Lovers of futuristic thrillers take heart. Eric C. Leuthardt, M.D. is a neurosurgeon and biomedical engineer who has penned a thriller about a future in which neuroprosthetics have the potential to take over the human body. In this interview, Leuthardt talks about the story behind “RedDevil 4” and the potential for a future in which neuroprosthetics are as common as cell phones.
“For me it’s about creating the future,” said Leuthardt. “I think being a futurist is not simply about prognostication—trying to see what’s coming. It’s about seeing what the world can be and making that happen. Fundamentally it’s about having a vision and a plan. All the things that I am doing are in various ways fitting into that plan.”
The science of neuroprosthetics is one filled with moral implications and arguments. The decision to enter the field was not one Leuthardt entered into lightly. He said, “When I started working on creating neuroprosthetics I looked at it strategically. I had to think about the science, the economics, and the social implications of unlocking the mind with brain computer interfaces. If I was going to make that happen I had to create the technology then I had to convince the scientific and medical community that this was meaningful—hence the lab and research. Beyond that, I also had to convince the market that neuroprosthetic approaches also made sense. Finally, I wanted the world at large to really think about what a world with neuroprosthetics looks like, which was the founding notion for ‘RedDevil 4.’”
Leuthardt, even though he has been immersed in the technology, also felt that his main focus for “RedDevil 4” should be to tell a good story. “Beyond the philosophic foundations,” he said, “I wanted to have something that people found viscerally interesting, something that held them and captivated them both intellectually and emotionally. Also, some of the scenes that are jolting are intended to never let you forget some of the cautions that I have about neuroprosthetics. I think the notion of losing one’s autonomy is something that we as humans fundamentally fear.”
The impacts of the technological changes combined with the fear Leuthardt mentioned will likely dramatically change the landscape of human behavior. But, Leuthardt sees hope. “People will still be complex, selfish, sometimes noble, and often conflicted,” he said. “Our fundamental needs and drives for self-preservation, esteem, recognition, socialization, and companionship will be largely the same. What will change will be the technological manifestations of those human drivers. There will be new capabilities that will lead to different, sometimes fascinating and sometimes horrifying, actualizations of our fundamental neurobiology. I wanted to explore the new strengths, weaknesses, and unforeseen dangers in this new future.”
One of those dangers Leuthardt is concerned about is demonstrated in a scene in which one of his characters has his body taken over by his neuroprosthetic. Leuthardt said, “The fear of ‘possession’ has been with us since the dawn of time. ‘RedDevil 4’ takes that concept to a new level in a modern technological context. The other theme that moves through my book is how we deal with our creations. Whether it be father and sons, our technical inventions, or the things that we make by accident, that relationship has always been fraught with peril. Where Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, highlighted the danger of human arrogance, my approach was to highlight the danger of complexity. What happens when the technology we create becomes so advanced we cannot foresee, not what we will create, but what it will create?”
Leuthardt is hoping “RedDevil 4” will spark a debate about the science and issues surrounding neuroprosthetics, whether those issues are the value of experiencing other worlds or the threat of having a machine control your body.
“While most people think science is derived from data and facts there is a huge role that belief plays in whether people change their mind,” said Leuthardt. “Often I have seen scientists see a certain set of data and simply say, ‘I can’t believe that.’ So when trying to approach ground-breaking ideas one really has to see themselves as the missionary—a person who evangelizes their ideas to convert, not just one person, but a whole community to a new line of thinking. Similarly, whether it be the Bible or other religious texts, so many complex ideas about our existence and our world view are told in the form of stories. Stories that we can identify with and talk about. With my first novel the purpose was to create something that starts a conversation about the future of human machine interactions and artificial intelligence.”
According to Leuthardt, “RedDevil 4” informs us of a not-too-distant world. He calls it “a world where we can decide what are the limits, what are the boundaries of what is okay and not okay.”
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Eric C. Leuthardt, MD, is a practicing neurosurgeon at Washington University in St. Louis and a recognized pioneer in the field of neuroprosthetics. He also leads a center that delves into how the brain encodes information and develops brain computer interfaces—device that people can control with their thoughts. Learn more about “RedDevil 4” on http://home.reddevil4.com/.
