The Revolution Has Arrived 9 to handle their own responsibilities without human permissions or inter- vention—the most well-known example for American audiences is likely the Patriot missile battery, which can be placed in full autonomy mode. In that mode, the battery is capable of tracking a target and opening fire, subject to predefined parameters, without seeking human permission. In general, the currently deployed systems with this level of autonomy are in air defense and point defense situations, where human reaction times are simply too slow to allow effective utilization of the weapon. A “cyborg” is a cybernetic organism. Essentially, it is an organic life form that has integrated some aspect of electronic technology to enhance its own capabilities. The term tends to evoke visions of science fiction films, yet it is a term that can be accurately applied to an increasing number of humans. In many ways, cyborgs have become so commonplace as to remain unnoticed, as their cybernetic implants tend to be a means of com- pensating for an organic failure or weakness, rather than any attempt to create inhuman powers. When Dr. William DeVries implanted the world’s first artificial heart, on December 2, 1982, he turned Barney B. Clark into a cyborg. Without the artificial heart, Clark would have died due to acute cardiac failure coupled with the lack of a donor match. Although the implant extended his life only by 112 days, Clark lived those remaining days as a cyborg. One of the most prominent cyborgs in Western society is radio broadcaster Rush Limbaugh. In 2001, he was diagnosed with auto- immune inner-ear disease, a condition that would render him completely deaf and thus unable to continue his hugely successful broadcast career. Instead, doctors performed a cochlear implant, compensating for his body’s inability to hear and allowing him to remain a prominent figure in talk radio. Pleased with the results, he underwent a second procedure to restore hearing in his other ear, in 2014.17 An individual utilizing a prosthetic limb is not considered a cyborg, unless that limb is directly tied into the individual’s remaining organic tis- sue and responds to nerve impulses. Such prosthetics were unimaginable even 30 years ago but are now being used to restore function to wounded military veterans on a regular basis and are beginning to penetrate the civilian market. The public has become both more aware of amputees and more accepting of the use of prosthetics. One need only witness the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team or the Wounded Warrior Amputee Football Team compete (and win) against able-bodied teams to understand the amazing progress that has occurred.18 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE NATURE OF COGNITION What is the nature of thought, and how might it apply to the pursuit of artificial intelligence (AI)? Human thought is one of the most challeng- ing concepts of modern science—and defining it has been the province
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