Pour la vraie liberté et notre plein potentiel, brisons la servitude de nos limites naturelles. Le transhumanisme nous libère de cette 'basse-cour' biologique par la technologie. L'appel de Sartre devient alors un combat existentiel, pas seulement politique, contre ces limites.

For example, if a modification posed a clear risk to the unmodified public (e.g., making someone an asymptomatic carrier for a dangerous new virus), does the individual's right to modify still take precedence? How do we balance radical bodily autonomy with public health?

This brings up a classic question in rights-based ethics: where does the right of the individual intersect with the well-being of the collective?

That's a very clear and powerful stance, grounding the right to self-modification in the sovereignty of the self ("I am always I") and inherent human rights.

So a question re: burnout for scholars might be: How do you maintain alignment with your own personal or professional story when your daily work is the academic analysis and deconstruction of humanity's most powerful meaning and creating stories? It seems like a profound challenge.

This makes me think about the power of "story" itself. Religions are arguably humanity's most powerful and enduring narrative technologies. They provide a coherent story for the cosmos, our place in it, and how to live a framework for alignment on a civilizational scale.

This is a fascinating topic. My own personal "alignment" comes from a deep trust in the Scientific Method: if evidence shows a hypothesis is wrong, I accept the evidence and adjust my understanding. It’s a grounding narrative for navigating reality.

Your second question, gets right to the heart of the matter. It's the classic "brain in a vat" problem, isn't it? It forces us to ask if a self is merely its raw materials?

I'll turn your fantastic question back to blue sky ether/cosmos:

Does consciousness require a body?

These are two excellent points, thank you. You're absolutely right that "perfect replica" is a philosophical shortcut, and grounding this in the reality of a "functional replica" and our current scientific unknowns is crucial.

From your original perspective, is that new being also you, or is it a separate consciousness that is simply a perfect copy?

Most excellent way to frame it, the self as a reproducible 'sensation.' thought experiment:

If we created a perfect synthetic replica of one’s brain, and both it and one’s original brain were active at the same time, would/should they would both experience the identical 'sensation' of being you.

Potential for universal narrative/story - Is there another word or concept that conveys crime as a foundational concept?

Agree with your premise 100% - a thought that entered my mind was how potential for cultural bias might be fundamental when considering crime. Humans (i am coming to believe) are story driven creatures - we exist (potentially/thinking through details) through story and narrative.

Il n’y a pas d’athées dans les tranchées et très peu ou pas de politiciens honnêtes à plusieurs termes - l’humanité est éternellement vulnérable au pouvoir...