The Threat Of Human Nature

The concept of nature vs nurture is easily one of the oldest and most controversial arguments of modern times. Harvard psychology professor Steven Pinker is notably known in the world of psychology and the social sciences for his book “The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature.” In his book, Pinker addresses this exact argument and reasons that human behavior is mostly and at its roots is formed by evolutionary psychological adaptations. In 2003, Steven Pinker gave a Ted Talk regarding his book and the idea that human behavior is predisposed, rather than formed by socialization, interactions between people and the exposure to culture. Pinker discusses the reasoning behind his stance on nature over nurture using five key discussion points, these points being, human universals, neurology and DNA, political reasoning, the arts and parenting. During his Ted Talk, Pinker begins by stating that there are human universals, concepts, behaviors and traits that are carried and found, with many similarities, throughout every human civilization, he then explains that a common example of this is with twins separated at birth, and can be proven through neurological studies. Another concept that Pinker address to further solidify his stance is the idea that the argument that humans are ‘blank slates’ and human behavior is developed through nurture rather than nature is the political reasoning behind the benefits of everyone being ‘blank slates’. Two critical points he made however

In Genesis the word of God leads humanity in the direction of self preservation, urging them to procreate, to ”Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 9:1), and to minimize hostility and violence among people. As Freud asserted, “Besides the instinct to preserve living substance and join it into ever larger units, there must exist another, contrary instinct seeking to dissolve those units and bring them back to their primeval, inorganic state” (Freud 77). Genesis exemplifies the struggle between the two opposing human instincts, with God acting as a moderator between them. Forms of justice are put into place in an attempt to control these drives, one example being the proclamation that “Whoever sheds the blood of a human, by a human shall that person’s blood be shed” (Genesis 9:6). The ethics and laws that develop throughout Genesis seek to “prevent the crudest excesses of brutal violence” but are unable to control “the more cautious and refined manifestations of human aggressiveness” (Freud 70). Since they cannot be completely eradicated, the scriptures instead play into the more negative aspects of human nature, especially narcissism, and manipulate them into a force for conservation rather than annihilation.

The author of this article, Francis Fukuyama, is fearful that biotechnology will transform human nature as it did in Brave New World. Biotechnology will shift us into

Human beings are part of the animal kingdom, and therefore part of nature. If that is true, then everything they create or destroy is by default "natural". I agree with the statement.

Our spiritual nourishment from it changes according to imposed ideologies, and as vicious as humans can be, some of them rips apart our own consciousness and makes us part of something other than a part of ourselves.

Discontented and disheartened, author Aldous Huxley accentuates what’s to come in the future based off present events in his novel, Brave New World (Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Harper & Bros. 1946). Although satirical, Huxley’s message is somber and warns people towards the loss of total freedom and individuality as technological advances continue to develop. People in today’s society consider oppression and social restrictions as a negative way of living.

Engineering, edited by David M. Haugen and Susan Musser, Greenhaven Press, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010138265/OVIC?u=j170902014&xid=541f199b. Accessed 24 Feb. 2017. Originally published as "The Threat of Human Genetic Engineering," www.hgalert.org/topics/hge/threat.htm.

The biotechnology revolution will change the face of the planet, Introduction page 1, There are two thousand laboratories in america alone five hundred companies spending five billion dollars on the biotechnology. Among the scientist there are no surveillance to make sure they are doing the right thing with the technology they are creating. Page 2 of intro, International Genetic technologies, inc did secret research when an accident occured twelve people or fewer where there to witness the accident and only a handful survived. “Biotechnology will transform every part of human life from our food to our medical care our entertainment and our very bodies.” Biotechnology will be something that will either kill us or help us how we use it will depend.

