Update : Glenn Reynolds has a link to this article on life extension (worth the click) which adds to the meat of this article.
There is a debate brewing in this nation between traditional values groups and the transhumanists. Simply put the transhumanists would like to push the human race forward through use of genetic engineering, nanotech, and cloning while traditionalists would prefer not to tinker with such matters for a variety of different reasons.
I have been interested in the topic for some years (most sci-fi geeks are) and my awareness level rose recently due Glenn Reynold’s linkage to a few articles discussing the subject. I firmly believe that this will become the hottest of hot-button issues in the next decade eclipsing abortion, gay marriage, and foreign policy simply due to the overarching ramifications for the nation who takes the lead in this emerging area of technology.
Frankly the opinion split over the custom design of human beings will make the opposing sides of the abortion debate look beer willing lodge buddies in comparison. Already the Catholic Church is (unsurprisingly) throwing it’s weight squarely in the corner of tradition as seen in this Boston.com article.
As a card carrying member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy I am supposed to be shocked an appalled by transhumanism :
“By definition, social conservatives oppose the transhumanists” According to Utne Magazine.
Strangely I find myself on the other side of the political aisle on this one. I don’t believe humanity or DNA to be beyond our capacity to improve through judicious application of science. I remember how excited I was when I first heard of Radial Keratotmy back in the early 90’s. As a lifelong myopia sufferer I didn’t dare allow myself to believe that one day I might never need grope for my glasses every morning or that perhaps I would be able to look unaided on distant objects without a concave plastic lens floating in my eye. Nowadays the surgery is quite common and nearing ubiquitousness.
Likewise you might lump sight restoration, cybernetics, hormone replacement, and gene therapy in with transhumanism. All of these disciplines are based on the presumption that the human form is not perfectly designed and humans themselves are able to enhance or correct these design flaws. Now the Holy See certainly would not be senseless enough to condemn these things today as their condemnation would fly in the face of the undeniable benefits they have given the world. Il Papa and the College of Cardinals have learned through hard experience that the time to squash knowledge is before it has been tested thoroughly and before the masses have seen the results benefiting their children.
Perhaps the Church’s opposition to this is more atavistic than I first thought? Arthur C. Clarke once said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”, and the Church has never gotten on well with magic or magicians unless they are of it’s own making of course. Like him or Him :
