File 31.indd

By Helen Barratt
formerly a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Yale, and technologies. It is perhaps the ultimate humanity’s ability to live effectively – to expand the human ‘healthspan’.
earth’s resources for the benefi t of the technologies that will constantly repair imagination to the transhuman being.
a consequence of this ‘Fall’ the work of fancy, there is a need to defi ne the difference between ‘therapy’, treating helplessness and encourage passivity.
‘enhancement’, altering the ‘normal’ driven by a desire to ‘make a name’ for possibilities – technology that is used to seize God’s rightful place as creator, athletes is not.’4 His example appears for a cure for ageing to be ‘an urgent, buy into the idea that Homo sapiens possibility of these greater capacities, itself is not evil. The Bible directs us us that Christ came to ‘free those who all limits to life, intelligence, freedom, their fear of death.’22 The Bible gives defi nition of treatment, but more to do story of man’s Fall in the third chapter consequences: ‘Ultimately, humans will technologies. It is perhaps the ultimate humanity’s ability to live effectively – to expand the human ‘healthspan’.
earth’s resources for the benefi t of the technologies that will constantly repair imagination to the transhuman being.
a consequence of this ‘Fall’ the work of fancy, there is a need to defi ne the difference between ‘therapy’, treating helplessness and encourage passivity.
‘enhancement’, altering the ‘normal’ driven by a desire to ‘make a name’ for possibilities – technology that is used to seize God’s rightful place as creator, athletes is not.’4 His example appears for a cure for ageing to be ‘an urgent, buy into the idea that Homo sapiens possibility of these greater capacities, itself is not evil. The Bible directs us us that Christ came to ‘free those who all limits to life, intelligence, freedom, their fear of death.’22 The Bible gives defi nition of treatment, but more to do story of man’s Fall in the third chapter consequences: ‘Ultimately, humans will Eve from the Garden of Eden so they will References
not be able to eat from the tree of life. 1 Bostrom N. Transhumanist Values. 2000.
www.nickbostrom.com/ethics/values.html Some Christians interpret this as God’s 2 Warwick K. Cyborg 1.0. Wired 8.02. February 2000.
www.wired.com/wired/archive/8.02/warwick.html 3 Warwick K. I want to be a cyborg. Guardian 2000; January 26.
live forever.23 John Wyatt writes that ‘in www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,3954989,00.html God’s providential care of his creation, 4 Kass L. Ageless Bodies, Happy Souls: Biotechnology and the Pursuit of
The New Atlantis. Number 1, Spring 2003. pp 9-28.
then, human beings are not meant to live www.thenewatlantis.com/archive/1/kass.htm forever in their degraded fallen state. The 5 McKibben B. Enough: Genetic Engineering and the End of Human Nature.
human lifespan is limited, not just as a 6 Fukayama F. Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the
revolution. London: Profi le Books. 2002 7 Silver L. Remaking Eden. London: Weidenfi eld and Nicolson. 1998
8 Alexander, D. Worshipping God with technology.
‘deathists’ who make excuses for our 9 Genesis 1:27-28
10 Genesis 3:16-17
11 Genesis 11:1-9
12 Wyatt J. Matters of Life and Death. Leicester: IVP. 1998, p68
13 Bostrom, N. The Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant. JME 2005;
www.nickbostrom.com/fable/dragon.html 14 Leviticus 19:32
15 Job 12:12; 32:7
hope in Christ’s victory over it. Also, 16 Galatians 6:2
17 1 Corinthians 15:26
18 Genesis 2:16-17
19 Genesis 3:19
20 Stott J.R.W. The Message of Romans. Leicester: Inter-Varsity
21 Psalm 49:12
resurrection of Jesus Christ. In seeking 22 Hebrews 2:15
23 Genesis 3:22-24
24 Wyatt J. Matters of Life and Death. Leicester: IVP. 1998. p65
promise of the emerging biotechnologies, 25 Genesis 1:26-27
26 Genesis 5:1
27 Bostrom N. et al. The Transhumanist FAQ, v.2.1. World
Transhumanist Association, Willington, CT. 2003.
www.transhumanism.org/resources/faq.html which is sees us as the crowning work of to creation infl icted by sin and the Fall, 28 Hook C. In Whose Image? Remaking Humanity Through
Cybernetics and Nanotechnology. 2002. www.cbhd.org/resources/biotech/hook_2002-winter.html and refl ecting his Creator.25 Consequently 29 Grudem W. Bible Doctrine. Leicester:
for the human state and its fi nitude.
Past titles in the CMF FILES series:
No. 11 The Human Genome
sets human beings apart from the rest of transhumanist goals are freely available No. 12 Therapeutic Cloning and Stem Cells
No. 13 Do Not Resuscitate Dilemmas
to Christians. God’s desire to provide No. 14 Genes and Behaviour
No. 15 Human Experiments
No. 16 Reproductive Cloning
currently present in the world, and gives No. 17 Resource Allocation
No. 18 The Mind-Body Problem
No. 19 Advance Directives
‘specieist’, making moral distinctions on No. 20 Homosexuality
No. 21 Sex Selection
the basis of species, particularly between No. 22 Euthanasia
No. 23 Abortion
No. 24 Globalisation and Health
than accepting God’s promise of a truly No. 25 Gender Identity Disorder
No. 26 Speciesism
No. 27 Neonatal Ethics
No. 28 Saviour Siblings
No. 29 Autonomy - who chooses?
Helen Barratt is a PRHO at Wexham Park No. 30 Quality of life
Hospital in Berkshire. In 2004 she was The full set of CMF fi les can be found at: awarded an MA in bioethics at St Mary’s www.cmf.org.uk or ordered free from CMF. College, Twickenham and completed her thesis on transhumanism and human This series arose out of discussions within the Medical Study Group of the Christian Medical Fellowship, 157 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8XN. Telephone 020 7928 4694.
of Christ. Jesus’ physical resurrection body not only affi rms the general The series editor is Pete Moore PhD. The views expressed in these papers are not necessarily those of the publisher. but specifi cally man created in his own CMF is a Registered Charity, No. 1039823. Visit www.cmf.org.uk for more information about medical ethics.
a physical body that is described in Genesis 1:31 as ‘very good’.29

Source: http://www.care.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/CMF_file_31_transhumanism.pdf