Below is the script and recording from an evangelistic talk I did for Cambridge University Christian Union in November 2024, titled The Future of Biotechnology (and What it Means to be Human)
Today we are looking at this very interesting topic of the future of biotechnology, and what it means to be human. And I have 3 headings for you:
Where are we?
Why are we here?
Where should we go?
1. Where Are We?
So we begin with the question: where are we today, when it comes to advances in biotechnology? Now it doesn’t take much scientific inside knowledge, or indeed much time scrolling through news apps, to realise that the last few years have seen some pretty radical advances and discoveries in biotechnology, some of which have the potential to hugely impact the human race.
So here are couple of slides giving a bit of a flavour of what has been going on in the world of biotechnology. And all of these news articles are from the last 2 years.
Gene Editing
Firstly, here are couple of news stories about advances in gene editing. When I was at university, around 10 years ago, CRISPR Cas9 was being heralded as the great revolutionary technology that allowed us to do high-precision enzymatic gene editing for the first time. It completely transformed the field of research genetics.
However, there are now even more exciting new kids on the block. So the article on the left is from the New Scientist in June this year, which looked this brand new technique called “bridge editing” which has the potential to allow us to make even bigger changes to the genome, although it has not yet been tested in human cells.
More practically in March last year, the government passed a law for the first time that allowed the development of genetically-modified commercial food crops in England. And there’s an expectation that there will be a debate soon about whether we should allow genetically modified farm animals as well.
But of course the Holy Grail of genetics is the editing of human cells, and in particular, human embryos. Embryonic gene editing is of course illegal in the vast majority of the world. However in China, in 2018, two babies were born having been allegedly illegally gene edited. Since then, the laws that regulate gene editing in China have been under immense international scrutiny.
Reproductive Technology
So that is gene editing. We then turn to the related world of reproductive technology.
Now ever since Aldous Huxley published Brave New World in 1932, artificial wombs have been imagined as the great solution to the pain and medical risks of pregnancy and childbirth.
And now, for the first time, artificial wombs seem like an achievable possibility, with the US regulator now considering whether it should allow clinical trials. Might we one day no longer need a uterus to make a baby?
And not only that, but might we one day not even need a sperm and egg? That’s what the article on the right is all about. There is now some serious research going on into whether we can create a human embryo from stem cells rather than gametes.
Bionics
Moving on now to the area of bionics, or “cyborgs” if you want the sci-fi term. This is the field of research that aims to enhance human beings by incorporating technology into the human body.
Now, prosthetic limbs have been around for as long as there have been amputees. However, in recent years there has been a large amount of research aiming to plumb artificial limbs deeper and deeper into the central nervous system. The aim is ultimately to create an arm or leg that is under the conscious control of the patient’s brain. And now with the help of 3D printing, this is a field that is progressing rapidly.
And then of course the brain itself can be a target for an implantable bionic device. This is aim of Elon Musk’s Neuralink company. The ambition of Neuralink is to implant small devices similar to computer chips directly into a person’s brain, theoretically creating an interface between someone’s thoughts and an external computer.
Artificial Intelligence
And then finally we move on to what is probably the most significant technological advance in the last ten years- artificial intelligence.
Shortly after ChatGPT was launched in November 2022 it became one of the fastest-growing platforms in history, reaching 1 million subscribers in just 5 days- something that took Instagram 2.5 months and Facebook just under 1 year.
And today, we are seeing AI become increasing used in social media apps, medical diagnostics, pharmaceutical research, financial trading platforms, automobiles, military weapons, the list goes on and on.
And humanity is now seriously having to consider what it would be like to share our planet with a whole new group of intelligent beings made of silicon and steel, who may have cognitive abilities far greater than us ordinary carbon-based humans.
And such a future will pose a whole series of difficult questions:
How can we guarantee that AI will work for our benefit and not our harm? Should an intelligent machine have human rights? Who takes the wrap if a machine commits a crime?
So that was a very quick whistle-stop tour of some of the advances and events from the last 2 years in the world of biotechnology. And I wonder how you feel about all of this.
I think for some who are perhaps research-science inclined, this is all very exciting. There is a whole new world of biological and technological possibilities seemingly within touching distance.
However, there are also an increasing number of scientists, ethicists and public figures who are starting to raise concerns about the possible ethical, legal and practical issues with some of these new technologies.
And particularly when it comes to artificial intelligence, some people are warning that AI may even pose an existential threat to humanity itself- something that I do think is probably worth thinking about.
2. Why Are We Here?
Now at this point I think it is helpful and interesting to take a step back and ask the question “why are we here?”. What are the driving forces that have led to this huge array of new biotechnological advances in the last few years.
Now clearly there are a lot of factors that have driven this recent surge in biotech research activity.
One obvious factor is of course money. It’s become quite apparent that there is a huge potential commercial market for things such as genetically edited embryos and artificial wombs. And there is clearly already a huge market for publicly accessible AI softwares.
So there is a lot of money to be made from these biotech advances. But there is also lots of money available for investment. The biggest corporations in the world are tech companies with huge budgets to invest in tech research.
So there is money as one driving factor. Another factor at play is compassion and the desire to treat those who are sick. Many diseases and conditions that have long been seen as untreatable suddenly have new potential treatments thanks to advances in biotechnology.
And with aging populations and rising health costs, governments round the world are looking to biotechnology for answers to their problems.
