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May 26, 2002
REVIEW: Are scientists irresponsible?
FRANCIS Fukuyama is Bernard L. Schwartz Professor of International Political Economy at the School of Advanced International Study, Johns Hopkins University. His most famous publication is the book The end of history and the last man, in which he argues that the ideological war is over with the triumph of capitalism and “liberal democracy”. The final chapter of the human history has thus been written!
I find this a preposterous claim, as no human, however intelligent or educated, can prophesize the distant future and judge the direction of history. Moreover, Fukuyama’s repeated emphasis on moral and ethical superiority of liberal democracies is not borne out by facts. Democracies, like dictatorships, can commit atrocious deeds. For example, Britain colonized and plundered almost half of the world for more than two centuries.
Hitler, who came to power democratically, butchered Jews, gypsies, homosexuals and communists, without any qualms. The US dropped two nuclear bombs on civilian populations, when Japan was negotiating surrender terms. History shows that it is not so much the system of government, but the individuals who run the government that matter most. For example, I believe that if Jimmy Carter were the president of the US during the Second World War, atom bombs would not have been dropped on Japanese cities.
Fukuyama’s new book Our posthuman future is divided into three sections. The first is entitled, “Pathways to the future,” in which he discusses biotechnology and its implications. The second section is entitled “Being human,” which is a discussion about human rights. The third and final section is entitled “What to do”, in which he proposes legislative control over biotechnology research.
In the “What to do” section, he makes an about-turn from his usual advocacy of market forces and freedom from government. He advocates legislative control, presumably because he does not find scientists trustworthy. History speaks otherwise. Einstein was always against the manufacture of nuclear weapons and was hounded by the FBI for his anti-war stance. The germ and chemical warfare programmes are not only run by dictators such as Saddam, but also by some liberal democracies.
Fukuyama is rightly critical of the widespread use of psychotropic drugs, such as Prozac and Ritalin. However, the responsibility for this does not lie exclusively with medical doctors and scientists. The pharmaceutical industry has a highly efficient sales force and a powerful propaganda machine, which is constantly seeking higher and higher profits. Fukuyama should also look into the social and economic factors within the US that account for the popularity of addictive drugs amongst the young Americans.
Finally, I was surprised by his statement that “a number countries of Asia” are not concerned with ethical dimensions of biotechnology research, because much of Asia lacks religion per se, as it is understood in the West — that is, as a system of revealed belief that originates from a transcendental deity. In this regard, he forgets that Islam is a major religion in Asia, with belief in a transcendental deity. He refers to Buddhism, which gives equal respect to all forms of life. This, according to him, leads to “lower degree of regard for the sanctity of human life”. This is apparently the reason why abortions are so common in China! I find it difficult to understand this convoluted logic.
There is no denial that the purpose of writing this book is valid, as humans have embarked into a mainly unknown territory of cloning, stem-cell research, mind-altering drugs, organ transplantation, etc. All of these carry huge moral and ethical dilemmas. But the best judge of these problems are the scientists themselves. An association of scientists, in concert with governments, business communities and international organizations such as WHO, should lay down the ethical and moral guidelines for research in these fields. Unfortunately, laws cannot be enforced on the international community but hopefully good sense will prevail, and science would not lead us into a blind alley or a “posthuman” world, as Fukuyama thinks.
Our posthuman future
By Francis Fukuyama
Profile Books
ISBN 1 86197 297 0
272pp. £17.99
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