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The death penalty is one of America's most contentious issues. Critics complain that capital punishment is inhumane, pointing out how some executions have failed to quickly kill criminals (and instead tortured them). Supporters of the death penalty fire back saying capital punishment deters violent crime in society and serves justice to wronged victims. Complicating the matter is that political, ethnic, and religious lines don't easily distinguish death penalty advocates from its critics. In fact, only 31 states even allow capital punishment, so America is largely divided on the issue.
Regardless of the debate, technology will change the entire conversation in the next 10 to 20 years, rendering many of the most potent issues obsolete. For example, it's likely we will have cranial implants in two decades time that will be able to send signals to our brains that manipulate our behaviors. Those implants will be able to control out-of-control tempers and violent actions—and maybe even unsavory thoughts. This type of tech raises the obvious question: Instead of killing someone who has committed a terrible crime, should we instead alter their brain and the way it functions to make them a better person?
Recently, the commercially available Thync device made headlines for being able to alter our moods. Additionally, nearly a half million people already have implants in their heads, most to overcome deafness, but some to help with Alzheimer's or epilepsy. So the technology to change behavior and alter the brain isn't science fiction. The science, in some ways, is already here—and certainly poised to grow, especially with Obama's $3 billion dollar BRAIN initiative, of which $70 million went to DARPA, partially for cranial implant research.
Vice.com is the home of the original article.
[Company Website]: THYNC
(Score: 3, Insightful) by riT-k0MA on Friday July 24 2015, @08:03AM
While brain implants sound like an awesome idea, how do we regulate implants?
If this enables the control of the most violent members of society, someone may one day decide that implants are the perfect tool to "prevent sedition".
Imagine a law mandating that every adult must have a device implanted in their skulls at the age of 18, just in case they "may become violent or mentally disturbed later in life". Anyone who resists or objects is arrested and not only has the device implanted, but has the inplant activated so that they are unable to even think of deactivating or removing the device.
Now imagine that the government does something unpopular, like passing a law that the bans the ingestion of caffeine. A massive crowd of people gathers near the capitol in protest of this new law. A police drone flies overhead and broadcasts an "anti sedition" signal. The implanted devices are activated, altering the very minds of the protesters, reshaping their neural anatomy until they are docile and incapable of protesting further.
The potential for abuse of these implants is very very high. How do we prevent wide-scale abuse of these devices?
Knowing that this type of technology will be abused at some stage, should we even try to research it?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by t-3 on Friday July 24 2015, @08:08AM
Brain control is really something that shouldn't be touched as long as the concept of government exists.
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 24 2015, @05:55PM
The concept of government will exist for as long as the concept of large groups of humans living together exists.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 24 2015, @09:49AM
G-23 Paxilon Hydrochlorate
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 24 2015, @09:55AM
This will never happen because insurance companies will never cover the cost of the procedure.
(Score: 1) by riT-k0MA on Friday July 24 2015, @10:15AM
What if it makes the drone more risk-adverse, therefore lowering the likelihood of an insurance claim?
(Score: 3, Touché) by githaron on Friday July 24 2015, @01:09PM
They will when they get the implant!
(Score: 2) by davester666 on Saturday July 25 2015, @08:10AM
The government could not write a cheque fast enough to have one of these devices stuffed into every single unconvicted criminal living in the community.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 24 2015, @01:06PM
This reminds be of the Nebari from Farscape.
(Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday July 24 2015, @04:50PM
It will be interpreted as 'the mark of the beast' by religious people, who I hope would either flee or revolt.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Friday July 24 2015, @06:12PM
The Mark of the Beast isn't a brain control issue. It's an identification issue. An RFID tag under your skin might actually qualify as that. Depending on what that RFID tag is used for.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"