Drawing on Yuval Harari’s Sapiens, this course explores the possibility that advances in biotechnology could lead to the end of Homo sapiens and the social and ethical issues that arise, and discusses new forms of human evolution.
At some point in our lives, the question has crossed our minds: what will happen to humans and the world after an unimaginable amount of time has passed? If major changes and developments in the world occur in the near future, what will the end of Homo sapiens, the species we still universally refer to as “man”, look like? In Sapiens, Yuval Harari argues that natural selection is currently being replaced by intelligent design on Earth. Species that have evolved and become extinct according to the laws of natural selection are being transformed by the intelligent creator, Homo sapiens, into species that are different from the ones that existed before. Referring to intelligent design, Yuval Harari answers the previous question in three ways.
When we think of the end of the human race, it’s easy to imagine that it will be a destructive and sudden event, as depicted in movies and novels, but in reality, it’s likely to be more complex and gradual. The end of humanity may not simply involve the disappearance of humans, but rather the transformation or evolution of the concept of “human” as we currently understand it. In this context, three aspects of Yuval Harari’s work provide important clues to understanding our future.
One of them is that “biotechnology” will dominate the world. In fact, biotechnology has been infiltrating our lives for a very long time. For thousands of years before the concept of biotechnology, humans have been manipulating the biology of animals, from bulls to humans, through a method called castration. Since the formalization of genetic engineering, this manipulation has evolved rapidly. We are encroaching on territory that was once thought to be the province of God: removing genes from living organisms that we deem unnecessary or negative, and taking the ones we need and injecting them into other species. What’s even more remarkable is that this is not limited to extant species. Geneticists have now successfully reconstructed the genes of mammoths and Neanderthals and say it is theoretically possible to create them. Of course, ethical and political opposition from various quarters has slowed these studies down, but as extinct species are resurrected and the lines between species and species are blurred, it’s only a matter of time before humans selectively combine genes to create superhumans. In this context, a superhuman is a human being that consists of only those features that humans consider advantageous or ideal. In animals, gene combinations have already been used to create mice with greatly improved memory and learning, and some have even isolated the gene responsible for monogamous relationships in field mice. These manipulations are certainly feasible in humans, and if implemented, would indicate that it is possible to manipulate not only individual abilities and personality changes, but also the structure of society as a whole. Changes to the structure of society as a whole would not just affect individuals, but would have economic, political, and cultural implications. For example, a human race with vastly improved memory and learning capabilities would completely reorganize the current education system. This would mean the emergence of new professions and the disappearance of old ones, and it would also dramatically alter the global economic structure. Differences in ability due to genetic manipulation could also increase social inequality, raising new ethical and legal issues.
We will also need to establish criteria for distinguishing between species resulting from such manipulations. Just as a giraffe with a short neck at the beginning of its evolution would not be considered a different species just because natural selection turned it into a long-necked giraffe, intelligent design may have some trait changes that make it difficult to categorize it as a completely different species. However, if an organism with a few human-intentionally designed traits becomes widespread and evolves over time in a way that is different from the normal species because of the human-imposed traits, there is enough evolutionary potential to call it a different species.
These advances in biotechnology will go beyond mere species change and usher in an era where humans will be able to control and regulate their own evolutionary processes. This means that the evolutionary process, once determined by natural selection, will be reshaped by human will, and with that comes responsibility and ethical concerns. For example, while it is possible to prevent diseases by manipulating certain genes, there is also the possibility of unexpected side effects or new forms of disease. Therefore, advances in biotechnology are not only technological possibilities, but also social and ethical discussions.
After reading the above, you might be wondering how the development of biotechnology could lead to the end of Homo sapiens, or humans. However, Homo sapiens is a species that evolved through natural selection alone. Can genetically engineered humans, designed by the engineering of Homo sapiens, be considered the same species as Homo sapiens? Of course, the process of realizing the apocalypse may not be the negative process that the word “apocalypse” implies. It could be a batting end to Homo sapiens, with intelligently designed genetically engineered humans dominating non-human humans, but it could also be a voluntary end to Homo sapiens, where we blend in with them and evolve in ways that benefit us, and eventually we all become genetically engineered humans. This voluntary end could be seen as a new form of evolution, not just extinction. It’s a process of redefining itself and becoming something new, so rather than the negative connotations of the word “end”, it’s a positive one of a new beginning.
One way or another, the end of the Homo sapiens species is nearing, unless, in a few decades or centuries, there is a Homo sapiens that is completely excluded from such engineering in a rapidly developing world. To prepare for this future, we will need to closely monitor the development of biotechnology and the societal changes it will bring, and set ethical and legal standards accordingly. Through education and research, we will also need to find ways to maximize the positive potential of biotechnology while minimizing its negative effects. This is not just a matter of science and technology, it is a matter that touches all of our lives.
