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would the person then become cold an calculating as well? If the brain were replaced by a computer, then perhaps this is likely. If, however, chips are implanted to assist the normal brain's functions or capacity, one would think that personality would be unaffected, save perhaps by the psychological effect of having increased abilities. This is still beyond current technology though, so future vigilance will have to provide an answer in time. Religious concerns focus on whether the person would still have a soul. Since the soul is a part of the body, the reasoning goes, replacing parts might also remove the soul. Souls are, of course, poorly defined and intangible, but since people with amputations or replacement organs are still believed to have souls, it stands to reason that a cyborg would retain their original soul as well.

The future potential for human adaptation through technology is difficult to define, but a glance into works of science fiction gives a good idea of how much can already be conceived. "Stronger, faster, smarter" tend to be the traditional themes, with the ability to hook into networks newer, but also common. It seems certain that all these options will eventually be available to the common man, but when is less clear. Odds are that when it arrives in force, it will have large cultural impacts, and take a few years for society to adjust. Then again, everyone is so used to seeing cell phones attached to ears, perhaps the advent of cyborgs won't even raise an eyebrow.

Learn more about this author, Ernest Capraro.
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