Stephen Hawking Predicted a Race of ‘Superhumans’ To Take Over the World

Among the many grim predictions for our future, Stephen Hawking predicted that a race of Superhumans will rise, and destroy the world as we know it.

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Stephen Hawking, the late British physicist, made several terrifying predictions about Earth’s future, including the rise of powerful artificial intelligence, the potential dangers of searching for aliens, and the devastating impact of global warming. Among these predictions, Hawking also warned of the consequences of rapid advancements in genetic science, which could lead to the creation of a generation of superhumans that could eventually threaten humanity.

Physically enhanced and intellectually superior humans?

Papers reveal Prof. Hawking’s belief that an elite class of physically enhanced and intellectually superior humans could emerge as wealthy individuals choose to edit their DNA and manipulate their descendants’ genetic makeup. In his final book of essays, Brief Answers to the Big Questions, Hawking cautioned that humanity is entering a phase of “self-designed evolution” where DNA changes and improvements become possible.

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Repairing genetic defects

Initially, Hawking suggested that genetic alterations would focus on repairing genetic defects. However, he believed that as science and technology progress, the ability to self-design people would ultimately lead to a divided society. Prof. Hawking wrote that laws would likely be enacted against human genetic engineering. Still, some individuals would not resist the temptation to enhance human characteristics such as memory, disease resistance, and lifespan.

Genetic augmentation

Hawking warned that these “elites” with access to advanced genetic augmentation could clash with natural humans, causing significant societal issues. He argued that unimproved humans would struggle to compete with superhumans, potentially dying out or becoming irrelevant. Instead, he envisioned a race of self-improving beings that would continually enhance themselves ever-increasingly.

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Written by Ivan Petricevic

I've been writing passionately about ancient civilizations, history, alien life, and various other subjects for more than eight years. You may have seen me appear on Discovery Channel's What On Earth series, History Channel's Ancient Aliens, and Gaia's Ancient Civilizations among others.

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