Fukuyama Transhumanism Summary

Fukuyama exerts his fears in his article “Transhumanism”, stating enhanced humans will sacrifice equality on the altar of power. Bailey (2004) suggests in his rebuttal, the idea of enhanced people terrorizing unenhanced people will be negated because under western liberalism the law applies to all. I think Fukuyama’s right to fear the power possessed by enhanced individuals. Bailey states in his article “How ironic that Fukuyama now spends his time demonizing transhumanism, a nascent philosophical and political movement that epitomizes the most daring, courageous, imaginative, and idealistic aspirations of humanity.” I also agree with the idea put forth by Bailey, that it’s the next step forward. By denying the technological progress in biotechnology, because of fear, poses a threat to freedom. Biotechnology allows for us to transcend our limitations, which as he states, we have been trying to do ever since an “. . . ancestor first sharpened a stick and used it to kill an animal for food.” Transhumanism is the next step. We must take advantage of biotechnology because we can control the process, we will be tougher creatures, and the technology will come whether we like or not. Biotechnology is the future of
Bailey quotes scientists from a separate article, “. . . and makes the unaccountable genetic engineer a potential bioterrorist.” While Bailey sees the scenario as an extreme, the contention remains, any scientist with access to a lab could manufacture a superhuman that could can create a hazardous situation for society. Laws could be imposed regarding the synthetization process; but a much more practical solution is to just upgrade every person who’s available. They’d be more well equipped to handle such foes, than normal humans, and there would be more of them. With the growing fields of genetics and biotechnology, the idea of a transhumanist future does not seem so