Cyber Heroes

This is a cruel reality.

Technologies that can greatly extend life are unlikely to benefit everyone. "Old people" cannot survive the process of "species renewal".

In order to ensure that the application and promotion of the technology can proceed smoothly, the first batch of recipients of the baseline human genetic modification surgery will only be young people in their prime. And the elderly who are very close to the age that "cannot undergo surgery" are also equivalent to being given up.

For a borderline middle-aged person, "a few years" is too scary. Perhaps due to an illness or something else, he will become an "old man".

Superman Corporation has developed genetic medical technology that can eliminate diseases and fight off aging.

But it doesn't benefit everyone.

There are always some people who will be left out of this history.

And these people may be old people who have dedicated their lives to the operation of human society.

Baseline human genetic modification surgery is conservatively estimated to increase the upper limit of natural human lifespan to four hundred years. In these four hundred years, the "aging" mechanism may be elucidated at the genetic level. Perhaps humans can master gene therapy that completely reverses aging.

Yawgmoth's "Deciphering Enzyme System" achievement has such potential.

In other words, there is a group of people who may miss out on "eternal life" just because they were born two or three years earlier.

Xiangshan felt that this was too cruel.

Jing Hongtu put his crutch aside and sat next to Xiang Shan, watching him wipe away his tears. The old man shook his head: "You are not normal."

Xiangshan didn't know why.

"Is it because of your weakness and entanglement that the entire company's intellectuals have fallen into a sense of meaningless guilt with you? And you also go to a nursing home to do volunteer work... to atone for your sins? This moral outlook is a bit too Christian, right? ." Jing Hongtu looked at Xiang Shan: "You are not normal."

Lower your head to the mountain.

"Let me ask you another question." Jing Hongtu changed his approach: "Are you here today?"

Xiangshan didn't know why.

"Do you want to be the president of the earth? Or the secretary-general of the United Nations? Or one with a high concentration of power."

Xiang Shan shook his head: "Are you kidding..."

"You don't want this power, so why do you have to take on this kind of responsibility that doesn't belong to you? Or is it a deliberate restriction on your part to say that 'the elderly cannot undergo surgery'? Then this is a bit vicious."

Xiang Shan smiled: "This... is a joke."

"You are the one who pushes the world forward, the one who blazes a trail. You are not a savior, an emperor, or a god. It is the responsibility of the family and the community to appease the emotions of the elderly and let them finish the last part of their lives happily. Responsibility is the responsibility of society, but it cannot be your responsibility alone - unless you want to be a savior, emperor or god. Human beings are not your subjects."

Jing Hongtu took a deep breath, then gave up and sighed: "Although I really don't want to die. But the laws of biology and technical conditions are too objective, and I can't help it, right?"

Xiang Shan also sat on the floor, looking up at the ceiling: "But, will our company make those elderly people uneasy during the last part of their journey? 'I am the last batch of human beings to die of aging'..."

"Have you investigated?" Jing Hongtu asked.

Xiang Shan shook his head and smiled bitterly: "There are old people who come to kowtow at the entrance of the company every day. Some even bring their whole families. There are also scolds on the Internet..."

"This cannot be regarded as an investigation, but at most it is an observation. If you have been observing society in a hospital, I am afraid you are not going to draw the conclusion that 'a large proportion of people in this society are suffering from diseases'. You can only conclude that 'a certain temple is on the first day of the Lunar New Year' Using the crowd as a sample, we can draw the conclusion that 'everyone in society is a Buddhist'." Jing Hongtu spread his hands, "You can't understand the truth of statistics, right?"

Xiang Shan sighed and said nothing.

Jing Hongtu also followed his example and looked at the ceiling: "Actually, your mentality of 'I'm not the saint I dreamed of, so I'm ashamed' is not too bad. In every technological wave, old people are left behind. Downloaded. A few years ago, I was one of the first users of smartphones in the Republic. I am very lucky to have caught up with this wave. Then a few years ago, I watched it at the family reunion dinner. An uncle of mine who was in a high position was taught to use a smartphone by his granddaughter. As a result, his hands were shaking and he couldn't even unlock it. I have always disliked my relatives at home, so I was thinking at the time - ha, he also has this day. .”

However, Jing Hongtu didn't smile either.

"Then, my uncle said angrily that this thing is not easy to use at all. How can an old man take public transportation? He has never taken public transportation, and he has secretaries and assistants to help him take care of everything. He has heard that ordinary people use public transportation. He uses his mobile phone to take the bus. If no one reminds him, he won’t remember the fact that the elderly will have special bus passes. He will never feel inconvenienced because he doesn’t know how to use a smartphone.”

"But what about other old people who can't learn? The entire society is moving towards the 'intelligent era'. But there are always people left behind."

"When I was young, there was a joke. 'So-and-so is really great, but he has never played Big Brother'... You may not even know what 'Big Brother' is. It is a technological product from the past. This kind of thing It has become common in the past hundred years. The cycle of technological development has been shorter than the human life cycle. In the past thousands of years, humans would not have encountered such a thing as "unable to adapt to technology." Only in the past few decades That’s why this phenomenon occurs. Traditional morality is no longer suitable for this kind of thing.”

The old man patted Xiang Shan on the shoulder again: "But you are kinder than most people in technology companies. That's not bad. Really. It's just that normal people should see that you serve the other 70% of human beings. It provides a long life, a healthy body, and a bright future. This merit is immeasurable."

