ArgumentArgument Biology of ageing and quest for prolongation of life will remain important (not just because of good ethical justification) Biology of ageing and quest for prolongation of life will remain important (not just because of good ethical justification) Because of a confluence of developments which imply a deeper cultural shift away from Enlightenment model which implied a belief in salvation by the extension of reason and by society Because of a confluence of developments which imply a deeper cultural shift away from Enlightenment model which implied a belief in salvation by the extension of reason and by society Shift is centered on notion of life which stands in contrast to notion of human underlying enlightenment ideals Shift is centered on notion of life which stands in contrast to notion of human underlying enlightenment ideals

TransformationsTransformations Onset of Modernity - Emptying out of „community“  individualization - Welfare state takes over community functions (expansion of social) - Expansion of social also in area of social explanation (e.g. collective causes for accidents) and social imagination (salvation by society) Today - Retraction of welfare state - Emptying out of primordial social relations - Loss of social imagination

TRANSITIONSTRANSITIONS “Society” as a historical phenomenon “Society” as a historical phenomenon Expandeable, shrinkable, transferable Expandeable, shrinkable, transferable Object-relations vs. social relations Object-relations vs. social relations Changes needed in model of the self Changes needed in model of the self Homo sapiens loosing IQ& power of reason Homo sapiens loosing IQ& power of reason Postmoral self Postmoral self Shift in collective imagination: from salvation by society to Shift in collective imagination: from salvation by society to Enhancement of Life

Ethics mediated by society Society is not aggregate of individuals on world wide plane Society is not aggregate of individuals on world wide plane Society is institutional framework linked inherently to nation state since 19th century (social policy, social organization) Society is institutional framework linked inherently to nation state since 19th century (social policy, social organization) Strong Society/social implies social imagination Strong Society/social implies social imagination

„Everything seems to conspire these days against... lasting committments, eternal alliances, immutable identities. One cannot build long-term hopes around one´s job, profession, skills even; one can bet that, before long, the skills will cease to be in demand... One cannot build the future around partnership or family either: in the age of „confluent love“, togetherness lasts no longer than the satisfaction of one of the partners, committment is from the start „until further notice“, and today´s intense attachment may only intensify tomorrow´s frustrations.“ Baumann 1996:51f „Everything seems to conspire these days against... lasting committments, eternal alliances, immutable identities. One cannot build long-term hopes around one´s job, profession, skills even; one can bet that, before long, the skills will cease to be in demand... One cannot build the future around partnership or family either: in the age of „confluent love“, togetherness lasts no longer than the satisfaction of one of the partners, committment is from the start „until further notice“, and today´s intense attachment may only intensify tomorrow´s frustrations.“ Baumann 1996:51f

Rise of non-human objects Increase of objects in the social world Increase of objects in the social world Objects replacing and mediating human relationships Objects replacing and mediating human relationships Objects as risk-winners of relationship risks of social relations? Objects as risk-winners of relationship risks of social relations? Different notion of object needed Different notion of object needed Coincides with other changes

Personal object relations Personal object relations Socio-technical systems Socio-technical systems Inhabiting technology Inhabiting technology Object-Relations Humanoids/Cyborgs Solidarity with object-worlds (environmental movements) Solidarity with object-worlds (environmental movements) Integration by objects Personal object relations Personal object relations Socio-technical systems Socio-technical systems Inhabiting technology Inhabiting technology Object-Relations Humanoids/Cyborgs Solidarity with object-worlds (environmental movements) Solidarity with object-worlds (environmental movements) Integration by objects

„If you want to really understand about a tumor, you´ve got to be a tumor.“ McClintock, in Fox Keller(1983:117, 207)

Changes in Model of Self From Moral Self to Post-Moral Self? From Moral Self to Post-Moral Self? Blurring of boundaries with technical-artificial Blurring of boundaries with technical-artificial Enhancement and „augmentation“ of self Enhancement and „augmentation“ of self Social movements promoting transhuman/ posthuman Social movements promoting transhuman/ posthuman

“Inner Censor”-Self  Spontaneous, deviantinternalized norms of society I EGO YOU Me SUPEREGO Generalized other

“Postmoral”-Self (narcistic; Lacan) experienced lackprojected perfection SELF MIRROR IMAGE-SELF

Liberation of education Postmoral Self Media and image industries, consumption

SOCIAL IMAGINATION Enlightenment model as belief in salvation by society Enlightenment model as belief in salvation by society Excess imagination linked to idea of reason/ rationalization and science (Vernunft…) Excess imagination linked to idea of reason/ rationalization and science (Vernunft…) Belief that collective reason will eliminate conflict and war, poverty, and bring about equality among nations, races, gender Belief that collective reason will eliminate conflict and war, poverty, and bring about equality among nations, races, gender 19th century: hope fixed on equality and classless society, partly achieved by redistribution 19th century: hope fixed on equality and classless society, partly achieved by redistribution

SOCIAL IMAGINATION Excess imagination shifts to subjectivity thinking Excess imagination shifts to subjectivity thinking Idea of salvation by society shifts to that of enhancement of life Idea of salvation by society shifts to that of enhancement of life

Life On individual level, not tied to cognitive capacities as our Descartian notion of self, but to reproductive capacities (deconstruction of cognitive capacities assist rise of notion of life) On individual level, not tied to cognitive capacities as our Descartian notion of self, but to reproductive capacities (deconstruction of cognitive capacities assist rise of notion of life) Does allow for collective level, but collective characterized by genetic or other biological similarities rather then socially organized living unit (problem of using statistics) Does allow for collective level, but collective characterized by genetic or other biological similarities rather then socially organized living unit (problem of using statistics) Points away from distributional logic that informed notion of society and social solidarity; suggests generational/genealogical logic of solidarity and distribution Points away from distributional logic that informed notion of society and social solidarity; suggests generational/genealogical logic of solidarity and distribution

LifeLife Biological promise of an enhanced life-courseBiological promise of an enhanced life-course Sociological notion of generation and generational justice replacing distributional justiceSociological notion of generation and generational justice replacing distributional justice Psychological concepts of self realization as life enhancementPsychological concepts of self realization as life enhancement Psychological notion of self-realization and growth experiencePsychological notion of self-realization and growth experience Reality as reality “experience” (culturally relative and informationally enhanced)Reality as reality “experience” (culturally relative and informationally enhanced) Neo-marxist appropriation of life rather than of laborNeo-marxist appropriation of life rather than of labor

Contribution of Life Sciences Preimplantation diagnosis and screening Preimplantation diagnosis and screening Germline engineering Germline engineering Psychotropic drugs Psychotropic drugs Biotechnological means of enhancing life span Biotechnological means of enhancing life span Human cloning Human cloning

Promise vs. Virtue Future orientation: Transitional Society looking forward rather than back, as in humanism Future orientation: Transitional Society looking forward rather than back, as in humanism Convergence of image industries (media), self-help/consultancy industry and biological sciences in projecting promise as perfectibility Convergence of image industries (media), self-help/consultancy industry and biological sciences in projecting promise as perfectibility Responsibility for success shifts to promise giver Responsibility for success shifts to promise giver

F UTURE RESPONSIBILITY (shifts from promise receiver to promise giver) I NCENTIVIZATION (professional PROMISE