La reconstructonde l'homme : une analyse des fondements de la révolution biotechnologique

Abstract

The metaphysical hypothesis of a human nature nourished the knowledge of a theoretical knowledge that attributed to man intangible qualities aimed at presenting him as a superior being with invulnerable dignity. This hypothesis was challenged by materialism, which allowed the scientist to account for both mental processes and biological activities from cerebral activity alone. This new orientation of the discourse on man is located in ontogenetics, which is a philosophical approach that traces the development of an individual from his conception to his adult form. It is the extensibility of this project in biotechnology that will make man a subject and object of science. That is to say that biotechnologies were built in rupture with the metaphysical vision of man. This rupture is justified by the fact that, in the biotechnological conception of man, it is no longer an immaterial soul but the brain which is the seat of knowledge. As the word suggests, biotechnologies, also called life technologies, seek to formalize life, computerize it and even machine it. This management of man by science materializes through precise diagnoses with the aim of mitigating not only present and future pathologies, but also and above all to postpone his lifespan as long as possible, to make the a more capable and capable man. It is in this perspective that technobioprogressives want to give another meaning to life. But this new perspective raises no less important philosophical questions. In fact, advances in biotechnology have a profound implication in the perception of man today. This means that beyond the conservative vision that advocates the intangibility of human nature and given the great challenges facing humanity today, it is necessary to think about a re-creation of the man.