2. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2005 Enlightenment Roots of 21 st Century Biopolitics James J. Hughes Ph.D. Secretary, World Transhumanist Association Executive Director, Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies Lecturer, Public Policy Studies, Trinity College, Hartford CT James.Hughes@trincoll.edu February 23, 2008 CFI Orlando

3. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 The Enlightenment Origins of secularism, secular humanism and modern bioethics in 17 th and 18 th century Descartes, Locke, Pascal, Bayle, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Diderot, Condorcet, Rousseau

4. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Principles of the Enlightenment 1. Autonomy of reason from faith, authority 2. Human perfectibility and progress 3. Empirical optimism: sapere aude! 4. Legitimacy of government based on free association 5. Tolerance of diversity, freedom of thought 6. Ethical universalism – disgust with nationalism, racism, sexism

5. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Five Moral Intuitions Liberals: Harm/care Fairness/reciprocity Conservatives Ingroup loyalty Respect for authority Purity/sanctity Jonathan Haidt

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 Contemporary Secular Bioethics Principleism Autonomy (liberté) Justice (égalité) Beneficence (fraternité) Utilitarianism Kantian Deontology

8. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 From Bioethics to Biopolitics Public health and universal insurance Access to contraception Rights to refuse treatment, confinement Roe v. Wade Stem cells

9. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Emerging Technologies Tech that will radically change the human brain: Psychopharmacology Genetic engineering Nanotechnology Artificial intelligence Cognitive science The accelerating convergence of all these “for improving human performance”

10. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Human Enhancement Curing disabilities Health Longevity Intelligence Emotional control Aesthetic expression Spiritual goals Ensuring the best lives for our kids

11. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Why Human Enhancement? Status Quo Bias Would it be better to have…. Shorter lives? More disabilities? Less intelligence? Less memory? Less happiness?

12. 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 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

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

14. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 BioConservatives 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

15. 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

16. 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)

17. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Bay Area HQ: CBC

18. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Chicago: Trinity International Univ

19. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Seattle: Nader & the Culture of Life

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

21. 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 Transhumanists Christine Peterson (nano-policy) Nick Bostrom, WTA Wrye Sententia (cognitive liberty) Left Bioconservatives Lori Andrews, IBHF CBC organizes Technosapiens Confs September 2003 October 2004 Alerting Christians to transhumanist threat

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

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

24. 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

25. 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

26. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 What is Transhumanism? An intellectual and cultural movement that affirms the possibility and desirability of 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.

27. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 H+ Regiment of the Enlightenment

28. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Diderot – “D'Alembert's Dream” 1769 Mind is not separate from the body/brain Lower animals are evolving towards intelligence Machine minds are possible The self is a fictional aggregate of multiple wills Minds may be deconstructed and rebuilt later Science can bring the dead back to life Human-animal hybrids OK Sexual freedom OK, including homosexuality Denis Diderot 1713-1784

29. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Marquis de Condorcet 1744-1794 Sketch for a Historical Picture of the Progress of the Human Mind Reason liberates from church, authoritarianism, nature Women’s suffrage Opposed to slavery Radical life extension Freedom from work Marquis de Condorcet

30. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Condorcet’s Transhumanism "Nature has set no term to the perfection of human faculties; the perfectibility of man is truly indefinite; and the progress of this perfectibility, from now onwards independent of any power that might wish to halt it, has no other limit than the duration of the globe upon which nature has cast us."

31. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 “Trans-humanism” and “Transhuman-ism” Julian Huxley first director of UNESCO "Transhumanism“ "the human species can transcend itself." “FM-2030” (FM Esfandiary) popularized term “transhuman” in the 1970s

32. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Growing H+ Movement World Transhumanist Association transhumanism.org 30 chapters, 5000 members Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies ieet.org Dr. Nick Bostrom Oxford University WTA & IEET Chair

33. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Technoprogressivism Core Ideas: Equality and solidarity, as well as liberty Tech needs regulation and universal access “Techno-Progressives” Technoliberation list on Yahoo Groups Institute for Ethics & Emerging Technologies ieet.org

34. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Biopolitical Coalitions H+ Coalition BioCon Coalition A-Technoprogressives B-Libertarian transhumanists Economic Politics Biopolitics Progressive Conservative C A Progressive Conservative B D Cultural Politics Bioconservatism Transhumanism C-Left bioconservatives D-Right bioconservatives

35. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 TranshumanistsBioConservatives Personhood, cyborg citizenship Human-Racism (or Deep ecology) 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

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 & reproduction 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 know how safe and effective technologies are The right to use technology to control our own bodies and minds The right of equal access to technological empowerment

38. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Legitimate Risk Concerns: Safety, Efficacy, Equity Ensure technology is safe and effective Make tech accessible to all

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 Biocon Weaknesses Reproductive Rights Healthcare Reform Human-racialist intolerance Theocratic Ambitions and Extremism of the Xian Right

41. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Max Mehlman: Wondergenes Global ban on genetic enhancement for equality reasons Mandatory gene testing “like Gattaca” April 2006: NIH gives Mehlman $770,000 to develop gene enhancement policies Maxwell Mehlman

42. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Xian Right Goes to Town Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity and Baptist Press:

43. 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.”

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

45. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 IBHF: OK, CGS: Silence Institute for Biotech and Human Future: reprints Nazi Eugenics accusations Center for Genetics and Society: Ignores the issue Mehlman: weary

46. 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

47. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Progressive Bioethics Network Center for American Progress Left bio-cons, Technoprogressives, leading liberal bioethicists Dem Bioethics TaskForce

48. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Secure the “Longevity Dividend” Through a “Manhattan project” to slow aging Aubrey de Grey Jay Olshansky

49. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 Pursue Universal Access Defend & expand universal health care Expand access in the developing world Anti-retroviral drugs

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

51. Copyright Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies 2006 For more information Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies ieet.org Me: james.hughes@trincoll.edu director@ieet.org james.hughes@trincoll.edu director@ieet.org