1. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005 From Bioethics to Biopolitics James J. Hughes Ph.D. Executive Director, World Transhumanist Association & Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies Public Policy Studies, Trinity College, Hartford CT James.Hughes@trincoll.edu

2. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Salon

3. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 John Brown

4. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Haymarket

5. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 From Bioethics to Biopolitics

6. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 20 th Century Politics Progressives Conservatives Conservatives Progressives Populists Libertarians New Right Social Democrats Cultural Politics Economic Politics Populists Libertarians New Right Social Democrats

7. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 21 st Century Politics Economic Politics Biopolitics Progressive Conservative Progressive Conservative Cultural Politics Bioconservatism Transhumanism

8. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 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 From 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

9. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 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

10. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 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 (E. Cohen, New Atlantis) American Enterprise Institute (L. Kass, J.Q. Wilson) National Catholic Bioethics Center (John Haas) Hudson Institute (Michael Fumento)

11. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Center for Bioethics and Culture

12. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Discovery Institute

13. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity

14. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Wash DC: BAD (Beltway Right)

15. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Bush Calls for Ban on Cloning, Transgenic Research

16. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 BioConservative Bedfellows 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

17. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Opposition to “TechnoSapiens” Speakers: Christian Right Chris Hook, CBC William Hurlbut, President’s Council on Bioethics C. Ben Mitchell, CBHD “Secular” Conservative Biocons Leon Kass, President’s Council on Bioethics Left Bioconservatives Lori Andrews, IBHF CBC organizes Technosapiens Confs September 2003 October 2004 Alerting Christians to transhumanist threat

18. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 IBHF: Building Biocon Alliances

19. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Leftist Opponents of Biotech Leftist, feminist and anti-racist opponents of “technoeugenics”

20. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Deep Ecologists and Luddites Jeremy Rifkin’s FOET Andrew Kimbrell ETC Foundation on Deep Ecology Anti-GM food groups Brent Blackwelder, President, Friends of the Earth

21. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Pro-Disability Extremists E.g. Not Dead Yet Opposed to: Efforts to “cure” or “fix” disabilities Christopher Reeve Cochlear implants Parent’s right to terminate disabled fetuses The right of sick and disabled to refuse life-sustaining medical treatment Human enhancement medicine

22. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 What is Transhumanism? 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-humanists are humanists who emphasize what we have the potential to become through reason.

23. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 “Transhumanism” Julian Huxley coined term "Transhumanism“ - "the human species can transcend itself." Five Key Contemporary H+ Values Pro-Enhancement Technologies Humanism & Secularism Scientific & Technological Optimism Personhood Ethics Repro Rights, Cog Liberty, Body Autonomy

24. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Growing H+ Movement World Transhumanist Association transhumanism.org 30 chapters, 3500 members Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies ieet.org Immortality Institute Terasem Foundation Betterhumans.com Foresight Institute Singularity Inst for AI Dr. Nick Bostrom Oxford University WTA & IEET Chair Nasteho Abdi Jumale Vice-Chair of WTA-Kenya Gaurav Gupta Chair, Indian Society for Transhumanity

25. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Left H+: Technoprogressivism Core Ideas: We need equality and solidarity, as well as liberty Tech needs regulation and universal access Policies needed to prevent and redress downsides of techno innovation, e.g. Social Security for structural employment “Technoprogressives” Technoliberation list: groups.yahoo.com/groups/technoliberation

26. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Rosa Nel Pugno May 2006: Pro-science socialist-liberal- radical party in Italy enters government with transhumanist/ technoprogressive caucus

27. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 TranshumanistsBioConservatives Personhood, cyborg citizenship Human-Racism Humanism, reason, individual liberty, progress Sacred taboos, “the natural”, yuck factor, romanticism Risks are manageableRisks are unknowable; Punishment for hubris inevitable; Tech should be banned Central Biopolitical Disputes

28. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Beyond Human-racism… Human-racism = Humanness as basis of rights-bearing Humans have souls or crypto-spiritual “human dignity” Fetus to cremation Embryonic citizens?

29. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 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

30. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 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 genes necessary for citizenship?

31. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Race-Mixing Panic

32. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Missouri Vote to Ban H+ MO referendum to ban hybrids, cloning, transhumanism and human genetic engineering Vote Nov 4, 2006

33. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 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)

34. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Enhancement a Crime Against Humanity? George Annas & Lori Andrews: make human genetic enhancement “a crime against humanity” Senator Kelly: "Are mutants dangerous? We license people to drive." (X-Men) Dr. Grey: "But not to live."

35. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 …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

36. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 H+ = Radical Human Rights Personhood, not race, gender or species, defines citizenship Citizens have a right to control own bodies & brains Goal of governance should be to help each person fulfill her potential John Locke 1632-1704

37. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Technological Self-Determination The right to use technology to control our own bodies and minds The right to more life & ability Health care access Cognitive liberty Transgender rights Rights to body modification and cosmetic enhancement Reproductive rights Rights of disabled to assistive tech

38. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Legitimate Risk Concerns: Safety, Efficacy, Equity Safety and Efficacy IRBs, FDA, EMEA testing regimes, human subject protocols, and post-approval monitoring Equity Did we call for bans on literacy, penicillin or computers?

39. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Yuck Factor Stops Critical Thinking Bioconservative risk estimates are grounded in yuck factor so that tech bans seem only logical policy

40. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Max Mehlman: Wondergenes April 2006: NIH gives Mehlman $770,000 to develop gene enhancement research policies Maxwell Mehlman

41. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Christian Right Goes to Town Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, and the Baptist Press:

42. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Transhumanist Conspiracy Family Research Council: “NIH Slush Fund for Transhumanism” Concerned Women of America: “…shocked by NIH backing of transhumanist ideology.”

43. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Mehlman an “H+ Leader”

44. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Liberal Bioethics = Auschwitz

45. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Building el Fronte Technoproessista Mobilized citizens can be allies of science policy Disease lobbies JDRF, ACT-UP, stem cell research lobby groups Consumer protection groups Critiquing corporatized science policy and regulation

46. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Constituencies for TechPro Disabled seeking assistive tech and cures Feminists supporting full reproductive rights including germinal choice Drug law reform advocates supporting deregulated access to neurotechnologies Scientists & health workers alienated by religious right and Republican restrictions on science

47. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 More TechPro Constituencies LGBT community seeking reproductive options Tech-friendly ecologists supporting tech solutions to eco- threats Senior citizens looking for cures for aging

48. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Bioethicists Moving Towards H+ Religious Right (Schiavo), disability extremists and Kassites polarize bioethicists Bioethicists becoming more H+ when forced to defend autonomy & technology against religious and yuck factor arguments Arthur Caplan: “…enhancing intelligence or changing personality or modifying our memory, maybe that should be available to everyone as a guarantee of equal opportunity.”

49. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Support Innovation of HETs Support funding of HET research initiatives Embryonic stem cell research funding NBIC Neural prosthetics Human Cognos Project

50. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Antiaging Program to Secure “Longevity Dividend” Multi-national Manhattan project on anti-aging Olshansky’s about-face Aubrey de Grey Jay Olshansky

51. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Regulate for Safety & Efficacy, Not Angst No to more HFEAs Yes to stronger and more independent FDA and European Medicines Evaluation Agency

52. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Universal Access Defend & expand universal health care Expand access in the developing world Anti-retroviral drugs TRIPS Global Fund WHO

53. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Establish Rights of the Person 1. Bodily autonomy, reproductive rights and cognitive liberty as first principles 2. Technological self-determination 3. Reform laws to reflect personhood not humanness as the basis of rights-bearing

54. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Tech is not the problem Greed, racism, inequality, patriarchy, institutional incapacity, authoritarianism, ignorance and superstition are the problems Technology only opens new battlefronts The Crossbow was invented to oppress peasants. But it became the perfect tool for knocking knights off horses.

55. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 For more information Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies ieet.org Me: director@ieet.org