Data: Monitoring the Advocates and Enablers of Transhumanism

My presentation is essentially visual, and explicitly focuses on one small part of two much larger issues, in the hope that it will provoke discussion and suggest lines of research and action. This abstract is more complementary to the PowerPoint than descriptive of it. Some people are fascinated with the concept of re-making humanity, as well as other species — that is, with germline interventions. It is tempting to write them off as kooks, but they include reputable scientists, credentialed bioethicists, innovative fertility practitioners, and a few very rich entrepreneurs. The prominence of this faction waxes and wanes: what was thought impossible is claimed to be inevitable, then exposed as fantasy but revived under a slightly different rubric, and the dance continues. Their desire, however, remains constant, and their thinking has a wide-reaching effect, on the nature of public discourse, on policymakers and arguably on the distribution of intellectual and capital resources. To counter their influence, we need to keep tabs on what they are doing — a data gathering and synthesis operation — and we also must craft an effective counter narrative.