The Dilemma of the Prosthesis: From Stone to Bit, the Risk of a Mute Humanity

This paper examines technological evolution as a progressive externalization of cognitive and operational functions, tracing a trajectory from monumental material systems to digital and algorithmic prostheses. It argues that increasing technological miniaturization produces a paradoxical vulnerability: the more powerful and efficient the system, the less interpretable it becomes without specialized mediation. Focusing on artificial intelligence as a critical hinge point, the analysis explores the loss of causal understanding, the emergence of civilizational muteness, and the ethical risks of delegating judgment to opaque systems. Rather than advocating technological rejection, the paper proposes recovering human judgment as a necessary condition for maintaining autonomy and meaning in increasingly automated environments.