Perils and Promises in the Transhumanist Vision
The transhumanist vision provides us with the kind of image of the future that inspires: perpetual good health, radical life extension, cybernetic immortality, ecological harmony, and the spreading of terrestrial intelligence into space. This is a vision that enlists our enthusiasm to make this future a present reality, and quickly. The theological ethicist, however, demurs. What is missing in this vision is ambiguity, the awareness of the double sided character of human nature. As technology advances, so also does the human capacity for graffiti, sabotage, domination, war, and destruction. Transhumanist assumptions regarding evolution and progress tend to be naive, because they give scant attention to what theologians call “sin.” Progress will not cure us of sin. Only divine grace can do that. In sum, a Christian theologian will celebrate the transhumanist attempt to transform the human reality toward physical and mental betterment; yet, the theologian will also issue a warning to beware of the dangers inherent in a naive belief in progress.
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Ted Peters teaches systematic theology and bioethics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA, USA. He is co-editor of the journal, Theology and Science, published at the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences (CTNS). He is author of Playing God? Genetic Determinism and Human Freedom (Routledge); Science, Theology, and Ethics (Ashgate); Anticipating Omega (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht/Eisenbrauns); The Evolution of Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Life (Pandora); and The Stem Cell Debate (Fortress). He is co-author of Sacred Cells? Why Christians Should Support Stem Cell Research (Roman and Littlefield); Theological and Scientific Commentary on Darwin’s Origin of Species (Abingdon); and Can You Believe in God and Evolution? (Abingdon). He is co-editor of The Evolution of Evil (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht/Eisenbrauns) and Bridging Science and Religion (Fortress). He formerly directed the CTNS Science and Religion Course Program, funded by the Templeton Foundation. He now serves on the Scientific and Medical Accountability Standards Working Group of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and on the Genetics Task Force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
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