By Deacon Gary Keepes
Catholic Healthcare Column
Neuralink, a neurotechnology company owned by Elon Musk, recently made headlines when they implanted a brain chip in the first human patient, allowing the patient to control computers and smartphones with their thoughts. The company hopes to use this technology to allow people with neurological diseases, such as strokes or spinal cord injuries, to regain neurological function. This is one example of transhumanism. Stories like this give many people hope for the future. However, many ethical questions arise when science uses technology to change our human condition or our human nature. This is something that we Catholics need to be paying attention to and thinking about. It is not something in the future like some crazy science fiction novel. It is here now and will exponentially advance in a very short period of time.
First of all, let’s define transhumanism. It is a project that aims to enhance humanity by merging it with technology. It aims to advance humanity beyond what it is currently capable of. It seeks to advance us in four areas: cognitive (make us smarter), physical (make us healthier and stronger, live longer), mood (eliminate depression and anxiety) and moral (improve our interactions with others). What makes transhumanism different from medical advancements of the past is that transhumanism seeks to advance humanity beyond a normal, healthy state to make a post-human state.
What are some of the concerns or ethical considerations with transhumanism? Ethicists worry that transhumanism will create human inequalities: for example, there would be two classes of people, those who are advanced or modified and those who aren’t. Another concern is the experimentation that will be required on people, exposing them to unknown risks.
Perhaps the biggest concern is what it will do to the human person. As Catholic Christians, we believe that God, in his goodness, created each one of us and that he wants each of us to live life to the fullest. “The glory of God is man fully alive,” as St Irenaeus said. However, this valley of tears is not our true home. The goal of every Christian is eternal life with the Father in heaven. How will merging our minds and bodies with the machine (a computer) affect our relationship with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? We know that God uses our suffering and human weaknesses to advance us in the spiritual life. St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:10, “Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.” Surely, this transhumanism project will affect us spiritually in ways that we cannot even imagine at this point.
We do need to acknowledge that we all want to be healthy. We would all like to be free of our limitations. I spend all day in my office trying to help people be healthier, both physically and mentally. But transhumanism seems to go beyond normal health. It feels like a Tower of Babel situation in which we are trying to advance humanity to the point of being gods. We are tired of waiting for God to redeem us. In fact, we don’t have need of a savior at all. We, with the use of technology, will be our own savior.
So, what are we to do at this point? The advancement of technology is not going away. In fact, it is rapidly advancing whether we like it or not, whether we cooperate with it or not. Pope Leo has spoken out frequently about artificial intelligence (which figures prominently in transhumanism). He has acknowledged the amazing potential of these technologies but has also expressed concerns about how this all will affect the human person.
I would suggest two things that we can all do. The first would be to think along with the Church about these issues. As mentioned, Pope Leo is focused on this. There is some speculation that his first encyclical will be about artificial intelligence and transhumanism. Let us watch this closely and see where Holy Mother Church leads on these issues. We have faith that our Catholic Church is led by the Holy Spirit and “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
The second course of action for us is to focus on our own spiritual state. Pray, receive the sacraments and go to Mass as often as possible. We cannot control society or the world. We can, with the grace of God, advance in our relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Dr. Gary Keepes serves as a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Evansville. He is assigned to Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Petersburg and Blessed Sacrament Parish in Oakland City. He is also a member of the Southwestern Indiana Guild of the Catholic Medical Association.