“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl pointed out the importance of free will by stating these words. But what if free will can also be taken away from us?
Humankind has always been in the search of immortality. However, with technological evolution, it seems we are getting closer there each day. Julian Huxley is the first person to ever mention the term “ transhumanism” in his essay of the same name in 1957. It is a cultural and an intellectual movement that aims to improve human conditions through the use of advanced technologies.
With the intent to carry out the purpose of transhumanism, scientists started to speed up the pace of their inventions.
Naweed Syed is the first scientist to connect brain cells to a silicon chip, creating the world's first neurochip. Our brain cells have a unique language of their own to speak with each other. With the help of neurochip, we are now able to decode the language and join the conversation.
The main aim of this invention was to understand the brain and hoping one day to restore sight or language after a stroke, or repair neurons that malfunction in a wide range of brain disorders, from Parkinson's disease to Alzheimer's.
Just 10 years later after the invention of neurochip, Elon Musk just announced that Neuralink’s newest project is to device a brain-implanted chip that would allow a person to choose the mood by balancing off a person's hormone levels. For example, even if we are dithering due to stress, with one command to our brain, we will immediately be able to calm down.
With the growth of technology, the human mind has started to change its functioning and it will keep on changing. Therefore great responsibility lies within law. Controlling emotions would result in controlling thoughts. and it is the decisions we take under different situations that define us.
Free will is not just the ability to choose between different alternatives but to have the right to act upon different circumstances . If one is feeling scared, frightened etc. they have a right to make decisions upon that emotion. However, because of human nature, mankind will try to escape from pain. In the event of a negative emotion they will shut it down. Although it can be argued, neurochips will be non obligatory therefore it is a person's call to use it, no one should be able to deprive themselves from their free will even by their own choice.
Therefore it is under the government's responsibility to protect the citizen sometimes from itself e.g. dwarf tossing case in France. This can only be accomplished with law because otherwise then the government would overstep its space.In the line with principles of fundamental rights, a framework contract should be arranged before it is too late.