The Mech Touch novel Chapter 3919

Chapter 3919 Ves the Transhumanist

The Mech Trade Association certainly attracted its fair share of weirdos.

From radicals that sought to disband the Big Two to reactionaries that wanted to freeze the status quo forever, the MTA was filled with ideologies of almost every stripe!

After a bit of thought, Ves did not find this strange gathering to be incomprehensible. The absence of a traditional governing institution did not result in the removal of politics.

It simply adapted to the latest structure and continued to ply its trade!

Whenever there was a situation where resources were scarce, different groups and people had to compete against each other to determine how to allocate them. The reality of politics was that a win for one faction often came at the expense of another faction.

Ves wondered where the Transhumanist Faction ranked.

Given their interest and involvement in promoting high-ranking mech pilots and mech designers, he did not believe the Transhumanists were marginalized.

On the other hand, people like Master Termaneo Dervidian made no secret of how they equated mechs to human bodies and vice versa. This was a rather extreme stance that deviated from the core premise that mechs existed to work for humanity.

Instead, the Transhumanists wanted mechs to become humanity!

This was a whole different belief that generated a lot of difficult and uncomfortable questions.

Ves couldn't help but change the way he regarded the Transhumanist Faction. Before this meeting, he still thought that the Transhumanists were rather reasonable. After all, they were the main interest group behind the development of god pilots and Star Designers.

Now, he learned that this was not their only preoccupation. Their core focus was nothing less than promoting the wholesale evolution of the human race!

Whether the Transhumanists wanted to turn everyone into sentient mechs or human-sized monsters, it was clear that they did not value humanity in its original form in the slightest!

Master Dervidian was sharp enough to recognize the discomfort and rejection in Ves' demeanor. This was not an unusual reaction from people who learned how far the Transhumanists were willing to go to shed their weak human forms.

"What do you think transhumanism means, Mr. Larkinson?"

Ves furrowed his brows. "Transhumanism stands for transcending human limitations. The goal is to become more than what we originally were. I can understand why people would want to get better to the point of breaking past our baseline parameters, but why take it this far?"

"Why not? Why settle for a smaller improvement when a larger improvement is within reach? Turning humans into life forms that more closely match mechs conveys many more advantages than a simple gene optimization treatment. If you can choose between becoming two times smarter or ten times smarter, why not settle for the latter?"

"Because the more you move away from your original form, the more you lose your humanity."

"Hahaha! That time is already past, Mr. Larkinson!" Master Dervidian laughed. "Look at us! I am a Master Mech Designer while you are a Journeyman Mech Designer. Do you truly think that we could have reached our ranks and made so many accomplishments if we were normal human beings? Could we truly master so much knowledge and apply them in ways that most humans cannot even begin to understand with all of the advanced genetic treatments, organ replacements and cybernetic implantations that we have received?!"

Ves was taken aback! While he instinctively wanted to refute the Master's words, he knew in his heart that he would only be lying if he spoke out in this fashion.

"You… may have a point, Master. That doesn't mean we should recklessly change the nature of our existence without any restraint or caution. The Age of Conquest has taught us many awful lessons about the dangers of going too far with human augmentation. We turned many humans into monsters that had become so detached from humanity that they turned into beasts that only maintained the facade of humans. What your faction is working towards can turn out just as bad if not worse!"

Master Dervidian sighed. Critics always brought up the Age of Conquest as a cautionary tale. It was one of the greatest arguments that hindered the interests of the Transhumanist Faction.

"There is no denying that too many scientists who were eager to shed their weaknesses have moved too quickly and failed to account for the repercussions of their rushed innovations. The climate is much different nowadays. Several hundreds of years have passed since those abuses came to an end. Our faction is actually one of the greatest proponents of regulating the market for human augmentation. We believe in sustainable development and would never wish to subject humans to changes that turn them into monsters. By and large, we have succeeded. The market for genetic treatments and implants is thriving more than ever and the proportion of augmented humans in our society is growing with each passing generation."

Although the Master sounded reasonable, Ves could not shake off his inherent suspicion and disgust towards excessive augmentation.

Dervidian gestured towards Ves. "Your attitude towards this issue is a relic of your humble upbringing. Research shows that citizens who grow up in less prosperous regions are often more negatively predisposed towards augmentation. Your third-class rimlander background is limiting your perspective. You still retain much of the ignorant opinions of those who reject augmentation not because they are disgusted by it, but because they envy individuals who can more readily afford them. Since augmentations are rare in remote third-rate states, it is natural for the general public to hold a negative sentiment towards this issue. I would have thought your experiences and your exposure to other facets of human society has led you to correct your outdated cultural norms."

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