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A New York Times article about a beam being developed to turn brain cells on and off (one already shown to work in animals) seems to take a “gee whiz, science is neat” tone, but I can’t look at it that way, because what I see in that sort of technology is a weapon. A weapon to change the way you think, the way you behave, the person you are.

The tipoff for me is this sentence: “Some day, the remote-control technology might even serve as a treatment for neurological and psychiatric disorders.” The article then goes on to cite doctors who would like to use the technology to “cure” autism. This isn’t just a problem for those of us who advocate neurodiversity: consider that those labeled as having a mental disorder make an ideal test population. If something goes wrong (or right) and the person’s mind is destroyed, no one will notice, because “they were crazy anyway”. If something goes right (or wrong) and the person becomes totally conformist or obedient to authority, it is called a cure. Once you figure out how to manage that, you have something you can use on a broader population.

I don’t mean to be alarmist, but ask yourself who you would trust with the ability to change your mind.

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