Super Humans vs Dispensable People

This white paper analyses the gap opening between those adopting cognitive, agential and physical augmentation technologies —the super humans— and those left behind —the dispensable people. It argues this gap is not marginal but structural and, without active policies, could generate a civilisational dualism without precedent in the twenty-first century. The operational humanity model is introduced as a measurement tool: a three-dimension index —access, mastery and autonomy— locating a population on a continuous spectrum between the two extremes. Economic consequences (productivity, labour market), social ones (educational and health stratification) and ethical ones (dignity, rights) are discussed. Eight specific public policies are proposed to prevent mass dispensability, with emphasis on Latin American conditions.

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Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-05-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20455314
Primary Topic
Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Super Humans vs Dispensable People

Chris Meniw
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations
article

Super Humans vs Dispensable People

Chris Meniw
article en

Abstract

This white paper analyses the gap opening between those adopting cognitive, agential and physical augmentation technologies —the super humans— and those left behind —the dispensable people. It argues this gap is not marginal but structural and, without active policies, could generate a civilisational dualism without precedent in the twenty-first century. The operational humanity model is introduced as a measurement tool: a three-dimension index —access, mastery and autonomy— locating a population on a continuous spectrum between the two extremes. Economic consequences (productivity, labour market), social ones (educational and health stratification) and ethical ones (dignity, rights) are discussed. Eight specific public policies are proposed to prevent mass dispensability, with emphasis on Latin American conditions.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
CHDI Foundation (US)
Decent work and economic growth
Openalex Percentile: Top 5%
Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations
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