Znanstveno-tehnička i medijska budućnost čovjeka i svijeta

The scientific-technological future often implies hardly conceivable social-philosophical consequences. The range of media-related changes in the very near future, which will significantly change the current mediation of man and the world, is difficult to predict, but they are inevitable. The technological and biological reality of the upcoming era cannot be viewed as separated from all the sociological, psychological, and media aspects of the society and the individual. What will these irreversible consequences in the networked reality of the media and humans imply in bioethical terms? How should we already now think of man, the human community, and the emerging, globalized world? We are approaching a great “tipping point” in which human life and the possible coexistence of artificial and natural intelligence will be tested and one can only speculate on the media picture of such a reality. Will we look for new frameworks for the Heideggerian age of the Image of the World, return to the premises of Wiener’s cybernetics, or perhaps reaffirm some of the traditional premises?Znanstveno-tehnološka budućnost donosi često i teško zamislive socijalno-filozofske posljedice. Okvire medijskih promjena u vrlo bliskoj budućnosti koji će bitno promijeniti i sadašnje medijsko posredovanje čovjeka i svijeta teško je predviđati, ali je to neizbježno. Tehnološku i biološku stvarnost nadolazećeg doba ne možemo promatrati izdvojenu prema svim sociološkim, psihološkim ili medijskim aspektima društva i pojedinca. Kakve će biti te nepovratne posljedice u umreženoj stvarnosti medija i ljudi u bioetičkom smislu? Kako već sada promišljati čovjeka, ljudsku zajednicu i globalizirani svijet koji se pojavljuje? Bližimo se velikoj “točki preokreta” u kojoj će se preispitivati što je ljudski život i moguća koegzistencija umjetne i prirodne inteligencije i kakva će biti medijska slika takve stvarnosti. Hoćemo li tražiti nove okvire heideggerovskog doba Slike svijeta, vratiti se postavkama kibernetike Wienera, možda i reafirmirati neke tradicionalne postavke

Od projekcije ljudskih organa do projekcije umjetnog čovjeka: Aktualni okviri filozofije tehnike

Based on the thesis of Ernst Kapp about the projection of organs during the initial creation of tools, the current article tries to show that this thesis still has its implications today. Indeed, if Kapp claims that the man created tools by observing his organs and their functionality, then it should also be stated that today, from a technical point of view, the man has reached the position of projecting technically sophisticated tools for the replacement of human organs. There is an increasing tendency of human organ replacement aiding, and in many ways facilitating, human life, but also conscious and coordinated cyborgization and robotics with the aim of accelerating and improving that same life to the level of challenging a new stage of its evolution. Thus, the current framework of the philosophy of technology emerges, which was mainly initiated by Kapp\u27s thesis.U članku se na temelju teze njemačkoga teoretičara i pionira filozofije tehnike, Ernsta Kappa, o projekciji organa prilikom početnoga stvaranja oruđa, nastoji pokazati kako ta teza ima svoje implikacije još i danas, posebice u pogledu njezine reverzibilnosti. Naime, kada Kapp tvrdi da su sva oruđa nastala tako što je čovjek promatrao svoje organe i njihovu funkcionalnost, a da je među svim organima napose ruka oruđe svih oruđa, onda isto tako valja ustvrditi kako se je danas od projekcije organa prispjelo tome da je čovjek s aspekta tehnike dospio u poziciju da projicira tehnički sofisticirana oruđa za zamjenu ljudskih organa. Sve je prisutnija pojava zamjene ljudskih organa kao pripomoći i u mnogočemu olakšavanja čovjekova života, ali isto tako i svjesne i koordinirane kiborgizacije i robotike s ciljem pospješivanja i unaprjeđenja toga istoga života do razine izazivanja novoga stupnja njegove evolucije. Tako se stvaraju aktualni okviri filozofije tehnike, koja je uvelike započela sa naznačenom Kappovom tezom

Filozofija i svjesnost u budućnosti –kiborzi i umjetna inteligencija u iščekivanju besmrtnosti

