The Threat of Cybernetic Discognition Disorder

OP-ED column in The New Cybernetics Journal, Fall 2015 Edition, by Hugh Darrow.

Like every other new technology, from the automobile to television, human augmentation has been pilloried as a menace that will destroy our society from within and reduce us all to drooling imbeciles. I’m certain that, like me, you’re just as tired of this reaction to dog-whistle punditry.

But we can’t shy away from the fact that, indeed, cybernetics are a double-edged sword. By making human augmentation technology free for all, we run the risk of it falling into the hands of distressed and mentally unfit individuals. There’s no denying that augmentations change the way you think about yourself, but no more than one would after cosmetic surgery - and this so-called “cybernetic discognition disorder” seems to be little more than a convenient label slapped on a much deeper problem.

The fact is, adding cybernetic implants to your body will no more destroy your sanity than playing videogames will make you a psychopath; what we must be watchful for are those whose already-fragile mental states will be destabilized further by augmentation.