Xiang Shan said nothing.

"Do you still remember what I said to you two years ago...ah, before you took over as the head of Rama's R\u0026D department?" Jing Hongtu said suddenly.

"Huh? Oh, remember."

"I definitely didn't remember it. I said at the time, 'How can reforming the old and reforming the old be completely clean and without a single ink stain?' If you really want to be picky and demanding on yourself, think about this sentence carefully. . Besides, you shouldn’t be trapped in this—morality has tamed you into a docile domestic animal, so how can you get rid of the old habits?”

Xiangshan's glasses quickly gave a prompt: "Ah, Nietzsche..."

"Yes, he said something similar. What's wrong? Don't you like it? The name of your company is slightly related to him."

"Ah, this. I am a purely technical transhumanist... After all, I am a person related to the Nazi trend of thought." Xiang Shan shook his head, "I don't like it very much."

"Yes, you are a technicalist and a rationalist. I have also watched your public lectures at the university. You admire rationality very much." Jing Hongtu nodded: "But this is a strong spiritual medicine for you. . Some of Nietzsche’s views are wrong, and his philosophy is indeed the most easily misused thing. But vaccines are also harmful antigens, right? Yes or no?"

Jing Hongtu wanted to stand up from the ground, but it was a bit difficult. Xiangshan hurriedly helped the old man up.

"Okay, come with me. I want to give you something." Jing Hongtu walked toward the study, murmuring: "Nietzsche is the easiest person to misuse things. He advocated actively transforming oneself,' right Everything is revalued'. He is actually exploring the path of 'living a happy life' - in science, a wrong exploration is also valuable, isn't it? Our ultimate ideal is 'the free association of people', is' Each person's freedom is different from the freedom of all people. But it can be used as a kind of stone for others, a kind of supplement. If you are addicted to ancient morality and want to be a perfect person, you should do something fierce like this. medicine."

"You are already a person standing at the forefront of history, and you will face many questions in the future that history cannot give you 'known answers'. You should not be defeated by your own weakness."

Jing Hongtu skillfully pulled out a few books from the bookshelf. The old man's bookshelf is very big. Xiangshan rarely reads anymore. For him, the most advanced knowledge is either in his own projects or in the minds of his friends. But Jing Hongtu's book records something different.

"Let's take a look. Instead of reading it as a philosophy book, it can also be read as a literature book." Jing Hongtu said. Then, he hesitated and pulled out another book.

Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

"I'd better give you this book as well, lest you misunderstand and take the wrong path." Jing Hongtu said: "This novel is the result of the misuse and abuse of Nietzsche's philosophy. In addition, you should also pay attention to Let’s look at another trend of thought that conflicts with the ‘Superman Thought’.”

Raskolnikov, a poor college student, was pushed to the limit by society and life. He did not want to be manipulated by others, he wanted to become a "strong man", he wanted to transcend the morality of the past and become a "superman". And the way he chose to "transform" was to kill a ruthless loan shark. However, after killing the loan shark and her innocent family, Raskolnikov was tortured by his conscience. In the end, he was inspired by traditional religion, surrendered to the police station, and regained his life.

Jing Hongtu stroked the cover of the book: "What goes against this extreme trend of thought is 'tradition' and 'culture'. You seem to hate this kind of thing? Yes, I hate it too. But you have to admit that they To a certain extent, it can hedge against the risk of extreme thoughts. I do not deny your ambition to improve culture. Nor am I worried that you will make mistakes in this regard - Ms. Granat is still fighting side by side with you. However, from other perspectives Think about things from different angles. You could do it before, don’t lose this ability now.”

"And...yes, there is this one."

Xiang Shan looked at the top book in the pile of books in his hand: ""Better Angels in Human Nature"?"

"Written by a conservative professor from the United States." Jing Hongtu sighed: "Real progressives will not put forward any moral requirements to people. For example, you should love each other and have a spirit of self-sacrifice - - No. Those are fanatical believers who launch religious jihad. Their world is full of love and sacrifice. Those who want to liberate mankind do not sacrifice themselves in order to be reincarnated in heaven. We choose self-sacrifice because under objective conditions this It is the most appropriate path, the realization of their self-worth. They stand with the public, not because the public are 'weak', not out of moral sympathy, but because they believe that the public is a more progressive class and is 'without The Awakened Strong'.”

"Of course, the reason why they are desperate to promote progress is because... they will see the bottomless abyss of human nature. The old society constructed by old morality will not be tender in their eyes, but cruel. It does not make progress. If it doesn’t, there will be no light.”

"Conservatives are not like that. In their eyes, the current world is good enough. Perhaps from the perspective of the length of an individual's life, human civilization has its ups and downs. But from the overall perspective of history, human beings are making progress. There are some problems in human nature. Good angels, there is goodness, love and light in every era. So they will not rush to the future like progressives. They have a tender past."

Xiang Shan was a little confused: "Are you telling me... not to go too fast?"

"No." Jing Hongtu shook his head: "You did really well, better than I imagined. But I also know that you will encounter more tests in the future. But you are facing the questions about human nature and history. When making a decision, you might as well think about these points. You can see the abyss in your own heart, and you can see the pain of others. However, you might as well try to believe that there are a few good angels above the abyss. Stay optimistic, you have to stay optimistic. , Xiaoxiang.”

This chapter is longer than usual.