To Be a Machine: Adventures Among Cyborgs, Utopians, Hackers, and the Futurists Solving the Modest Problem of Death

在探討身為機械的意義的同時，反思生而為人的意義。首部全面分析爭議性的「超人類主義」之作！「超人類主義」（transhumanism）主張藉由科技將人類升級，超越生物學的限制，讓感官、智慧、甚至壽命都獲得提升，根除人類的一切脆弱，尤其衰老與死亡，將人類變得更先進。不管是中國歷代皇帝，或是古典西方文學作品中尋求永生的情節，自古以來，人類對於長生不老的追求，從未停止……人類如此脆弱，我們能改變這個事實嗎？在過去幾年間，「超人類主義」的信奉者遽增，從意識上傳（mind
uploading）、超級人工智慧（artificial
superintelligence）、人體冷凍（cryonics）、晶片植入……等科幻小說般的情節，都有一群對科技極度樂觀、視科技為信仰的擁護者，相信它們總有一天會成真，其中也包括矽谷的億萬富翁與全球大企業業主。新聞工作者馬克．歐康納（Mark

O'Connell）走訪最先進的人體冷凍機構，看人如何選擇阻斷死亡；他探訪研究晶片植入的地下「生物駭客」；他也拜訪急於研究如何保護人類不受到超級智慧傷害的科學家。他與「超人類主義」擁護者接觸，不僅進行人物分析，更全面解析他們的想法。人類對於科技的著迷，究竟將會把我們帶往何方？人工智慧對於人類的意義是什麼？原先創造的目的為幫助人類的科技，是否終究會帶來傷害？如同《灰色人性》（The
Psychopath
Test）作者強．朗森對病態人格的分析，本書融合科普、人物分析、文學理論與文化分析，以幽默輕鬆的筆法，抱持懷疑態度、不過度批判，讓這些看似瘋狂的信奉者，多了一絲人性。“This gonzo-journalistic exploration of the Silicon Valley techno-utopians’ pursuit of escaping mortality is a breezy romp full of colorful characters.” —New York Times Book Review (Editor's Choice)Transhumanism is a movement pushing the limits of our bodies—our capabilities, intelligence, and lifespans—in the hopes that, through technology, we can become something better than ourselves. It has found support among Silicon Valley billionaires and some of the world’s biggest businesses.In To Be a Machine, journalist Mark O'Connell explores the staggering possibilities and moral quandaries that present themselves when you of think of your body as a device. He visits the world's foremost cryonics facility to witness how some have chosen to forestall death.  He discovers an underground collective of biohackers, implanting electronics under their skin to enhance their senses. He meets a team of scientists urgently investigating how to protect mankind from artificial superintelligence.Where is our obsession with technology leading us? What does the rise of AI mean not just for our offices and homes, but for our humanity? Could the technologies we create to help us eventually bring us to harm?  Addressing these questions, O'Connell presents a profound, provocative, often laugh-out-loud-funny look at an influential movement. In investigating what it means to be a machine, he offers a surprising meditation on what it means to be human.