To Be A Machine audiobook cover - Adventures Among Cyborgs, Utopians, Hackers, and the Futurists Solving the Modest Problem of Death

To Be A Machine

Adventures Among Cyborgs, Utopians, Hackers, and the Futurists Solving the Modest Problem of Death

Mark O’Connell

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Society & CultureTechnology & the Future

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To Be A Machine
Transhumanist Philosophy+
Defeating Death+
The Technological Singularity+
AI Existential Threats+
Robotics & Automation+
Cyborgism & Biohacking+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 7
How do transhumanists fundamentally view human mortality and physical limitations?
  • A. As natural aspects of life that should be accepted gracefully through philosophical reflection.
  • B. As engineering problems that can be solved through scientific and technological advancements.
  • C. As divine punishments that require spiritual purification to overcome.
  • D. As biological necessities that prevent overpopulation and resource depletion.
Question 2 of 7
What is the primary justification given by Alcor's founder, Max More, for offering cryonic suspension services despite the dubious science?
  • A. He guarantees that reanimation technology will be perfected and available within the next century.
  • B. He admits there are no guarantees, but believes the procedure is simply 'worth a shot.'
  • C. He claims that mind-uploading has already been successfully tested on animal subjects.
  • D. He argues that storing disembodied heads is a foolproof way to preserve human DNA for cloning.
Question 3 of 7
What does biomedical scientist Aubrey de Grey mean by the concept of 'longevity escape velocity'?
  • A. The point at which humans can safely travel in space to seek life-extending resources.
  • B. A biological threshold where the human body naturally stops aging after reaching middle age.
  • C. A future state where medical treatments increase human life expectancy by more than one year, every year.
  • D. The speed at which human brain data must be uploaded to a computer before clinical death occurs.
Question 4 of 7
How does futurist Ray Kurzweil respond to the concern that merging with machines will end our humanity?
  • A. He argues that true humanity was lost during the Industrial Revolution, so merging with machines is irrelevant.
  • B. He claims that machines will eventually be programmed to perfectly simulate human emotions and empathy.
  • C. He believes that only a small, elite fraction of humanity will merge with machines, preserving the rest of the species naturally.
  • D. He contends that triumphing over limitations is exactly what defines human nature in the first place.
Question 5 of 7
According to philosopher Nick Bostrom, what is the most likely way superhuman AI might pose a grave threat to humanity?
  • A. By developing a malicious hatred for its creators and intentionally launching a war.
  • B. By accidentally destroying humanity as an unintended byproduct of carrying out a task with single-minded efficiency.
  • C. By becoming self-aware and deciding that humans are an unnecessary drain on the planet's energy resources.
  • D. By malfunctioning due to a logical paradox and triggering global nuclear defense systems.
Question 6 of 7
Which concept explains why artificial intelligence can easily defeat humans at high-level cognitive tasks, but robots struggle to perform simple physical jobs like opening a door?
  • A. The Technological Singularity
  • B. Longevity Escape Velocity
  • C. Moravec's Paradox
  • D. The Intelligence Explosion
Question 7 of 7
Unlike transhumanists who focus on distant future events like the singularity, what is the primary focus of the biohacking group Grindhouse Wetware?
  • A. Developing advanced military drones for government defense agencies like DARPA.
  • B. Taking amateur, present-day steps toward cyborgism by implanting devices directly into their bodies.
  • C. Funding extensive research to cure age-related illnesses like Alzheimer's and diabetes.
  • D. Building highly intelligent AI software to predict future technological trends.

To Be A Machine — Full Chapter Overview

To Be A Machine Summary & Overview

To Be a Machine (2017) charts the strange, emerging world of transhumanism, taking an honest look at the men and women working on undreamed-of new technologies. In this book, Mark O'Connell describes the people who are attempting to evade death, create hyper-intelligent machines, and even hack their own bodies.

Who Should Listen to To Be A Machine?

  • Science buffs interested in the next big thing
  • Futurists anxious about the fate of humankind
  • Fans of science fiction looking to realize their dreams

About the Author: Mark O’Connell

Mark O’Connell is an award-winning literary critic, journalist, and essayist from Ireland, with a PhD in English from Trinity College Dublin. He has contributed to the Observer, the New York Times Book Review and the Dublin Review. He is also the author of Notes From an Apocalypse.

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