Christianity, Transhumanism, and making sure the future is awesome
or, is there a tension between Christianity and Transhumanism?
Peter Thiel has an interesting framing of technology where he says we’ve seen “innovation in the world of bits (information technology) but not atoms (the physical world).” I think of Transhumanism as using bits to enhance your atoms, i.e. applying technology to your biology.
According to Wikipedia: “transhumanism is a philosophical movement, the proponents of which advocate and predict the enhancement of the human condition by developing and making widely available sophisticated technologies able to greatly enhance longevity, mood and cognitive abilities.”
It’s a broad subject that has been developing for, depending on how you count, somewhere between 100 years and forever. Indeed a major theme of The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest human works of literature, is the quest for eternal life. This happens to also be the stated goal of many Transhumanists.
So as far as these actual “sophisticated technologies” I see them as existing in three buckets: technology to heal, technology to correct, and technology to improve.
1.Technology to heal — or, restore lost functionality
Although “healing” might not be the first thing you think of when you think of futuristic, limit-bending technology, it’s actually a common starting point. Progress is being made using hardware to restore hearing, limbs and even sight. RNA injections are being developed that regenerate hearing cells, and stem cells are regenerating organs. In amphibians, they’re even having early success at limb regeneration.
2. Technology to correct — or, overcome “natural defects”
Scientists have used CRISPR gene editing to successfully treat and potentially cure sickle cell disease, and they have models for using it to cure and potentially eliminate genetic diseases like down syndrome. By extension, gene editing should be able to eliminate diseases, disabilities and vulnerabilities that have plagued us forever. This type of gene editing is truly miraculous.
3. Technology to improve — or, human enhancements
This is where it gets real sci-fi. There are things like Nootropics for increased cognitive function. Augmented reality that overlays images and information onto your environment allowing you to process the objects in front of you by applying information from the internet in real time. Currently it’s being produced as glasses, but will eventually be a non-invasive contact lens, then eventually an implant. Brain machine interfaces are being developed at Elon Musk’s Neuralink promise to allow us to literally read each others minds and control physical objects like robotics with our thoughts. And of course it wouldn’t be a hardcore sci-fi future without exoskeletons, jet packs, and super soldier serum.
These are all exciting developments. People have been waiting for generations to see such advances, and they all seem to be happening at once. But we also know that simply throwing technology at problems isn’t a complete solution. We don’t need to look very hard to find the deleterious effects of the technology we’re already using. For instance, our current technology is already eating away our attention span. As a result, we likely over-prescribe stimulants to help people concentrate, leading to unknown consequences. My point is, we’re already showing signs of strain with our current relationship with technology. And yet, this relationship seems destined to accelerate.
So is there a rub with with Christianity?
Firstly, let’s put it on the table that some Christians will definitely take issue with transhumanism, and that in itself doesn’t mean much. Some Christians take issue with Harry Potter. There are so many of us, and our theology is so diverse, that you can expect a subset of Christians to take issue with many subjects, particularly those that involve change. That some may be angered is not, in itself, an important measurement. The important question for a Christian should be does it directly contradict the teachings of Jesus.
My feeling is that it does not.
Christians have been aligning with Transhumanism for a long time.
Theologians Ronald Cole-Turner and Ted Peters hold that the doctrine of “co-creation” provides an obligation to use genetic engineering to improve human biology.
Both Christian cosmologist Frank J Tipler and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a Jesuit priest, scientist and philosopher, developed theories considered important to many Transhumanists.
There is even a Christian Transhumanist Association, which was established in 2014. Their motto is “Using science & technology to participate in the work of God — to cultivate life and renew creation.” Their podcast has had many illustrious guests including Kevin Kelly, NT Wright, David Deutsch, Robin Hanson and others. They also have conferences and active groups all over the socials. I find this group to be evidence that there is much fertile middle ground to be found among these two systems of thought.
There is still room for concern
I don’t believe the information above settles all issues between Christians and Transhumanism. Although I dismissed that certain Christians will take a hostile view to most modern advancements, that’s not to say that all Christian critiques are unserious, or that Christians shouldn’t be concerned. I believe they should be.
For instance, the Department of Defense conducts research on “brain and body alteration technologies” in order to gain a “battle field advantage they would provide to the super soldiers of the United States and its allies.” I don’t think I need to embellish much for you to understand how the government modifying humans for war could be totally immoral. This is an application of transhumanist technologies that Christians should rightfully be concerned about.
Another major issue is how access will be distributed. Some speculate that improvements afforded by a specific, privileged section of society could lead to an advantage so great to those that have access, as to essentially separate the human race into two species. As soon as you accept that transhumanist technologies provide a material advantage, equality of access becomes a major ethical question.
A final issue is that Transhumanism has within it the ingredients of a misguided new religion, one based on the belief that humanity can perfect itself. This trait carries the risks of catastrophic utopian philosophies like Communism that end by creating the opposite of their stated goal. The paradise we set out to create becomes a prison. Technologies meant to empower humanity can, in the wrong spirit, enslave us. There is, among so much of the research and science and progress that transhumanism is laden with, the risk of hubris and a desire for dangerous levels of control.
My conclusion is that Transhumanism has a lot of positive potential, but what matters most is how we use it. Just as a gun can allow you to feed a family or murder someone, or how nuclear technology can power a town or blow one up, Transhuman technologies should be respected as highly powerful with the constant potential for both great fruit and great harm. This is why it’s important for people to be engaged with the subject, and for Christians to take the ethics of it seriously.
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Disclaimer: I do not speak for all Christians, or any Transhumanists (I’m not one, yet). I am exploring these subjects for my own understanding. None of my theology is authoritative, but I do my best to be honest. I’m writing this because I find the subject interesting and worth exploring in public. Hopefully you got a few helpful concepts out of it. But I encourage you to come to your own conclusions - if you believe in God, pray about it. If you don’t, you can throw this paper along with all of the accompanying links into GPT-3 and ask it grand questions about the future of humanity. If you do, please leave a prophecy in the comments.
Matt Harder runs the civic engagement firm Civic Trust, where he guides cities in re-building their civic infrastructure by helping residents, civic organizations, and local government co-create public projects. He is also a passionate Bitcoiner. Follow him on Twitter.
