Don't Fear the Future: Democratic Transhumanism and Empowerment through Technology James J. Hughes...

Don't Fear the Future: Democratic Transhumanism and Empowerment through Technology

James J. Hughes Ph.D.

Executive Director, Institute for Ethics and Emerging TechnologiesLecturer, Public Policy Studies, Trinity College, Hartford CT

[email protected]

February 18, 2010 - Tunxis Community College, Farmington CT

Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2010


The Enlightenment

Origins of secularism, secular humanism and modern bioethics in 17th and 18th century

Descartes, Locke, Pascal, Bayle, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Diderot, Condorcet, Rousseau


Principles of the Enlightenment

1. Autonomy of reason from faith and authority

2. Human perfectibility and social progress

3. Empirical optimism: sapere aude!

4. Legitimacy of government based on free association

5. Tolerance of diversity, freedom of thought

6. Ethical universalism – beyond nationalism, racism, sexism


20th Century Politics

Progressives

Conservatives

Conservatives Progressives

Populists

Libertarians New Right

Social Democrats

Cultural Politics

Economic Politics

Populists

Libertarians New Right

Social Democrats


Emerging Technologies

Tech that will radically change the human brain:PsychopharmacologyGenetic engineeringNanotechnologyArtificial intelligenceCognitive science

The accelerating convergence of all these“for improving human performance”


Human Enhancement

Curing disabilitiesHealthLongevity Intelligence Emotional controlHeightened sensesSpiritual experience


Biopolitical Battlefronts

Who is a citizen with a right to life?: abortion, stem cells, great ape rights, brain death, chimeras

Control of Reproduction: contraception, abortion, fertility treatments, genetic testing, germline gene therapies, cloning

Fixing Disabilities to “Human Enhancement”: cochlear implants, prosthetics, eye and brain chips, gene therapies, cosmetic procedures

Extending Life: from treatments for aging-related diseases, to anti-aging drugs and therapies

Control of the Brain: Ritalin and Prozac, psychoactive drugs, brain chips


21st Century Politics

Economic Politics

Biopolitics

Progressive

Conservative

Progressive Conservative Cultural Politics

Bioconservatism

Transhumanism


From Bioethics to Biopolitics

Public health and universal insurance

Access to contraception

Rights to refuse treatment, confinement

Roe v. Wade Stem cells


BioConservatives

Religious Right

CS Lewis The Abolition of Man

Deep Ecologists, Romantic Luddites

Aldous Huxley Brave New World

Jeremy Rifkin Algeny

Left-wing/Feminist Critics of Biotech Gena Corea The Mother Machine

Center for Genetics and Society

Pro-Disability Extremists Not Dead Yet


2002-3: BioPolitical Landmark

Leon Kass appointed Chair of President’s Council on Bioethics

Fukuyama’s Our Posthuman Future (2002)

Greg Stock’s Redesigning Humans (2002)

Christian Right’s Manifesto on Biotechnology and Human

Dignity (2002)

Vatican’s "Human Persons Created in the Image of God“ (2002)

Bill McKibben Enough (2003)

PCB’s Beyond Therapy (2003)

Leon Kass

Chair, President’s

Council on

Bioethics


Christian Right BioCon Network

Millions of dollars poured into “conservative bioethics”

Center for Bioethics and Culture (Jennifer Lahl, Nigel Cameron, Prison Ministries, etc.)

Trinity International University/Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity

Discovery Institute (Wesley J. Smith)

Ethics & Public Policy Center’s BAD (Eric Cohen, New Atlantis)

American Enterprise Institute (Leon Kass, J.Q. Wilson)

National Catholic Bioethics Center (John Haas)

Hudson Institute (Michael Fumento)

Progressive Pushback

Progressive Bioethics Network Caplan, McGee, Charo, et al. Women’s Bioethics Network Appigniani Bioethics Center Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies Center for American Progress


What is Transhumanism?

An intellectual and cultural movement that affirms

the possibility and desirability of transcending the limitations of the human body through applied reason

especially by using technology to

eliminate aging and enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities.


“Trans-humanism” and “Transhuman-ism”

Julian Huxley first director of UNESCO "Transhumanism“ "the human species can transcend itself."

“FM-2030” (FM Esfandiary) popularized term “transhuman” in the 1970s


Growing H+ Movement

humanityplus.org

30 chapters, 6000 members


Diversity of Transhumanists

From March 2005 survey of transhumanists

Religion

Religious or spiritual

Secular, atheist

Other/DK

Atheist, Agnostic, Secular humanist 63%

Spiritual, Buddhist, Protestant, Religious

humanist, Catholic, Pagan, Unitarian-

Universalist, Hindu etc.