In a metaphor, the evolution of civilization is in many ways similar to the evolution of flight. A long story made brief – both required multiple attempts, before they were able to function sustainably. Just as the engineers in the big firms which produce the machines – Airplanes and Helicopters – used for flight, are constantly attempting to improve upon their products, we as members of our respective societies are always looking for better, faster and cheaper ways to sustain ourselves. Civilization requires three main ‘materials’ if you will; Politics – the role of the state and political organization, the spokesperson promoting the idea that might is right, Economics – the production, exchange and economic organization of society. The

In Ronald Bailey’s article “Transhumanism: The Most Dangerous Idea? Why Striving to Be More Human Is Human”, Bailey poses an underlying question about which ideas, if embraced, would pose the greatest threat to the welfare of humanity? In particular, Bailey posed the question to 8 of the most prominent policy intellectuals editors of the “foreign policy” from the September and October issue. Of the 8 editors, the answer that caught Bailey’s attention the most was that of editor Francis Fukuyama. Fukuyama proposed in his Foreign “Policy article”, that the world’s most dangerous idea was that of Transhumanism.

Progress, through invention, is the key goal of mankind. In life, one’s purpose is consumerism and product consumption. Ideals of the society can be demonstrated appropriately by this quote from the novel: “But old clothes are beastly,’ continued the untiring whisper. ‘We always throw away old clothes. Ending is better than mending, ending is better than mending, ending is better than mending.’” All of the World State citizens are conditioned since birth that buying new is the way one should handle things and that repairing things is immoral. Religion has been completely forgotten. by citizens of the World State. The people only believe in the principles of consumption. If ever a person feels stress or is uncomfortable, they are encouraged to self-medicate using a State-produced drug called Soma, which is described as having “all the advantages of Christianity and alcohol, none of their defects.” Developed by the World State, it eliminates the need for religion or other allegiances. Recreational sex is a social activity, rather than a means of reproduction. “Everyone belongs to everyone else” is often repeated. The idea of a “family” is thought to be pornographic. Marriage, parenthood and pregnancy are too obscene to be discussed. Society has developed a completely different idea of relationships, lifestyle and

So, too, related controversies over the benefits and costs, the legality and morality, of biotechnical innovations in reproductive technologies, genetic engineering, and cloning, to say nothing of the ecological consequences of new biological, chemical, and nuclear weaponry that constitute central preoccupations in contemporary society.” (Nature p.234).

Humanity has experienced a series of changes over time due to the many advancements made to improve a person’s life. Mankind has created a pattern of becoming attached to the benefits which derive from new developments. Therefore, humanity has become predictable, and Neil Postman has analyzed two different predictions for the downfall of humanity. Aldous Huxley more accurately predicts the current behavior of mankind in, Brave New World, than George Orwell did in 1984.

Aldous Huxley created a literary masterpiece which shows a possible, dismal future produced by the misuse of science and technology. In his book, Brave New World, the World Controllers use various scientific methods to dehumanize the population in order to control them. The advanced use of biotechnology has allowed the government to completely eliminate family and have the population physically engineered to fit specific specifications according to the needs of society. They also use different methods of brainwashing in order to ensure the population properly conforms to their outline of civilization. Through the use of primitive conditioning techniques combined with current ones, everything the people think, like, and dislike is

The flaws of human nature are many, but one of the biggest is the gullibility, especially in the presence of the supernatural. It is often easy to think that the thoughts or actions of an individual are of their own doing. It is even easier to assume that the range of the mind falls between good and evil. But society is not quite clear and even in fiction, there is always something motivating an action that lingers in the back of the mind of any character. The supernatural in particular is known for its ability to push people to extremes and alter their perception drastically. In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, it is easy to assume the blind ambition that brews within Macbeth and his wife or the guilt that plagues them following their actions is the biggest motivator. But that is just the surface of the complexity interlaced into this tragedy. Dig further, and it becomes clear that these emotions were not always prevalent in the characters, but were instead prompted by a force so powerful, it toyed with fate and provoked deception until the end; it was the supernatural that fueled the emotions and actions that take up much of the play.