Although human ability to take command of the course of life and death is controversial, we believe that the ability to broaden our horizons is a unique and desirable attribute of our species.
That passage contains one of a very few hints that the authors recognize the importance of ethical issues in biotechnology. Kurzweil and Grossman do not pose or address the questions ethicists, philosophers and science fiction writers have been asking for a long time: what would be the psychological effects of living for hundreds of years? At what level of artificial enhancement might a person cease to be human (and who is to judge)? Can people with varying degrees of physical and mental enhancements maintain sociopolitical equality?
Of course, we could play that game for hours. Will insurance cover these life-extending technologies? Will we provide them to convicted criminals who've been given life sentences? What do you do about a brutal dictator who is never going to die of old age? The book could have used more discussion, or at least acknowledgement, of ethical considerations.
There's certainly plenty to digest, though. Cloning replacement organs, correcting genetic defects, turning cells into living computers, and supplementing, or even entirely replacing, our blood cells with more efficient nanobots are just a few of the 21st century developments the authors foresee. New technologies should be able to sidestep many, if not all, of the religious and ethical questions that swirl around issues like stem cell research. The book's Bridge Two and Bridge Three sidebars describe fascinating areas of research, from drugs that will allow us to eat whatever we want and still maintain optimal weight, to nanobot-based neural implants that will vastly amplify our thinking and communicating abilities. (Telepathy, anyone?)
For the present, the book provides several useful services. It explains the basis for a great many popular health claims. Why is it healthier to consume fewer carbohydrates? Why are some fats good and others bad? What about those supplements that reduce free radicals in the bloodstream, and how do free radicals actually harm you? If you're patient, you'll find explanations in this book for many of the health claims and fads you may have been wondering about. You can also satisfy some of your curiosity about what is actually happening in the body when conditions like cancer, diabetes and heart disease occur.
Article comments
1 - Bryce Eddings
Listed at Advance
2 - rick
I have a radio show called How You Can Be Your Own Doctor. I would love to have a copy of your book to review and tell my listeners. Can you donate a copy to me. Thanks Dr. Rick Kuykendall