This blog post examines the potential social inequality issues intelligent design technology could cause and discusses solutions to address them. It emphasizes the necessity for the fair distribution of technological advancements.
Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens, presented three scenarios suggesting humanity could be replaced by another species and face extinction. These scenarios all stem from scientific and technological progress. His main argument is that humans, becoming intelligent beings, will design new life forms—much like the concept of intelligent design proposed in religion. However, just as access to healthcare varies based on wealth, technological progress stemming from intelligent design will not be equally accessible to all under the current economic system. Therefore, I wish to discuss whether it is acceptable for such intelligent design technologies to be traded for money within the current capitalist system.
The intelligent design mentioned in the book is distinctly different from the intelligent design theory advocated by religious circles. The intelligent design theory promoted by religion posits that an intelligent being, akin to God, intentionally designed life forms, including humans. However, intelligent design theory is an argument premised on a transcendent, intellectual being whose existence or non-existence cannot be proven. Consequently, it commits the fallacy of appealing to ignorance rather than providing a scientific argument about the principles underlying phenomena. Although illogical in aspects, it explains human origins in opposition to Darwin’s theory of evolution as advocated by the scientific community.
The author considers the intelligent design theory promoted by religious circles absurd, yet paradoxically, he views intelligent design as the cause of humanity’s demise. This means humans become the intelligent designers, replacing natural selection. Through current biotechnology, cyborg engineering, and inorganic engineering, humanity is in the process of transforming into a new species. People expect intelligent design to bring revolutionary advancements in medicine. The possibilities are endless: curing incurable diseases by manipulating genes, overcoming disabilities through the supply of artificial organs, and more. Ultimately, it will bring us one step closer to the ‘Gilgamesh Project’ for eternal life.
However, if these technologies can be traded for money, a severe polarization will occur at some point. Therefore, a discussion is needed on whether intelligent design technology should be traded for money. I wish to emphasize the view that the benefits of intelligent design should be enjoyed equally by all people, regardless of wealth. I will explain this from three main perspectives: the potential for superhuman domination, inequality, and misuse.
First, to prevent the superhumans that will emerge through intelligent design from dominating society, the benefits of intelligent design must be distributed equally. Currently, intelligent design is primarily used for limited purposes, such as genetic modification of animals or overcoming human disabilities. However, intelligent design ultimately aims to create genetically and physically perfect humans. Therefore, those born through intelligent design in the future will be superior beings, a new species, surpassing current humanity. And no one knows if a future where this superhuman species dominates the world will come.
The process of superhuman domination could unfold similarly to the phenomenon of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Just as the wealthy grow richer through investment, those with greater resources will strive to approach superhuman status through intelligent design. They will then reinvest the achievements gained through superior physical and mental capabilities to become an even more exceptional human species. While superior physical and mental abilities do not always guarantee greater achievements, deepening polarization among human species will inevitably widen the gap in outcomes. Ultimately, just as the wealthy dominate the global economy, transhumans could gradually become the hidden rulers of the world.
Second is the inequality problem caused by intelligent design. The information revolution of the mid-20th century enabled communication with people worldwide through the internet. However, it is said that only 54% of humanity currently has internet access. This indicates that the pace of technology dissemination lags behind the pace of development. The problem is that the benefits of intellectual design follow the same pattern. While lacking internet access may not be a major issue for survival, the imbalance in intellectual design creates a gap between superior and inferior species.
This materializes the racial hierarchy propagated by the Nazis during World War II to justify the extermination of Jews. Economically affluent individuals will become a superior species compared to others, and the gap between developed and developing nations—where the former can enjoy greater technological advantages—will widen further. This species-level disparity will form an insurmountable barrier. Like the innate difference that allows women to produce higher pitches than men, genetic disparities are inherent, imposing limits on what can be overcome through effort alone. This will directly translate into disparities in the opportunities individuals can seize. It signifies abandoning the human equality achieved through countless revolutions and reverting to a class society determined by birth. Moreover, humanity will be discriminated against by genetics and forced into constant competition to become genetically more perfect. Ultimately, intelligent design will regress society, contrary to its intent.
Finally, capitalism can abuse and misuse intelligent design. Consider dynamite and the Manhattan Project. Dynamite was developed to create safe explosives for mining, yet Nobel famously lamented seeing his invention used in war. Similarly, the Manhattan Project, which brought tremendous advances in nuclear physics like nuclear power generation, also led to the development of the deadly nuclear bomb—a landmark event in scientific history. Through such experiences, humanity knows well that science and technology do not always have only positive aspects.
The same holds true for intelligent design. We anticipate advancements like curing incurable diseases and overcoming disabilities through more advanced genetic engineering. However, the dangers posed by intelligent design are no less than those of dynamite or nuclear bombs. Just as a nuclear bomb can instantly kill vast numbers of people, genetic engineering could mass-produce humans, treating them as expendable commodities, or arbitrarily manipulate genes to control human origins. If, under capitalism, certain individuals abuse their economic wealth to exploit this technology, scenarios could emerge where armies of cloned humans are organized to wage war, or the genes of disobedient individuals are forcibly manipulated. Therefore, to prevent such problems, the monopoly of intelligent design technology must be prohibited, and its use must be made public to mutually restrain misuse.
Human intellectual design, as the author mentioned, stands on the shoulders of the ‘Gilgamesh Project’ pursuing eternal life. This means that efforts for intellectual design continue under the pretext of healing the sick and advancing medicine. However, if intellectual design technologies like genetic engineering become monopolized or skewed by capital, various problems will undoubtedly arise, and the danger to humanity will be greater than ever before in history. The lesson learned from the past—where the gravity of nuclear weapons was only fully grasped after atomic bombs were dropped, leading to the prohibition of nuclear testing—serves as a cautionary tale. As technology advances at an unprecedented pace, we must establish regulations now, through societal consensus, to ensure the equitable distribution of benefits derived from technology before problems arise.
