background to brief

A post-human is a hypothetical future being whose basic capacities so radically exceed those of present humans as to be no longer unambiguously human by our current standards. Post-humans could be a symbiosis of human and artificial intelligence, or uploaded consciousness, or the result of making many smaller but cumulatively augmentations to a biological human i.e. cyborg.

Advancements in medicine have led us into the first stages of post-humanism through the use of heart pacemakers, cochlear implants, contact lenses, bionic limbs and immunizations. These advancements contribute to extending the average life expectancy defying the built in obsolescence of the ageing process as well as replacing natural organic matter with advanced technology.

Through cyber-punk and sci-fi the boundaries are broken down between human and post-human. Using films such as the Terminator, Robocop and the popular television series of the six million dollar man we see a popular representation of the cyborg ( A person having mechanical elements built into the body to extend their normal physical abilities.)