This blog post examines why humans ultimately strive to cross the boundaries of God, focusing on the dangers and ethical questions that this desire to manipulate genes—as depicted in the movie Splice—brings forth.
In the film ‘Splice’, ‘Dren’ is a lifeform accidentally created while a renowned scientist couple develops a protein to treat incurable human diseases using genetic recombination technology. This creature possesses human ‘emotions’ but develops immense power through rapid cell division. It eventually kills the couple who created it and becomes increasingly uncontrollable. Such concepts, once confined to movies, are increasingly becoming reality through scientific progress. In the not-too-distant future, Homo sapiens may truly face extinction.
“Homo sapiens is a primate that walks upright on two legs. It is also referred to as humankind, encompassing all people on Earth.” Currently, Homo sapiens is transcending its biologically determined limits. For 4 billion years, all life on Earth evolved according to the laws of natural selection. However, entering the 21st century, Homo sapiens, now possessing the ability to manipulate DNA, is replacing natural selection with intelligent design. In the past, adaptation to the natural environment required a slow, lengthy evolutionary process. Now, that process is being shortened by science and technology. Humans are gradually breaking free from the confines of ‘nature’ and setting the direction of evolution according to their own desires. This change is not limited solely to the biological dimension. It raises fundamental questions about human identity and the meaning of existence, compelling us to reconsider what we can truly call human.
Biotechnology is one method of intelligent design, referring to the useful application of life forms’ characteristics through techniques like genetic recombination and cell fusion. This biotechnology is considered the most potent cause that could bring about the end of Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens has long modified the form and capabilities of organisms. For example, humans castrated bulls to reduce their aggressiveness, then utilized these less aggressive castrated bulls in the agricultural industry for their own convenience. This process exemplifies how humans have interacted with nature for ages. However, 21st-century scientists aim to go beyond merely altering biological traits; they seek to create entirely new life forms. This represents humanity’s desire to become creators of life, yet it is also an endeavor fraught with significant risks.
In the 21st century, as understanding of life sciences deepened, scientists developed techniques to transplant bovine cartilage onto mouse backs. In the near future, more advanced technologies could potentially enable humans to live disease-free and long lives. Furthermore, 21st-century genetic engineers seek not only to manipulate existing life but also to create organisms that never existed. Researchers are attempting to ‘revive’ the mammoth, extinct for five thousand years, by inserting DNA from a Siberian mammoth into an elephant. Such attempts transcend mere scientific curiosity; they can be seen as a symbolic act to demonstrate humanity’s dominance over nature. Moreover, Professor George Church of Harvard University is attempting to resurrect Neanderthals using Homo sapiens genes, citing the potential to uncover the origins of Homo sapiens and the belief that Neanderthals possessed superior physical traits compared to modern humans, making them potentially useful.
Mary Shelley’s novel ‘Frankenstein’ tells the story of the protagonist, Frankenstein, who, driven by his desire to create life, ends up creating a monster. Later, after losing his family and friends to that monster, he pursues it and ultimately dies. Though fictional, Frankenstein’s tale feels like a warning to Homo sapiens. Humans, seeking to satisfy their desires, are progressively altering their own characteristics through biotechnology. As science and technology advance, the boundaries of human limitations are becoming increasingly blurred. We are altering ourselves in ways unimaginable in the past, forcing us to fundamentally rethink what human nature truly is. As mentioned earlier, advances in life sciences allow Homo sapiens to alter their own characteristics and physical structure. Can we still call these altered Homo sapiens, transformed by such advances in life science, Homo sapiens? If biotechnology enables us to use the genes of one organism to produce proteins unique to another, or to combine genes from various species to create new lifeforms possessing characteristics of multiple species, the boundary between these new lifeforms and humans becomes impossible to precisely define. Such genetically modified ‘Homo sapiens’ could no longer be called Homo sapiens.
While genetic engineering in biotechnology could achieve even more diverse and astonishing feats, experts are raising ethical and political objections. Some argue that “humans should not trespass into God’s domain,” while others strongly criticize the suffering animals endure during the experimental process. Consider this: If we create superior genes through genetic manipulation and use them to create superhumans—beings with truly exceptional abilities, physical conditions, and brilliant minds—human genes would become a commodity. In this process, wealthy individuals would invest vast sums to produce “smart and beautiful” babies, intensifying the ‘rich get richer, poor get poorer’ phenomenon. Such developments would intensify social inequality and further complicate the structural problems of human society. Nevertheless, due to uncontrollable desires—the fear of death, the desire to become smarter—humans would ultimately abandon the form of Homo sapiens and be replaced by a new entity.
Can we truly call the reborn Homo sapiens, created through biotechnology, Homo sapiens? Through genetic engineering, Homo sapiens could even create superhumans. Although political and ethical opposition has significantly delayed the pace of genetic research on humans, human desire will drive genetic engineering to develop infinitely. Through such advancements, humans will continuously extend their lifespans, conquer incurable diseases, and develop superior emotional capacities. However, these changes will not be confined to merely physical and biological transformations. They will redefine our social structures, moral standards, and even the very meaning of human existence. Like the ‘Dren’ in the film, Homo sapiens altered through biotechnology will abandon their current form—the intellectual, psychological capabilities, and physical bodies possessed by present humans—to live as new beings. Therefore, lifeforms that gain new abilities and bodies through biotechnology will no longer be what we call Homo sapiens.
