Biotechnology Holds Promise for Future
The world is on the verge of a new era of medical breakthroughs. Advances in bio- and nano- technologies are bringing doctors very close to controlling diabetes, curing spinal cord injuries, and eradicating heart disease. Treatment of disease is only the tip of the iceberg for these technologies, however.
Humans: Biology or Technology
Scientists are exploring ways to use new technology to enhance our bodies and our lives. Followers of the transhumanist movement foresee a day when we can upload our thoughts to the Internet; create hard-working, monogamous or emotionally stable people; and perform super-human physical feats. Over time, they say, people will become more technology than biology.
While transhumanists claim to be forging new ground using technology, it is really just repeating an age-old story. Since the day a caveman invented the wheel, man has believed that progress in technology would produce a better world and enable him to live a happier life.
Technology Sparks Global Crises
But our track record speaks for itself. As humanity grows in knowledge and power, the problems of the world grow in parallel. Many of the economic, environmental and humanitarian crises facing the world today can be directly linked to our technological progress.
Einstein’s definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” The reliance on technology to improve the human condition is the same thing that has been done by generations of scientists and inventors, and the results this time will be no different.
Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute hosted the world’s first conference on global catastrophic risks last week. Several sessions were devoted to the risks associated with new technologies. The stakes are very high. According to Dr. Nick Bostrom, director of the institute, “If we get something wrong, you could imagine the consequences would involve the extinction of the human species.”
Living in Harmony with Nature
Kabbalah tells us that we have reason to be concerned. Mankind was created for only one purpose: to learn to come into harmony with the forces of Nature. Instead, most of our efforts have been focused on ways to control and use Nature.
No matter how hard we try to escape, we still operate under Nature’s laws. These laws are inviolable: the more we try to overcome them, the greater the consequences that will be applied to bring us back into balance. This dichotomy produces a direct linkage between technological progress and global suffering.
Sometimes, the connections are unmistakable. For example, our increased use of fossil fuels to power the machines we rely on is clearly associated with global warming. Other connections are more obscure. In reality, Kabbalah tells us that everything that causes us to suffer is caused by our refusal to live within Nature’s laws, even if we are unable to understand them.
If we wish to escape from this cycle, we must try a completely different solution. Kabbalah gives us a method to do this. It is based on transforming our very nature. Instead of desiring to control Nature for our own benefit, we need to learn how to work within Nature’s laws to benefit the whole of Creation. When we do this, these laws will become as clear to us as the law of gravity is today.
At that point, there will no longer be a need for conferences on global risks. We will be able to clearly see the impact our actions will have on the world. We will know if our advanced technologies will benefit humanity or cause harm. We will live in harmony and balance with all.
Related Material on Michael Laitman's Personal Blog:
- Can Identifying the Chemical Pathways and Brain Structures that Generate Religious Experiences Lead Us to Spirituality?
- SymbioticA Art Exhibit Portrays the Need for Responsibility Toward Life
- When Will Scientists Trying to Control Nature Realize that Nature Is Controlling Them?
Mark Zimmerman - Mark Zimmerman is a student of Dr. Michael Laitman and English content editor for the Ashlag Research Institute and the Bnei Baruch ...
