Homo Evolutis
We are becoming a new species, we are becoming
Homo Evolutis
By Ken Fisher By Ken Fisher
At TED 2009, now halfway through the near-weeklong binge of activities and presentations, Juan Enriquez energized and perhaps terrorized attendees with his brief look into the future of human affairs, and indeed, of the human species. What made Enriquez' presentation so engaging was that his vision wasn't that far off, this sci-fi future that he spoke of; it's the future that is unveiling itself right before us, a future that we will all likely watch arrive, and our children will come to know as reality.
Chairman and CEO of Biotechonomy, Enriquez says that humanity is on the verge of becoming a new and utterly unique species, which he dubs Homo Evolutis. What makes this species so unique is that it "takes direct and deliberate control over the evolution of the species." Calling it the "ultimate reboot," he points to the conflux of DNA manipulation and therapy, tissue generation, and robotics as making this great leap possible.
posted by Indigobusiness @ Wednesday, February 11, 2009
4 Comments
4 Comments:
God persists as a near-redundant set of myths and introjects. Homo Evolutis is going to take over, viz, we are enabled to direct our fate by juggling, chaos, luck and self analysis. But we know that no-one is clever enough to take the credit and the responsibility, don't we?
Z
No. We know nothing.
word ver. - athein
Just got through watching all three of this guy's TED talks. That most recent one...wow...just when I'd about lost faith in America, to hear about the sort of things they're doing at MIT and other US research centers...amazing. It gives me hope.
A funny thought...in the last election, I felt a tinge of self-righteousness looking at some of the older conservative generation and internally condemning them for being so scared of change that they'd choose another 8 years of going down the toilet. And now, seeing some of the future, I find myself on the borderline between welcoming change and being scared of what it might bring...because there will, always has been, a certain percentage of humanity that will use new technology in evil and stupid and disasterous ways. But the wave is coming, so, I guess the only choice is to hop on the surf board and enjoy it and hope the sharks don't bite, or catch a big choking throatful of seawater.
I share your ambivalence, Joe. I guess there's something to be said for the devil you know, as opposed to the one you don't.
Technology is a runaway train, a double-edged sword, and we just seem to see the upside til the downside bites us on the ass. Then we we turn to technology for a solution. Technofix. Bad mojo.
My mixed feelings are torn between a compelling sense of promise for positive progression, while maintaining the more noble traditions that built us up. They shouldn't be in conflict, and finding the balance is key, I reckon. We live in ridiculously interesting times.
The worm in the apple is individual motive, perhaps, ignoring the long view of collective prosperity.
We need a proper contemporary mythos to guide us and keep us on track, and I fear that is our deficiency. We need contemporary mythic context, not simply technical opportunity.
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