New Humans
Reality is the most human concept, particularly for architects. Architects are trained to handle the first three dimensions of the universe: length, width, and height (or “xyz”). This is the basis of human reality on earth. But what does reality really mean? Architects design and give purpose to the world we live in by manipulating xyz, just as humans try to navigate through those dimensions to find their own purpose. But what if architecture, and the various professions alike, were being held back by human concepts of “meaning” and “purpose”? What if these concepts are stopping us from unlocking new realities and new dimensions? A better human?
The various theories of the universe: the big bang theory, the string theory, the multiverse, cosmic simulation, etc. all fail to come to a definitive answer because they only serve the human-centric desire to explain our purpose and existence. Instead of trying to find our purpose in the universe, we need to change our definition of purpose away from ourselves and toward something outside ourselves. As we are right now, we cannot fathom a world without us. Existentialism drives us crazy, and we are putting all of our energy into stopping it by backtracking our mistakes. This already assumes we have reached our peak. Maybe the only way to achieve a world with ten or twenty dimensions is to make way for a new type of human race.
In the spirit of architecture, what if we can create and design a new human that can withstand all the flaws, vulnerability, and fragility of our race. From the early humans, to now, we have grown smarter and more innovative as a physical trait. Maybe we have reached our peak, and the world is expelling us because we have to make way for a new species. For example, we have become reliant on technologies and artificial creations such as medicine to keep us alive on an ever changing, chaotic planet.
This change could happen naturally, by itself, or artificially, through design. After all, we are entering the world of genome editing, which is already breaking through the xyz dimensions in microscopic ways. This could make us one of the last “full natural humans” and the world will eventually be filled by artificially enhanced humans to better evolve on a planet that is changing so fast. Although humans are too complex to be made fully artificial, they can enhance bits and pieces of their traits and physical attributes. This could be the key to unlocking the questions we so desire.