Natural sciences and technologies place artificial intelligence, robotics and cyborgs at the centre of human attention. However, virtual and augmented reality and the unthinkable possibilities of the future media and communication between individuals and social groups might be deeper and broader than we think, and evolve in forms we have not hoped for. If philosophy wants to focus on the essence of scientific-technical age, it must reflect on the very foundations of computer-operational thinking, because artificial intelligence has already started to develop its own consciousness and may, in the future, devise a strategy of development beyond man and without man.Prirodne znanosti i tehnologije stavljaju u središte ljudske pozornosti umjetnu inteligenciju, robotiku i kiborge. Međutim, virtualna i proširena stvarnost te nezamislive mogućnosti budućih medija i komunikacija između pojedinaca i društvenih skupina mogle bi biti dublje i šire nego što mislimo i razvijati se u oblicima kojima se još ne nadamo. Ako se filozofija želi orjentirati u biti znanstveno – tehničkog doba, ona mora misliti same temelje računalno – operativnog mišljenja jer umjetna inteligencija već danas razvija vlastitu svjesnost a u budućnosti i strategiju razvoja mimo čovjeka i bez čovjeka

New Media and Cyborgised Body as Space of Transhumanism Art

Novo određenje čovjeka u transhumanizmu kroz težnju za transcendiranjem prirodno – ljudskog prisutno je i u samoj umjetnosti transhumanizma koja koristi čovjekovo tijelo, nove medije, znanost i tehniku u stvaranju posthumane umjetničke slike čovjeka. Preoblikovanje ljudskog tijela s ciljem nadilaženja njegovih prirodnih mogućnosti postaje inspiracija i utočište umjetnika. Stari atelijer umjetnika zamijenjen je »laboratorijem umjetnosti« koji koristi moć robotike, novih medija, i medicinske zahvate na tijelu čovjeka kao izražajna sredstva umjetnosti. Tijelo je shvaćeno kao medij u kojem se određeni podaci mogu mijenjati. Razlog ovih nastojanja umjetnici vide u propitivanju granica izdržljivosti vlastitog tijela, njegova poboljšanja, dematerijalizacije i izgradnje mnogostrukih identiteta u virtualnoj stvarnosti. Transhumanistička umjetnička slika svijeta u kojoj je prirodni čovjek zamijenjen »kiborškom skulpturom« pridonosi s jedne strane, etabliranju transhumane slike čovjeka u budućnosti, ali istovremeno ukazuje i na moguće implikacije transhumanističkog pristupa ljudskom tijelu. Vjerujemo u to, da se mogu, u ovo još dostatno vrijeme, otvoriti rasprave o etičnosti ovog pristupa.A new transhumanism concepts of ‘’human’’ and desire for transcending human boundaries is present in the post-modern art that uses new media, science and technology in the creation of post-human artistic vision of human. The transformation of the natural human body in order to enhance its natural limitations became an inspiration for many artists. The new ‘’art laboratory’’ uses the power of robotics, new media, and medical interventions as means of art expression. The reason for these efforts, artists see in questioning the limits of their own body, its improvements, dematerialization and the possibility of creating multiple identities in virtual reality. An example of a new concept ‘’cyborg/robotic art\u27\u27 is an Australian artist and performance artist Stelarc who puts the body at the centre, as a representative object of art, \u27\u27enlarged and increased’’ through the technological prosthesis. Such transhumanism art, in which natural man is replaced by a ‘’robotic sculpture\u27\u27 contributes to establishing transhuman image of future human nature

Cyborgization in Sport – Creating the Boundaryless Body in the Age of Transhumanism

