tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8667996740307605258.post395650472775746141..comments2023-09-22T11:08:46.559-07:00Comments on Musings in the Public Square: Hold the Soma, pleaseJason V. Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16726938160255627838noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8667996740307605258.post-76714029192444828162009-12-17T19:52:11.415-08:002009-12-17T19:52:11.415-08:00Michael,
This article from First Principles affir...Michael,<br /><br />This article from First Principles affirms your read of Fukayama:<br /><br />However, in later works like Our Post-Human Future (2002), Fukuyama concludes that nature itself is under the most extreme threat: biotechnology, through neuropharmacology and genetic engineering, now enables the alteration of human nature, as seen already in the widespread availability of mood-altering drugs like Ritalin and Prozac. The former, in Harvey Mansfield’s formulation, tempers the high spirits of boys, while the latter raises the low spirits of women. Both move toward creating new human beings content in the universal homogenous state. Fukuyama now rightly awakens us to the danger of this project and urges us to resist.<br /><br />http://www.firstprinciplesjournal.com/articles.aspx?article=594&loc=qsJason V. Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16726938160255627838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8667996740307605258.post-49026774581942508392009-06-15T19:02:47.299-07:002009-06-15T19:02:47.299-07:00Michael,
I think we're on the same page. What...Michael,<br /><br />I think we're on the same page. What he means by 'living in accord with nature' would be understood by others as redesigning human nature. For example, he might say removing undesirable personality traits is in accord with human nature, while most people would say it is changing it.Jason V. Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16726938160255627838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8667996740307605258.post-4491985121514942572009-06-14T19:20:24.485-07:002009-06-14T19:20:24.485-07:00The drive to total power and control, and hence th...The drive to total power and control, and hence the conquest of nature and humankind, is the primal drive of the entire Western cultural project, including its dominant religion, namely Christianity.<br /><br />These two images sum up the situation in very stark terms.<br /><br />www.dartmouth.edu/~spanmod/mural/panel13.html<br /><br />www.dartmouth.edu/~spanmod/mural/panel14.html<br /><br />The first image is featured in the masterful book The Pentagon of Power by Lewis Mumford. A book which describes the historical developments of this power drive.<br /><br />Meanwhile 35 years later the situation described by Mumford has gotten infinitely worse. And all of the negative trends that he warned us about have gotten infinitely worse too.<br /><br />Humankind has been quite literally reduced to rubble.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8667996740307605258.post-61219766335673936382009-06-11T23:10:53.160-07:002009-06-11T23:10:53.160-07:00Jason - Michael here. I only read half of Fukuyam...Jason - Michael here. I only read half of Fukuyama's book before being called to other things, but from my limited knowledge he was thoroughly against redesigning human nature. It was the primary reason he wanted regulations of biotechnology, in fact. What he does approve of, I believe, is using biotechnology in a limited way as we have used other technology in the past - to improve our lives in accord with our nature rather than redesigning our nature. There's a criticism easily made there, of course - where exactly is the line between 'good' biotechnology and 'bad,' and how do we distinguish?Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08489365965542931195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8667996740307605258.post-65044814760490782902009-06-11T08:52:14.357-07:002009-06-11T08:52:14.357-07:00Thanks for the thoughtful point. Peter LawlerThanks for the thoughtful point. Peter LawlerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com