Gigante di ferro o cuore di ciccia? RIflessioni sull'incarnazione tecnologica e sull'Homo Cyberneticus

The progress of bionic and robotic biotechnology for both therapeutic and enhancement goals forces us to investigate the intersection of healthcare, ethics, and philosophy in the context of human augmentation. As the "cyborg" is progressively becoming a concrete possibility, new bioethical questions about the growing integration of technology into the human body are rising. Drawing attention to the most recent breakthroughs, such as a fully implantable bionic skin with wireless sensory capabilities, the aim is not only to explore the effective potential impact on individuals' lives, addressing issues of health monitoring, comfort, and extended capabilities but also to address the concept of embodiment: both promises and threats of an increased level of integration and acceptance of biotechnological enhancement must be highlighted. Since the pursuit of this progress is not merely “to wear” these advancements but to seamlessly integrate them, blurring the distinction between the biological body and the augmented one, both scientists and humanists need to focus on the need for a deeper understanding of the human brain's capacity to adapt to such enhancements. Thus, the speculation on the future trajectory of human-robot fusion helps to spot the most compelling questions regarding the most profound changes in the human experience of health and wellness. Some of these have yet to be formulated, even though they represent the most concrete and "human" challenge that cybernetic humans will present to us: how will the relationship of care vary in the presence of an increasingly bionic body? Which parts of our bodies will still be able to feel pain? Will we still have an aging body? Or will we rather speak of a body that is progressively malfunctioning because it is poorly designed? Will physicians become more and more like precision mechanics? How will the language of health, care and well-being change?