However, I would suggest that there is a bigger and more fundamental driving force behind these advances in biotechnology. I think modern biotechnology is driven, not entirely but in significant part, by a profound dissatisfaction with our humanity.
Today biotechnology is less about finding treatments for diseases, and more about pushing at the boundaries of our human limitations. We don’t just want to be healthy- we want to be enhanced. We are not satisfied with our baseline human bodies. No, we want to have abilities and characteristics that have never before been possible.
You can see this right across the field of biotechnology. Do you want a super intelligent, super attractive baby? Let’s try find a gene-editing enzyme for that. Do you want to have a child but not go through pregnancy? Let’s try make a machine for that. Do you want to control a computer just with your mind? Let’s try create a bionic micro-chip for that.
I would suggest that a lot of modern biotechnology is driven, at least in part, by a profound dissatisfaction with our own humanity.
And you can immediately see there is a problem here. Because, when will ever be satisfied? Are we going to be perpetually striving for a breed of humans that is faster, higher and stronger than the last, to quote the slogan from the Beijing Olympics.
Which brings us on to our third heading: where should we go? How should we respond to this world of new biotechnology.
3. Where Should We Go?
Now today’s event is organised by the Christian Union here in Cambridge, and I would suggest that historic Christianity actually has some very powerful and good things to say into this conversation around biotechnology. And I’ve got three brief headings for you- three things Christianity can contribute to this conversation about biotechnology.
1. Designed by God
Firstly, Christianity teaches that human beings are not a cosmic accident, but rather are the intentionally designed creations of a creator God. Our human bodies were originally designed to be good- in fact they were designed to be flawless in health and ability.
However, due to the moral failing of the human race, our rebellion against God, suffering, pain, sickness and death are now part of the universal human experience.
And so Christian medicine is, and always has been, working to get us one step closer to our original human state, by fighting disease and relieving suffering. But Christian medicine does not try to improve on our original humanity, because our original humanity was designed by God to be good.
In his book Matters of Life and Death, my friend and emeritus professor of medical ethics John Wyatt uses the analogy of art restoration to describe Christian medicine. In art restoration, the restorer has an idea of what the original artwork was intended to look like, and then works to bring the art back to its original form. However they do not try to improve on the artist’s original design.
2. Vindicated by Jesus
So Christianity teaches that our humanity is designed by God. But secondly it also teaches that it is vindicated by Jesus. When we get to the gospel stories in the Bible, we read of the God who became a man.
If you have one to hand, have a look at pg 12 of the Luke’s gospels in front of you. This is Jesus’ biography written by Luke who was a historian and doctor. Have a look at Luke 2:6-11. These words may be familiar if you’ve ever been to a Christmas carol service:
While they [Mary and Joseph] were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
In that last verse, the angel stacks up three names for Jesus in quick succession- Saviour, Messiah and Lord. And in these three names, the angel pulls together a whole library of prophesies from the Jewish Torah, or Old Testament, that promised that one day God Himself will come to Earth to save humanity from the darkness and evil of this world.
And this is the heart of the Christmas story- that the Creator God became a man- the man of Jesus.
And in becoming a human, God gives his ultimate vindication of the dignity and value of the human form. Being human is so good that God chose to become one.
And I think is wonderfully liberating when faced with this panoply of advances in biotechnology, because it means we can have satisfaction with our humanity. We don’t need to be constantly striving to break the boundaries of our human limitations. We can be content in the knowledge that our humanity is good, because it was good enough for God.
3. Perfected in Eternity
And then third as finally we jump from Christmas to Easter to see that our humanity is perfected in eternity. As we read on in the gospel narratives, we see Jesus growing up, becoming a travelling teacher, and then in AD 33 being publicly executed by the Roman authorities.
But then 3 days later, Jesus rises from the dead.
Turn if you can to the very end of Luke’s gospel on pg 84. This is Luke 24:36-43
While they [Jesus’ friends] were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.
Three days after Jesus is publicly and gruesomely executed, He suddenly appears in front of His friends risen from the dead. And Luke really emphasises Jesus’ physicality in these sentences. Jesus shows his friends his hands and feet, He invites them to literally touch his body, and then He eats fish with them.
And the Bible goes on to teach that Jesus physical resurrection provides the blueprint for what will happen to those who follow Him.
You see the hope for Christians is not an eternal spiritual existence in the clouds after we die, but a physical resurrected body in a newly created physical earth. Christianity teaches that after death, Christians will one day be brought back to life and our human bodies will become perfected and glorified.
And so whilst we should be committed to researching and developing new technologies that aim to cure disease and relieve suffering, the Christian’s hope does not ultimately lie in escaping the limitations of our humanity. Rather the hope is that our humanity will one day be perfected by God, as foreseen in the resurrected humanity of Jesus.
If this is something you’d like to read more about, please do take home these Luke’s gospels. They are our gift to you. We’ve had a look tonight at the beginning and the end of the book- perhaps have a read of what happens in between.
Conclusion
And so as we close, we’ve looked at the some of the major advances in biotechnology from the last few years, and I’ve suggested that one of the key driving forces behind modern biotechnology is a profound dissatisfaction with our own humanity.
And in light of this, I’ve argued that Christianity actually provides some really good news for the world of biotechnology, for it says that our humanity is not some sort of burden to overcome, but something that is designed and vindicated by God as good. There is an inherent dignity to our humanity.
Or to put it in the profound word of Optimus Prime, the robot from Transformers: “Humans… There is more to them than meets the eye”
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