25%

Other 13%


Technoprogressivism

Core Ideas: Equality and solidarity, as well as

liberty

Tech needs regulation and universal access

“Technoprogressives” Institute for Ethics & Emerging

Technologies ieet.org


Biopolitical Coalitions

H+ Coalition BioCon Coalition

A-TechnoprogressivesB-Libertarian transhumanists

Economic Politics

Biopolitics

Progressive

Conservative

C

A

Progressive Conservative

B

D

Cultural Politics

Bioconservatism

Transhumanism

C-Left bioconservativesD-Right bioconservatives


Transhumanists BioConservativesPersonhood, cyborg citizenship

Human-Racism (or Deep ecology)

Humanism, reason, individual liberty, progress

Sacred taboos, “the natural”, yuck factor, romanticism

Risks are manageable Risks are unknowable; Punishment for hubris inevitable; Tech should be banned

Central Biopolitical Disputes


Beyond Human-racism…

Human-racism = Humanness as basis of rights-bearing

Humans have souls or crypto-spiritual “human dignity”

Fetus to cremation

Embryonic citizens?

Boundaries of Humanness Animal-Human:

Chimeras & “uplifted” animals

Perinatal: Totipotent cells and artificial wombs

Perideath: Brain repair Machine-Human: AGI & neuro-prosthetics Human-Posthuman: ?


Human Nature and the Embryo

"The uniqueness of human nature is at stake. Human dignity is indivisible…every human being is possessed of an equal dignity…at every stage of life…"

James Dobson


Five Moral Intuitions

Liberals:Harm/careFairness/reciprocity

ConservativesIngroup loyaltyRespect for authorityPurity/sanctity

JonathanHaidt


In-betweens are Dirty

Purity and DangerWhy aren’t pigs

kosher?Cloven hoofs but

don’t chew cud

Mary Douglas


Uncanny Valley

Masahiro Mori’s robots


Race-Mixing Panic


Rights Based on Racial Identity?

Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights (UNESCO, 1998)

“The human genome underlies the fundamental unity of all members of the human family, as well as the recognition of their inherent dignity and diversity.” Sorry – no rights!

Is hairlessness one of the human traits necessary for citizenship?


“They” Want Your Jobs


Inevitability of Race War?

"The posthuman will come to see us (the garden variety human) as an inferior subspecies without human rights to be enslaved or slaughtered preemptively. It is this potential for genocide based on genetic difference, that I have termed "genetic genocide," that makes species-altering genetic engineering a potential weapon of mass destruction." (Annas, 2001)


Enhancement a Crime Against Humanity?

George Annas & Lori Andrews: make human enhancement “a crime against humanity”

Senator Kelly: "Are mutants dangerous? We license people to drive."(X-Men) Dr. Grey: "But not to live."


Violent Defenders of Human Nature

“Human nature has in the past put certain limits on the development of societies. But … technology is developing ways of modifying human beings…. Getting rid of industrial society … will remove the capacity of … control over human nature" - the “Unabomber Manifesto”


…to Personhood

Persons: “conscious beings, aware of themselves, with intents and purposes over time”

You can be human and not persons: fetus, braindead

You can be a person and not human: great apes, AI, posthumans


H+ = Radical Human Rights

Personhood, not race, gender or species, defines citizenship

Citizens have a right to control own bodies, brains & reproduction

Goal of governance should be to help each person fulfill her potential John Locke

1632-1704


Technological Self-Determination

The right to know how safe and effective technologies are

The right to use technology to control our own bodies and minds

The right of equal access to technological empowerment


Why Human Enhancement?

Status Quo Bias Would it be better to

have….Shorter lives?More disabilities?Less intelligence?Less memory?Less happiness?


Legitimate Risk Concerns: Safety, Efficacy, Equity

Ensure technology is safe and effective

Make tech accessible to all


Yuck Factor Stops Critical Thinking

Bioconservative risk estimates are grounded in yuck factor so that tech bans seem only logical policy


Secure the “Longevity Dividend”

A “Manhattan project” to slow aging

Aubrey de Grey Jay Olshansky


Pursue Universal Access

Defend & expand universal health care

Expand access in the developing worldAnti-retroviral drugs


Tech is not the problem Greed, racism, inequality,

patriarchy, authoritarianism,

ignorance and superstition

are the problems

Technology only opens new

ways to pursue virtue, reason,

democracy, equality, and liberty

The Crossbow was invented to oppress peasants. But it became the perfect tool for knocking knights off horses.


For more information

Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologiesieet.org

Me: [email protected]

Don't Fear the Future: Democratic Transhumanism and Empowerment through Technology James J. Hughes...

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