Biotech Reversion: Return-to-Function Protocols

A Taoist approach to human enhancement asks: what functions has our species lost or degraded? Rather than designing superhuman additions, can we restore lost capacities? Modern sedentary life has degraded movement patterns evolved over millions of years; biotech might support postural restoration and proprioceptive retraining. Artificial lighting has disrupted circadian rhythms; interventions could support melatonin production and light-sensitive gene expression. Sterile lifestyles have damaged our microbiome; targeted probiotic approaches could restore beneficial microbial ecology. This is enhancement through *reversion*—not adding, but restoring. The uncarved block principle applies: humans functioned for millennia with certain practices; we've abandoned them, creating deficiency, then seeking technological solutions to deficiency we created. True wisdom involves both: understanding what we've lost and using modern tools intelligently to restore it. A person who moves like their ancestors, sleeps according to seasons, and maintains healthy gut flora needs less biotech intervention than someone pursuing superhuman enhancement while remaining sedentary and circadian-disrupted. Return-to-function protocols paradoxically represent the most advanced enhancement: they restore the sophisticated systems we inherited. The sage recognizes that the first step in enhancement is often returning home.