Speculative Stuff
2023 - 2024 Student Works
* The intellectual property rights of each work are owned by each student.

Senior Sentencing




IRIS LEE


 On January 12, 2023, Dr. David Sinclair and his colleagues successfully manipulated the aging process in mice. By introducing breaks in the DNA to mimic aging on the epigenome, they accelerated the mice’s physical aging, and were also able to reverse the process by rebooting the mice’s cells with backup copies of the epigenetic instructions, eliminating the corrupted signals that caused aging. The mice regained their youthful characteristics, with their clocks reversing by approximately 57%. From the realization that aging is not solely dependent on DNA mutations but rather on misguided epigenetic instructions, the researchers were led to connect the activation of reprogramming genes to a drug called doxycycline, allowing them to control the aging and deaging process through drug administration. Although the study used mice, the study reveals that the manipulation of aging in humans is not such a far-fetched idea, but instead, one that exists in our future timeline.

However, regardless of technological feasibility, should we choose to deage ourselves when the opportunity arises? On one hand, aging is a natural part of life that should be accepted rather than feared. Yet, with the possibility of age manipulation, the need for acceptance may become less relevant. On the other hand, it is often believed that reversing aging would diminish quality of life and hinder personal and societal growth. Still, a shorter lifespan does not necessarily equate to less suffering, as we have the ability to alleviate our own suffering in our daily lives. Perhaps the pursuit of age manipulation should be seen as a desire to enhance life by valuing the extension of the time we are healthy and able.

Even so, if an immediate benefit to a technology is presented, regardless of ethical implications or societal ramifications, wide-spread societal acceptance doesn’t take long. Therefore, it’s not unlikely that in the not so distant future, the government will incorporate age-manipulation into its criminal justice system in pursuit of the economic benefits from the elimination of prisons. Criminals would face a sentence of rapid aging, being physically disadvantaged compared to the rest of society. Despite the logical economic benefits to utilizing age manipulation in the criminal justice system, we must consider if it is worth the detrimental social impact on minority groups that already exist, and would be perpetuated by such implementation.





2023



Speculative Stuff



Speculative Stuff documents the design works of Yonsei University's Integrated Design undergraduate students, showcasing South Korea's first speculative design course. Led by Hyunjae Daniel Shin (Assistant Professor) and Eun Sun Park (Lecturer), our 16-week program blends theoretical lectures, interactive workshops, and practical exercises.

This course aims to foster the ability to understand and speculate about macro and micro changes in technology, culture, society, and the environment through everyday products and services in future contexts. By using future scenarios, comedy techniques, and preposterous worldbuilding, students develop a critical perspective on alternative futures.