Chestnut Hill College’s Institute for Religion and Science welcomes Ronald Cole-Turner, Ph.D., H. Parker Sharp Professor of Theology & Ethics, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Dr. Cole-Turner will present his lecture, “Transhumanist Dreams and Christian Hopes” on Tuesday, March 10, at 7 p.m., at the College’s Commonwealth Chateau, SugarLoaf Hill.
Dr. Cole-Turner’s lecture will explore the role technology has played and continues to play in human evolution and where Christian faith lies within it. Transhumanism, by definition, is an international cultural and intellectual movement with eventual goals to fundamentally transform the human condition via the development and creation of widely available technologies that greatly enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities. Transhumanist thinkers, therefore, study various benefits and dangers of the emerging technologies that could overcome the potential fundamental human limitations, and the ethics of developing and using those technologies.
“Technology has always played a key role in human evolution," said Cole-Turner. "Today, however we face an entirely new situation. Not only is technology growing in power and sophistication, but we are turning it on ourselves rather than just on our environment."
Cole-Turner elaborated on this, saying that "new technologies promise to enhance physical strength or appearance, to improve mental focus, to lengthen the human lifespan, or to bring about spiritual experience." According to the theology professor, this has led to a a growing movement of what are referred to as, "transhumanists."
"The transhumanists have banded together to advocate the development and use of these technologies, hoping they will be transformed from ordinary humans to something more than human, with healthier bodies, smarter brains, and longer lives than we ordinarily have,” said Cole-Turner.
Dr. Cole-Turner uses the example of people standing in line to buy the new smart phone that comes out stating how it goes without saying that those same people will be thrilled if scientists ever develop a successful “smart pill.” Some people, however, as he states, may feel new technologies may undermine what it truly means to be “human.”
“More than anything, I want people to understand the full impact of this technology without being afraid of where it may take us," said Cole-Turner. "Christian faith, I will argue, is a foundation for hope for the future, not fear."
Dr. Cole-Turner is also an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ, a founding member of the International Society for Science and Religion (currently serving as vice president) and served on the advisory board of the John Templeton Foundation and the Metanexus Institute. He has authored books that include “Transhumanism and Transcendence: Christian Hope in an Age of Technological Advancement” and “The New Genesis: Theology and the Genetic Revolution.”
Dr. Cole-Turner’s lecture is free and open to the public and is sponsored by Chestnut Hill College’s Institute for Religion and Science. Contact Kathy Duffy, SSJ, Ph.D., at kduffy@chc.eduor 215-248-7197 for more information.
