HYPE OR PARADIGM SHIFT?So where is all of this new and powerful technology taking humanity?The answer depends on who you ask.Having more energy or even more intelligence or stamina is not the end point of the enhancement project, many transhumanists say.Some futurists, such as Kurzweil, talk about the use of machines not only to dramatically increase physical and cognitive abilities but to fundamentally change the trajectory of human life and experience.For instance, Kurzweil predicts that by the 2040s, the first people will upload their brains into the cloud, “living in various virtual worlds and even avoiding aging and evading death.”

Futurist and inventor Ray Kurzweil predicts that by the 2040s the first people will upload their brains into the cloud, “living in various virtual worlds and even avoiding aging and evading death.” (Credit: Getty Images)

Kurzweil – who has done more than anyone to popularize the idea that our conscious selves will soon be able to be “uploaded” – has been called everything from “freaky” to “a highly sophisticated crackpot.” But in addition to being one of the world’s most successful inventors, he has – if book sales and speaking engagements are any indication – built a sizable following for his ideas.