Tampa Bay Thinkers

Re: [new-tampa-philosophers] Fukuyama's Transhumanism

From:	Galen Matson
Sent on:	Wednesday, February 15, 2012 7:46 PM

It boils down to this: "But it is very possible that we will nibble at biotechnology's tempting offerings without realizing that they come at a frightful moral cost."

Meaning, we are not moral enough to be trusted. Best not to try.

He then makes a slippery slope argument: "If we start transforming ourselves into something superior, what rights will these enhanced creatures claim, and what rights will they possess when compared to those left behind?"

And then an emotional appeal: "We need a similar humility concerning our human nature. If we do not develop it soon, we may unwittingly invite the transhumanists to deface humanity with their genetic bulldozers and psychotropic shopping malls."

I hope this is not considered a convincing argument against transhumanism.

Next question.

On Thu, Feb 16, 2012 at 04:30, Anna <[address removed]> wrote:

The limited group of Thinkers on Facebook are not replying, so I figured I'll ask here: so, the most vocal opponent of transhumanism is Francis Fukuyama. Though I myself disagree with him on this, I would like to hear other opinions on his position. Please, take a look at his article on this topic and let me know if you agree or see any flaws:http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2004/09/01/transhumanism

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