31 October 2012

Naturalising artificial processes



Craig Venter, the man who mapped the human genome and created synthetic organisms, wants to infest the planet with insects that will cure the world of its ills. By manipulating their DNA, he will programme them with ‘natural’ instincts that will solve problems such as pollution, food scarcity and disease. They will produce fuel and food, ingest polluted air then fart out clean air, clean up toxic waste, detect diseases and make medicines. Insects are one of the most resilient and common living organisms on the planet, so they seem the perfect candidate. 

What I find most astounding about this idea is that humans are now able to take a part of nature and redesign it so it ‘naturally’ facilitates our existence: the naturalisation of artificial processes. This example reminds me of the development of fake meat too, which is also fascinating – and highly controversial. Once these ideas become reality – if they become reality – they will drastically change the lives of every organism on the planet, not just those of humans. Life without these naturalised, artificial processes will seem unimaginable. We can already see how dependent we are on digital technology today, for example: just as we have created and influenced technology, so has technology influenced us. We are already the product of technical innovation. The objects we create have developed social lives of their own: this is meaningful since the objects around us are an integral part of our lives and identities and so it raises the question of what caused us to be the way we are today. Ourselves? Or the objects we have created? What came first? The chicken or the egg? Hello social determinism.

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