Kiborgiziranje prirodnoga tijela omogućeno je novim tehnikama, koje su s jedne strane pružile mogućnost invalidnim osobama da sudjeluju na sportskim priredbama i da se natječu sa zdravim sportašima, dok je sa druge strane dana mogućnost stvaranja poboljšanog čovjeka (s boljim fizičkim i psihičkim sposobnostima) koji također želi biti dio tog spektakla. Slučaj kiborgiziranog atletičara Oscara Pistoriusa potaknuo je brojna etička pitanja vezana uz poboljšanje i stvaranje umjetnih dijelova tijela i izazvao brojne kontroverze u svijetu sporta. Članak je podijeljen u četiri problemske cjeline. Prvi dio prikazuje osnovni uvid u kiborgizaciju ljudskoga tijela i želju za stvaranjem jačeg, bržeg i otpornijeg ljudskog tijela. Drugi dio razmatra mogućnosti koje pruža kiborgizacija u sportu navodeći slučaj Oscara Pistoriusa, invalida s amputiranim nogama koje su nadomještene umjetnim protetskim nogama. Analizom raznih mogućnosti koje se otvaraju u ovoj sferi, javiti će se i potreba stvaranja svojevrsne distinkcije između kiborg-atletičara i prirodnih atletičara. Treći dio razmatra do koje mjere je moralno i legalno opravdano poboljšati nesavršeno ljudsko tijelo i kada to poboljšanje dovodi do etičkih dilema u sportu, kao što je to kod slučaja Pistorius. Četvrti dio propituje stvara li se "umjetne" pobjednike, kako postići pravednost u natjecanju između prirodnih i "kiborgiziranih" sportaša, te jesu li se oni uopće smjeli međusobno natjecati. Osnovna etička dilema u sportu je do koje se mjere smije zadirati u ljudsko tijelo kako bi mu se pružila pomoć vraćanjem izgubljenih funkcija, a da se istovremeno bitno ne promijeni njegovu prirodnost različitim oblicima umjetnog poboljšanja i dodavanjem funkcija koje tijelo izvorno ne posjeduje.Cyborgization of the natural body is enabled by new techniques which have, on one side, given the opportunity for the handicapped persons to participate in sport events and enter the competition alongside the healthy sportsmen, while on the other side, they have opened up the possibility of creating an enhanced human being (with better physical and mental capabilities) who also wishes to participate in these events. The case of cyborg athlete Oscar Pistorius has raised numerous ethical questions regarding enhancement and production of artificial body parts, and provoked controversies in the world of sport. This paper is organized in four parts. The first part offers a basic insight into the cyborgization of the human body and the desire to create stronger, faster, and more enduring human body. The second part examines the possibilities offered by cyborgization in sport using the example of Oscar Pistorius, whose legs were amputated and later substituted with prosthesis. Through the analysis of different options opened up in this sphere emerges the need of creating a distinction between a cyborg-athlete and a natural one. The third part examines the boundaries of moral and legal justifications of enhancement of the imperfect human body, alongside with the consideration of the ethical dilemmas in sport, as are the ones in the Pistorius case. The fourth part raises the questions of "artificial" winners, fair competition between natural and "cyborg" athletes, as well as the question of their joined competition. The main ethical dilemma in sport is the one of setting up the boundaries of interventions in human body: restoring lost functions while preserving naturalness by using different forms of artificial enhancement which body originally does not posses

The Scientific-Technical and Media-related Future of Man and the World

The scientific-technological future often implies hardly conceivable social-philosophical consequences. The range of media-related changes in the very near future, which will significantly change the current mediation of man and the world, is difficult to predict, but they are inevitable. The technological and biological reality of the upcoming era cannot be viewed as separated from all the sociological, psychological, and media aspects of the society and the individual. What will these irreversible consequences in the networked reality of the media and humans imply in bioethical terms? How should we already now think of man, the human community, and the emerging, globalized world? We are approaching a great “tipping point” in which human life and the possible coexistence of artificial and natural intelligence will be tested and one can only speculate on the media picture of such a reality. Will we look for new frameworks for the Heideggerian age of the Image of the World, return to the premises of Wiener’s cybernetics, or perhaps reaffirm some of the traditional premises

