Transhumanist Argument

Transhumanists believe that humans should do everything to transform the human condition in such a way that fundamental intellectual, physical and psychological limitations can be overcome. They think that what we are now is not good enough. Therefore transhumanists also think that cognitive enhancement by memory implants should be pursued to develop a better quality of life.

First of all, transhumanists believe that pursuing memory enhancement and human enhancement in general is a moral obligation. Memory implants have the potential to revolutionize the human mind, enabling human beings to have greater intelligence and a greater potential to innovate new technologies that can increase quality of life for the entirety of the human race. Memory

He states that we should strive self-alteration since it is our human nature to not stagnate but to progress. Otherwise we would betray the dynamic intrinsic of life and our own human nature. Other transhumanists use similar arguments to deduce that there is a value in progressing and enhancing that we are not supposed to question. Bioconservatives, on the other hand, have a different definition of human nature. According to Francis Fukuyama, a well-known bioconservative, human nature can be defined by "the sum of the behavior and characteristics that are typical of the human species, arising from genetic rather than environmental factors." That is why bioconservatives are less charmed about the concept of memory enhancement and controlling evolution. They believe that there is something special about ourselves and it is worth to preserve the human mind. Natural deficiencies are what makes us human and what makes life valuable to us. By taking this away we could lose much more than we are likely to gain. Fukuyama continues that we need to protect human nature against self-transformation in order to preserve the genetic basis of our human essence, also the basis for our human dignity. Following his argument, memory enhancing chips might undermine our dignity and should therefore be prohibited or limited in development.

Disregarding the concerns of bioconservatives, transhumanists argue

It is a gentle pursuit to develop these implants and to make them widely available to everyone. It would reduce socio-economic inequalities and increase justice. Transhumanists also believe that the government has an obligation to make sure that pre-existing inequalities are not worsened and improved if possible. The implementation of memory implants will support this by making a distinction between injustice and misfortune. By all means, there have always been natural inequalities amongst humans (some people have worse memories than others) but justice can be done by giving everyone the opportunity to enhance themselves and to reduce these differences. It is not about equality as outcome, but rather equality of opportunity. This way memory enhancing chips could lead to improved societal and political systems.

Reflecting on the improved quality of life, memory implants also have the possibility to eliminate evil and reduce crime by pre-programming the chips with mechanisms of morality before implanting them in people's brains. This way immoral tendencies of criminals could be changed through pre-programmed moral insights. Mandated implants for criminals are a usable possibility even in democratic societies, since