One of the most widely used elements in science fiction is
that of the cyborg. There are many different versions and aspects to cyborgs;
you’ve got your friendly helpful cyborgs like Kryten from Red Dwarf, the nod to
Frankenstein’s monster in Adam from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Deathlok the
Demolisher, and who could forget everyone’s favorite assassin the Terminator,
just to name a few. I’ve always been a bit fascinated with the idea of part
human part machine. Sure, there’s probably some advantages but is it worth it?
Let’s weigh some options.
Pros:
- Lose a limb? No problem, just replace it! You can even upgrade yourself to the latest and greatest models to make all the other cyborgs super jealous.
- You’d definitely be way stronger. If part of your body was made up of cybernetic technology, you’d most likely be able to withstand a lot more pressure and wouldn’t have to worry about any more bumps and bruises. This would be quite the selling point for people as clumsy as I am. Oh, I just tripped and impaled part of my body? Didn’t feel a thing.
- You’d never have to worry about getting sick, you won’t have to keep up appearances (I don’t see many robots having to shave their legs), and you wouldn’t need to worry about never getting enough sleep, you could just power yourself off. This last one works both ways, if you can’t stand someone, just turn’em off for a while.
- You could be super smart. Depending on whether or not you’d upgrade your brain, but I mean if you’re going for it you might as well, then you could kill it at Jeopardy.
Cons:
- The general upkeep and maintenance would be a pain, not to mention ridiculously expensive.
- You probably wouldn’t survive the creation process, or you’d just go insane from the amount of pain and trauma you experienced from the whole ordeal.
- The whole issue of humanity comes into questioning. Your whole behavior might be affected; you could lose the characteristics that make you human, such as compassion or empathy. The line between right and wrong becomes blurred.
- You’d probably set off every metal detector you go through, which would get annoying real fast.
Would
you ever consider becoming a cyborg? What are some of your pros and cons? Let
me know!
