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In the near future, developments in bio-enhancement technologies will not only alter how we make a living, communicate, and interact with each other but will offer direct and precise control over our own physical and mental states. People will be able to sculpt their own selfhood over time, reshaping their bodies, augmenting their cognition, micromanaging their emotions and moods, and reconfiguring their character and personality. In this captivating series from Michael Bess, author of Our Grandchildren, Redesigned: Life in the Bioengineered Society of the Near Future, you'll explore the promise and peril of tinkering with human bodies and identities. In these twenty-eight illuminating lectures, you'll examine the challenges posed to human civilization by developments in pharmaceuticals, bioelectronics, and genetics. Using an interdisciplinary approach, you'll tackle a series of provocative questions, including the following: -To what extent can human personhood be modified before it begins to break down? -What would be the likely social and cultural consequences if practices of human redesign were to be widely adopted? -How much can we control the direction in which science, medicine, and technology are taking our civilization?