Always the Next Human

Quinn Norton

Society, technology, and bodies are all breaking each other. In the coming decades, we are likely to be pushing out the boundaries of our definition of human. Body modification, pharmaceuticals, the justice system, medical research, class systems, psychology and surgery are swept up in the same wave- how we see our selves, and how we act upon our bodies. The next humans will need new ethics, new markets, new laws, and very different criteria for choosing research goals and legal solutions. It can get very scary, but don't worry too much- turns out we've done all this before, though not this fast. We've done ok so far. Let's figure out how to do it better this time.