Where are you buying the legendary edition?

Sure. But our 'programming' can't be altered by a change in numerical order. Unlike an AI such as EDI or the Geth.

Sadly, this is not true at all. Humans are depressingly programmable, all it takes is sufficient distraction and sensory overload and the vast majority are easily confused and misled. See our modern "western" world grooming future US President Macho The Rock Camacho with his current TV show...

This is the obvious part of control. The psychological manipulation done by marketing wizards is leading us to a very stupid place, and many of us walk in the line wondering what the fuck we're doing, yet we're still walking here.

Planting insidious thought bombs that change minds and opinions is kind of the game these days. We are fancy machines, the DNA makes it sorta plain.

Hmm. Allow me to put it another way. I'm almost 40. I've had Bi-Polar and traumatic stress since 11 years old. I can't program that away like EDI can program herself to be altruistic.  She does this instantly. My programming, the programming of any Organic, would take months or even years of conditioning. 
I can't see a Machine as being alive when they don't have to suffer the same, and can simply decide to reprogram themselves at will.

Probably because there is no such thing as an evolutionary peak. Any belief that it is so has a gross misunderstanding of how biology works. Which you know, of course. The "end" of evolution is extinction. I suppose Synthesis has basically caused the extinction of every organic entity in existence so there's no evolution for them. We don't know what will occur with the organic-synthetic beings. Given that they literally just happened, any assumption that they can't evolve is based on zero evidence. Call me unhappy to learn my race has become extinct because some ancient AI that's fucked up every step of the way over the course of a billion thinks it knows better.

That's not what I was saying.  The organic beings know as humans, turians, krogan, asari, hanar, salarian and others no longer exist.  They have been replaced by something else, which is a combination of organic and synthetic.  Those things are a new race entirely.  The old races are dead.

Slaves

On Eden Prime, and later on Earth, we called them Husks. And then we killed them with no mercy.

This is why Synthesis is not an option. Starkid wants Synthesis, as that is already what the Reapers do, harvest and collect and "store" the value of the species. Then inject the BratJizz synthetic oil. Sad.

Freaking AI!

Who cares of they have minds when you can usurp them at will?

Yes.

Yet as I think we agree, there is no difference between the two. Both Husks and post-Synthesis beings were irrevocably altered at their core level without inform or consent. In most civil societies, this is (not casually) called rape, or worse. We would have to invent a word for this crime, maybe we need to now IRL.

media.giphy.com/media/lQ1AkXFktuJsnoqO3A/giphy.gif

Just wait for next discussion! I bet it'll be about Miranda Lawson's butt again. 😉😆

I don't mean that.

There is this discussion of transhumanism revolving Deus Ex as well - at what point is their more machine than human? The Cyberpsycho can always make an appearance too

I think your distinction is important, but talks about mutation. Mutation changes what is there, but affects creatures differently according to their "natural" defenses and vulnerabilities.

Synthesis isn't a mutation, it is a deeper transformation. 50/50 is my take on synthesis, as in original vs new material. That is less a mutation and more like RoboCop.

We can still evolve naturally and become better than what we are, if we change course rapidly and stick to a plan and demonstrate the ability to think about one another more and about ourselves a little less. That would be a larger digression than the one we have here, so I'll stop down that line.

I don't see prosthetics and "cyberpunk" as mutation, but it is adaptation and profoundly awesome sometimes, and is hopefully a continued area of constant innovation. I guess that's my opinion, but I see where you are coming from.