, and even our longevity. They say that we will soon fix biological failure as well as create whole new abilities. In short, they claim that we can now start to enhance humanity.
In Enhancing Me Pete Moore sets out to test the strengths of these claims, to see whether human enhancement is already here and whether it needs to be taken seriously. He endeavours to separate the hype and the hope, and to discover what is genuinely likely to be achieved in the next decade, and what’s best kept between the covers of sci-fi novels. Along the way he introduces us to:
• Fenella who had a cochlear implant and heard everyday sounds for the first time in years.
• Peter who with his artificial heart regarded himself as a cyborg.
• Kevin who made the headlines in 2000 by claiming that he was now Cyborg 1.0 thanks to the electronic devices implanted in his body.
• Anders who’s enthusiastic about the possibilities of creating thinking computers that can emulate human intelligence.
Enhancing Me introduces us to the complex world where ethical arguments, philosophical theories, scientific discoveries and technological advances collide. It encourages us to discover and question. It provokes us to join “the ask” what it means to be human and question whether society should let or even encourage a quest for “enhancement”. Reading it will equip people to face the future.
For further information, to request a review copy or arrange an interview, please contact Julia Lampam
For US queries please Lori Sayde-Merhtens
*** Enhancing Me will be the subject of a Dana Centre event on 29th April 2008 ***
*** For more information, go to www.danacentre.org.uk ***
Pete Moore has been a freelance science writer since 1993, and specialises in making “academish” intelligible to people who only speak English! He’s received six national awards for his work, and has made numerous appearances on radio and television. Pete is also a public speaker and a member of Toastmasters International, as well as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a visiting lecturer in ethics at Trinity College, Bristol, and a course tutor on the Science Communications MSc at the University of the West of England, Bristol.
Enhancing Me is one of the first books in the TechKnow series, published in conjunction with The Dana Centre. The books will get you up to speed with the most-thought provoking issues of the day. And leave you wanting more... Each book brings to life a particular area of technology and takes an informal, sometimes controversial yet always challenging look at where we are now, where future developments will take us - and how they'll affect as individuals and as a society. Peppered with real-life stories from across the globe and interviews with those at the cutting edge, these books will fuel your mind and get you thinking beyond the technology headlines!
About Wiley
Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for 200 years; helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfil their aspirations. Since 1901, Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 350 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace.
Our core businesses publish scientific, technical, medical and scholarly journals, encyclopedias, books, and online products and services; professional/trade books, subscription products, training materials, and online applications and websites; and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley’s global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company’s Web site can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb.
About the Dana Centre
The Dana centre is the Science Museum’s purpose built, adults-only venue for interactive events that explore how advances in contemporary science, technology, engineering and medicine impact on our culture and society. Every week the Dana Centre hosts events which bring together experts from many disciplines, including art, history and sociology, as well as science and technology. Their viewpoints are contrasted with personal opinions to provide different and often controversial perspectives on issues that affect us all.
Enhancing Me: The Hope and the Hype of Human Enhancement By Pete Moore
To be published by Wiley - May 2008, 9780470724095, £12.99 Paperback Original
To buy the book, click here
Other books publishing in the series are
Being Virtual: Who You Really Are Online By Davey Winder
Powering Up: Are Computer Games Changing Our Lives? May 2008
Enhancing Me: The Hope and Hype of Human Enhancement by Pete Moore May 2008
Higher, Further, Faster: Is Technology Improving Sport? By Stewart Ross August 2008
Desirable Future? Consumer Electronics in Tomorrow’s World by Jack Challoner October 2008
