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If this technique can relieve pain it can likely also cause it, and also cause pleasure. So it has the potential to become a technology for human puppetry. Or f
by hirundo 5y ago
If this technique can relieve pain it can likely also cause it, and also cause pleasure. So it has the potential to become a technology for human puppetry. Or for self abuse, as in Larry Niven's wireheads. It isn't hard to imagine various modern regimes willing to implant control devices into prisoners, criminal or political.
- lumost 5y agoThere are a lot of regulatory concerns with these technologies due to this fear. Deep Brain Stimulation implants see the patient growing steadily accustomed to greater levels of stimulation - withdrawing the stimulation triggers deep existential depression. This isn't as significant of a concern with a patient who has chronic untreatable major depression. But there is a legitimate fear that these implants could be used to disastrous effects on healthy individuals.
- after_care 5y agoWe can already cause pain or pleasure easily. This isn’t anything new. Think about how long the history of torture is.
- hirundo 5y agoThat's like, we can already print books, so digitizing them isn't anything new. Or, we can already walk from San Francisco to New York, a transcontinental railway isn't anything new.
- JohnHaugeland 5y agoSo your suggestion to make this seem safer is to say "it's like torture so we already have it?"