Limitless movie From a transhumanism perspective

June 30, 2017 | Autor: Matías Marceillac | Categoria: Neuroscience, Transhumanism, Transhumanism/Posthumanism
Share Embed


Descrição do Produto

THIS ARTICLE IS A CONTRIBUTION TO http://hpluspedia.org Humanity+ wiki

Limitless

Contents
1 Transhumanist content
2 Technical credibility
3 Moral evaluation
4 References
Transhumanist content
Eddie Morra, a struggling author suffering from writer's block, is stressed by an approaching deadline. His girlfriend, frustrated with his lack of progress and financial dependence, breaks up with him. Later, Eddie happens to run into a sample of a new "smart drug", NZT-48. After taking the pill, Eddie finds himself able to learn and analyse at a superhuman rate and recall memories from his distant past. Under the influence of NZT-48, he cleans his messy apartment and writes ninety pages of his book. Later, testing his analytical skills on the stock market, Eddie quickly makes large returns on small investments. Realizing he requires more capital, he borrows one hundred thousand dollars from a Russian loan shark and successfully makes a return of two million dollars. At this point the character basically begins to win reputation and lots of money.
All his progress begins to break into pieces when Eddie starts experiencing hallucinations and the sense of time skipping forward, noticing that several hours have suddenly passed of which he has no memory. He later discovers that after stopping dosing this drug, people begin to die.
Later in the film, by using his enhanced intelligence, Eddie discovers means to improve NZT-48 to avoid its side-effects.
Technical credibility
There are already drugs (stimulants) on the market or black market that enhance mental capacity without losing control of the rational mind. But as in the plot of the move, nothing comes without any disadvantage. Obviously these stimulants are not like in the movie and have multiple wanted or unwanted side-effects, but are capable enough to add efficiency. See Cognitive enhancement.
If there will be some big brain-enhancing drug, in the next years, neuroscience has to have advanced a lot to make this possible.
Moral evaluation
The character is a normal person, with objectives he can't accomplish because of his hard circumstances like a lot of people on this planet. The drug in this case helps him, not only to accomplish his objectives, but to gain an enormous mental capacity, making him an idol to the people around him and making him accomplish almost impossible things. But again there is no "magic drug". The body has resistance and all drugs come with drawbacks. If in any near future, a magic pill like that, appears without any side-effect or any abstinence symptom, all people would become happy and gifted. It would potentially be an utopia that would never stop advancing.
References
Limitless on ImDB
A review of Limitless from a transhumanist perspective


Lihat lebih banyak...

Comentários

Copyright © 2017 DADOSPDF Inc.