Abstract
Humans and machines are, at present, viewed as two distinct categories differentiated by their unique biological or artificial configuration and capabilities. This chapter argues that the two will, in the near future, increasingly partake of the nature of the other as a result of technological enhancement. A number of recent developments within the field of robotics are already causing the traditional boundaries between humans and machines to fade, both as a result of mankind’s increasing reliance on modern technology and of technological developments which allow modern machines to imitate human behaviour to a high degree. Modern technology thus has the potential to aid and even modify the human organism by artificial means. The construction of such advanced forms of humanoid machines, or ‘androids’, requires a reconceptualisation of what makes humans characteristically human, as well as requiring us to pay attention to the potential consequences of constructing such humanlike machines.
Translated by Geert de Jong.
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Jonker, C.M., Nelis, A. (2013). Human Robots and Robotic Humans. In: Koops, B., Lüthy, C., Nelis, A., Sieburgh, C., Jansen, J., Schmid, M. (eds) Engineering the Human. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35096-2_7
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