Microchips are not a new invention as it been around since 1959. However, it wasn’t until recent times when people have started to implant microchips in their bodies for medical purposes and store data. In our scenario of 2050, and our prototype, we explored how microchips worked and the ethical issues associated with this technology. For the interview, I decided to focus on the ethics of microchip implants in humans, by exploring religion and cultural perspectives of this technology. To explore the cultural aspect, I interviewed my dad Ken Ng, a cultural man who is set on traditions. I then interviewed a university student, Tim who is a Christian.
From both individuals, I gained quite some insight on cultural and religion views of ethics regarding microchip implants.
1. What do you think defines a person?
Personal values, experience, understanding of world, identity (what shapes them), characteristic (physical, social, psychological), attitudes and behaviours based on their actions
2. What do you think about microchips embedded in our bodies to store data? Do you think it is right or wrong?
Ken: It is not right because it means that there is no more privacy, and it feels like we are being controlled. Culturally, people do not like to be controlled, we all like freedom.
Tim: I think it’s wrong because everyone has free rights and speech. I believe people do not need microchips to store data because they have mindset that can continually grow through learning and experience. It also limits and restricts the persons’ right to do things.
3. How does this concept conflict with your culture/traditions or religion?
Ken: In Chinese tradition, people like to have their bodies un-touch or unblemished. We have a saying that is “Even in death, we must have a complete body,” that is, that no subtracted parts or additional parts which can effect the body. So if microchips are embedded in our bodies, it means we are ‘adding’ something new, so it is culturally unacceptable.
Tim: Placing a microchip in our body definitely conflicts with religion as God created us in a specific way. He gives us freedom to take care of others and ourselves. By implanting something in our body, we are no longer created in god’s image and that we are altering ourselves.
A biblical reference to support this idea is in Genesis. So God created the world in seven days, and he mentions that humans need to look after and take care of the animals and Earth. It also mentions that God created us in our mothers’ wombs and that we are uniquely made. God tells us to love him, others and ourselves, so implanting a microchip in our body conflicts with religion as it means we are causing harm to ourselves and creates distrust among people.
4. There is an increasing amount of parents who place microchips into their children, so they can track their children’s whereabouts. Do you think it is ethical for the parents to do this? Why?
Ken: I do not think microchips should be placed in humans in general, so for parents to put microchips in children, I think it is unethical. Parents are obligated to protect their children, but they do not have a right to implant a microchip into their bodies to protect them as microchip causes more harm than good.
Tim: No, because when children become 18, they become independent and have their own values and perceptions on things. They are not artificial; they are humans and have their own rights. Micro-chipping them may harm them as it may cause infection and contamination due to hormones reacting.
5. What do you think this technology will lead society into?
Ken: It can make people’s lives easier as it is more convenient to track the location of people. However, not everyone will like being micro-chipped. There is also the issue of data hacking associated with this technology and it could lead to distrust among people. Spies can also be placed in society to expose other people’s data for money and this would lead to a corrupted society.
Tim: Implanted microchips will eventually lead to the downfall of society. It is a pattern of human destruction as it will wipe out the race and hence alter behaviours of being a human. So humans will become cyborgs. Microchips can also degrade and rust, so it would bring diseases and illness into society. Even for medical purposes it is not good, as nature should be left untouched.
6. Data hacking will become common in the future. What do you think about the concept of making your brain unconscious to protect your own data?
Ken: If our data is stored on the microchip and to protect ourselves we must make ‘shut down’, I think it a major problem because we are being forced to do something we do not want to do. We become computerized and less human. People may want to hack us because they do not like us and when they are successful in hacking to change our data or identity, we may become confused about who we are. If this happens, it could lead to psychological damage that lead us to suicide or self-harm. Self-harm to the body is considered a sin in religion, so it is unethical.
Tim: It is not right to be able to make yourself unconscious because in religion, God will be the judge, whether we make ourselves ‘shut down’ our minds or not.
Humans are sinful and no one is perfect, so shutting down is unethical.
Good News bible 1994, Revised Edition, The bible society in Australia, Minto, NSW
Interviewee: Ken Ng, Tim
Kaplan, F. 2009, ‘When America First met the microchip’, Slate, 18 June, viewed 21 October 2014, <http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2009/06/when_america_first_met_the_microchip.html>
Pencil N’ Paper 2008, photographed by B. DeBrincat, Flickr, viewed 23 October 2014, <https://www.flickr.com/photos/quacktaculous/3143079032/>
PENDING // 