Adler Nicholson

Dystopian Project Rough Draft

12/04/2020

As technology is growing more advanced, the prospect of implementing it into ourselves

has grown nearer. Already we see such things as the pacemaker, or electronically linked

prosthetics. Many scientists have the prospect that soon brain implants may assume a large

amount of control over our minds (Bleicher). While this has the potential for good, ridding

mental illness or disabilities of the brain, this could very much be used to restrict our ability to

think or question things. This is where its potential for ill will comes in.

With an understanding of the brain getting deeper and deeper, we are beginning to know

how it functions. Implants currently desire to help functioning in areas with a lack thereof, but

under the guise of receiving such things, we could be given things which impede with many of

our processes. Ultrasounds during pregnancy grant the ability to check for brain defects in the

womb, as early as 8 weeks into pregnancy (Gallagher). The claim would grant nearly any

hospital permission to intervene and prevent the child from growing up with such a defect. But

they need not be honest. Implementing this into healthy fetuses will allow them strict control

over future generations, targeting their ability to reason or question.

Another use of technology being integrated into our biology would be the process of

enhancing a selected group of people. A strong example of this would be the military or law

enforcement. The use of powered exoskeletons for policing is something many groups have in

mind. They often provide incredible increases to strength and endurance, even allowing the

wearer to lift 200 pounds without breaking a sweat (McKinnon). While this technology could be
used for good, a future with strict enforcement created by a physically superior group is not out

of the question. Police brutality and tyranny is already a very prevalent thing. Being given more

power may not help the situation. Power imbalances have consistently shown their ability to

create unhealthy situations, and this could be no exception.

The use of technology for bad does not end there. Nanotechnology designed to interact

with our biology could be the future of bioweapons, or the end of our privacy.