TGC Article: Brain Implants, Yes or No?

In early 2023, the FDA approved Neuralink’s first brain-computer interface for human use, subsequently allowing a paralyzed patient, Noland Arbaugh, to control a computer cursor with his thoughts alone. This technology represents a genuine medical breakthrough for spinal-cord injuries.

Elon Musk, owner of Neuralink, recently predicted that a million people will have these Neuralink brain implants by 2030, primarily to help paralyzed patients control devices with their thoughts. The company’s first human trials, including Arbaugh, have shown remarkable success: Patients can now play chess, browse the internet, and control computers using only their minds. Neuralink is now testing whether patients can also control robotic arms.

These technologies represent incredible leaps forward in the ability to heal the body, but they also open the door to new questions about the proper limits of human enhancement. Once technology exists to restore lost function, what prevents us from using it to enhance normal function or to attempt to transcend human limitations altogether?

The full article may be found here: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/brain-implant-ethics/