The New Normal

Imagine a world where every person you pass on the street is visually perfect, with symmetrical features and not a blemish in sight. Imagine being able to sit in class and obtain any bit of information desired using nothing but one’s brain. Imagine the notion of disease being eradicated from the human body. That person you just passed on the street? She is immune to all any and all diseases. Imagine achieving abilities beyond the limitations of the natural human body – run faster, jump higher, think better. It sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Almost utopian, in fact. Now imagine living in this world, surrounded by all of these astounding things, and having access to none of it. You exist in this world as you currently are. You are limited by your own natural body, born with your own natural looks, thinking with your natural brain, and surrounded by a world of unnatural super humans. I can imagine only one conclusion being drawn from a natural human living in this unnatural world: “This sucks.”

Post-humanism, or Trans-humanism, is a movement based on genetics, nano and robotic technology and operates on the principle that humans can utilize technology to bypass the natural limitations of the human body and create a new, enhanced, and supposedly “better” version of man that could potentially replace the Homo sapien with a new species of Homo. In effect, this post-humanism movement would be taking evolution out of the hands of nature and into the hands of technology. Advocates for this movement claim that this will allow man to advance in ways that once existed only in imagination. Simon Young, one such advocate, says this in his Designer Evolution: A Transhumanist Manifesto:

Man is not born free, but is everywhere in biological chains. People of the world, unite. You have nothing to lose but your biological chains! We stand at a turning point in human evolution. We have cracked the genetic code; translated the Book of Life. We will soon possess the ability to become designers of our own evolution… As humanism freed us from the chains of superstition, let transhumanism free us from our biological chains.

According to Young, man is enslaved by his own biological limitations. However, others would say that enslavement lies in the very post-human future that Young advocates. If we create an advanced human species, wouldn’t that new species drive us to our own extinction? If we become reliant upon technology to conform us to the new “human”, then isn’t our natural selves enslaved by technology to make us like everyone else? And if some can’t afford these new advancements, then wouldn’t they be enslaved by their own economic status? It seems that the post-human future creates slavery rather than eradicates it.

There are of course many benefits to these proposed advancements. Genetic engineering could do wonders for the fields of medicine, agriculture, the environment, and food production. No one would disagree that the eradication of illness, pollution, and world hunger is definitely a good thing. However, Paul Arnold explains in his article “Benefits and Risks of GeneticEngineering” that nothing is without risk. Speaking mostly with regard to agriculture, food production and medicine, Arnold outlines the potential risks of gene manipulation. In medicine, he addresses the issue of a gene landing in a spot that it wasn’t intended to, resulting in harm and in some cases death. In food engineering and agriculture, Arnold acknowledges the potential for the accidental creation of a super weed or harm to the ecosystem. In short, Arnold believes that there is always a risk of unintended consequences and that the pros and cons must be weighed carefully before humanity proceeds to dive headfirst into the world of GNR technology.

Many disagreements over the transhumanism movement lie in the moral implications of such a change. If humans are genetically “manufactured” to be physically and intellectually perfect, where is there room for individuality? If people are altered genetically, how would that affect their personalities? And, as depicted in the scenario found in the introduction of this blog, what about the people who aren’t genetically altered? How could a natural human be expected to compete on the same level as this new, altered superhuman? I don’t think they can. The only way for each party to be treated fairly would be to separate – or some would say segregate – these two classes of human. This would widen the rift between the two classes that undoubtedly would appear. The naturals against the unnaturals, the rich people who can afford the genetic change against the poor people who are left with their biological bodies, the future against the past, the normal against the abnormal. The question is: which group is the “normal” one now?

Some people advocate the transhumanism movement as the future of humanity. Others spurn it because it is unnatural. I personally believe that regardless of anyone’s feelings, this type of technology is coming and it is coming fast. I believe that it is a part of human nature to strive to surpass nature. Most of the tools that humans utilize on a day-to-day basis are “unnatural” and it is entirely plausible and probable that man would continue to advance above and beyond what is currently in use today. There are benefits and drawbacks to each side of the argument and I honestly do not know which is “right”. However, I do know that humanity will continue to advance and that simple fact is non-negotiable. A new normal is coming, and I can only hope that humanity is ready for it when it arrives.