Synthesize or...

Technological augmentation is a concept which is strange to many people. Some accept the word blindly because it sounds like a cool idea, and some reject it completely because it sounds abnormal and unethical. Others are willing to devote much of their energy to creating novel areas of study centered around technologically augmenting the human body, in the hope that one day the human species will be more than human. Either way, all of these scenarios suggest that reasoning through abstract concepts is the best way to dissect them, and eventually accept or reject them. I propose that this is not the case. If the Pathways to Innovation class at Mines has taught me anything this semester, it is that solutions to problems and dialogues are not the product of logic alone. What people do not understand, or often forget, is that we are a multifaceted species that has developed to understand more than simply logic. We have grown to be able to dissect important issues with our emotions and dreams, yet a large portion of humanity neglects these tools. This is why humanity's evolution has appeared to stagnate in recent years. As a privileged group, we must act as catalysts to remove this stagnation. It is important that we spread our knowledge of these cognitive tools to those that are ignorant of their potential, in order for better solutions to current and future problems can rise to acceptance.