Philosophy of Future Cyberspaces and the Transhumanistic Reality

U vremenu u kojem se »doba slike svijeta« upotpunjuje digitalnom zbiljom, sve je teže promišljati ulogu i položaj Čovjeka u prostoru i vremenu, ali i smisao egzistencije Čovjeka kakvog danas poznajemo. U budućem vremenu i prostoru bitno će se mijenjati i načini njegove percepcije, medijskog posredovanja i propriocepcije svijeta. Ako kiberprostor označimo i kao svojevrsnu utopiju postmodernističkih simbola, onda je kiberprostor zapravo najava Svijeta u kojem će digitalna zbilja, kiborzi, (ne)humanoidni roboti i dronovi određivati razinu ne­ljudskosti ili nadljudskosti u nama. Transhumanisti predlažu da čovječanstvo proaktivno poboljšava samo sebe i usmjerava tijek vlastite evolucije putem tehnike i znanosti da bi stvorili bića koja će nas inteligencijom nadmašiti. Podržava se i poboljšanje ne­ljudskih živih bića te svaki oblik buduće umjetne inteligencije, modificiranih formi života i drugih vrsta inteligencije do kojih će tehnički i znanstveni napredak dovesti. Takva vizija ljudskog bića poništava zamisao samodostatnosti i ukida promišljanje tradicionalnog identiteta. Posljedice poboljšanja ljudskih sposobnosti dovode i do etičkih pitanja – kada točno umjetno poboljšana osoba prestaje biti čovjek, u kojem prostoru on djeluje te tko zapravo posjeduje ili kontrolira informacije koje se nalaze duboko u našim tijelima?In times during which “the age of world picture” is being enhanced by digital reality, it is getting harder to think the Human Being’s role and position in time and space, but also the purpose of the existence of Human Being as we know it in contemporaneity. In the future time and space, human being’s perception, media mediation, and proprioception of the world will fundamentally change. If we label the cyberspace as a certain utopia of postmodern symbols, then the cyberspace is the foreshadowing of the World in which digital reality, cyborgs, (non)humanoid robots, and drones will define the level of nonhuman or Transhuman within us. Transhumanists propose that humanity ought to proactively enhance itself and steer its evolution via technology and science to create beings that will surpass us by intelligence. They also support the enhancement of nonhuman living beings and every future form of artificial intelligence, modified forms of life, and other species of intelligence that technological and scientific progress will reach. Such vision of human beings nullifies the idea of self­sufficiency and severs the thinking about traditional identity. The effects of enhancing human abilities provoke ethical questions, when exactly do artificially enhanced persons stop being a human, in what kind of space does it act, and who in fact is in the possession or control of information present deep inside our bodies

Different radiolabelling methods alter the pharmacokinetic and biodistribution properties of Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor Type 2 (PAI-2) forms

Introduction: Tumour-associated urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) is a critical marker of invasion and metastasis, and it is recognised as having strong prognostic relevance as well as being a therapeutic target. The specific uPA inhibitor plasminogen activator inhibitor type-2 (PAI-2, SerpinB2) specifically targets cell bound uPA and is internalised. Furthermore, preclinical studies have established the “proof-of-principle” of uPA-targeting by PAI-2-cytotoxin conjugates in human carcinoma models. However, these studies also suggest that PAI-2 is rapidly cleared via the renal system with low total dose reaching the tumour. In this study, a comparative single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and biodistribution (BD) analysis of different forms of PAI-2 labelled with the radioisotopes iodine-123 (123I) and technetium-99m (99mTc) was undertaken. Methods: The pharmacokinetic (PK) properties and BD of wild-type, ΔCD-loop and PEGylated ΔCD-loop PAI-2 labelled with the commonly used diagnostic SPECT radioisotopes 99mTc or 123I were compared in mouse models of human prostate carcinoma. Whole body SPECT imaging was also performed. Results: Both wild-type or the shorter but active ΔCD-loop form of PAI-2 123I-labelled indirectly via conjugation to free amine groups (termed 123I-Bn-PAI-2) exhibited low tumour uptake, rapid excretion and similar PK profiles. Preliminary studies with a short branched-chain PEGylated 123I-Bn-PAI-2 ΔCD-loop indicated an increase in blood retention time and tumour uptake. All 123I-Bn-labelled radiotracers were largely excreted through the kidneys. By comparison, both wild-type 123I-PAI-2 (labelled directly via tyrosine residues) and 99mTc-PAI-2 displayed different PK/BD patterns compared to 123IBn- PAI-2, suggesting greater liver based catabolism and thus slower elimination. SPECT imaging mimicked the BD results of all radiotracers. Conclusion: The different labelling methods gave distinct PAI-2 BD and tumour uptake profiles, with radioiodination resulting in the best non-tumour organ clearance profiles. Preliminary analyses with short branched-chain PEGylated 123I-Bn-PAI-2 ΔCD-loop suggest that further investigations with other PEGylation reagents are required to optimise this approach for tumour imaging. These findings impact on the use of PAI-2 for drug delivery and/or diagnostic development