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19.11.2018 Feature Article

Will Science Conquer Death To Transition Human Beings From Homo Sapiens To Homo Deus?: A Preliminary View

Will Science Conquer Death To Transition Human Beings From Homo Sapiens To Homo Deus?: A Preliminary View
19.11.2018 LISTEN

I spent the weekend reading Yuval Noah Harari's seminal book, 'Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow.' The central argument of the book is that Man (used in the generic sense) will conquer death and transition from being Homo sapiens to Homo deus. I enjoyed reading the book, because it reminded me of the continuing quest for Man to conquer death and achieve immortality. It is also an inversion of God becoming Man. The book argued that Man has made significant progress in conquering the three debilitating problems of life: war/violence, famine, and diseases. Harari provided convincing evidence to show that since the end of World War II, Man has made unprecedented strides in making paradise on earth.

He maintained that, in the modern world, starvation is more a political calamity than natural calamity. In other words, hunger is not a natural bane to Man. In the same way, diseases have been conquered to a larger degree. Human beings are more likely to die of food (which we have in abundance) than natural plagues. The speed at which Ebola was conquered, compared to the millions of lives that the Spanish Flu claimed in the early part of the twentieth century is emblematic of how much progress Man has made in his fight against diseases. Childhood killer diseases have almost become a thing of the past. Also, the world has made great strides in restoring peace. The proliferation of nuclear weapons has neutralised the penchant of any particular nation to attempt to attack the other. The fact that we are in a knowledge-resource world, as opposed to material-resource world has made wars less lucrative.

Nations will not resort to violence to gain knowledge. They will rather use dialogue and conviviality to acquire knowledge. It is less likely that the Chinese will invade America for the purposes of acquiring knowledge. Africans will not conquer the United States to gain knowledge. In other words, the changing face of resource (which I have written about already) has redefined inter-national relations from one of hostility to cordial living. Terrorism is less of a threat compared to pitched battle. It is more of a psychological battle than real battle. The spillover effect of terrorism can nowhere be compared to a single war in human history. The cost of US involvement in Afghanistan is higher than the effect of 9/11.

The high point of the book is framed around a question: what will Man do after he has mustered and conquered the limitations imposed on Man by nature? He highlighted the force of this question by reiterating the axiom that history abhors vacuum. If Man fails to find something to do after conquering nature, he is likely to relapse into a state of anarchy. To prevent a lapse in human history, Harari argued that Man must aim at becoming Homo deus. Building on his earlier book, 'Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind,' Harari developed his evolutionist outlook on life by encouraging Man to transcend the limit of humanity. He has to transmogrify to the level of a deity. In short, Man must be god. My understanding is that it only by becoming god that Man will overcome his inherent deficiencies that has the tendency to push him into primitivity.

Considering the fact that Yuval Noah Harari is a humanist, who has foreclosed the world from any transcendental intervention, his analysis leaves no space for God. It also turns upside down the Christian doctrine of the incarnation (hypostatic union). This is consistent with his argument in 'Sapiens', where he painstakingly furnished us with incredible information on how Man has metamorphosed from ape-like creature to Homo sapiens (wise being). On his official website, his mantra is that human history began with the invention of god, and it must reach its apex with man becoming a god himself. This will be made possible when Man overcomes death. Will man ever overcome death? Over all, his argument is one of optimism for the future of the world. It contradicts the cataclysms of the eschatological teachings of Christianity and Islam. It also refutes the Christian understanding of the inevitability of death.

As a preliminary response to Yuval Noah Harari, a brilliant product of the University of Oxford and an academic, I want to reflect on why I am less enthused by his optimism in Man's abilities. In the Garden of Eden, Man's desire, which led him into mortal sin, was his quest to be god. Since our progenitor desired to be god, Man has never ceased from relinquishing that desire. While we were created with unparalleled abilities (including the power of scientific invention - which is made possible become God created nature and imbued it with order), we are to subsist as dependent being. We are created to relate anthropocentrically and in theocentric direction. We need our fellow human beings, much as we need God. But over the centuries, particularly since the Enlightenment, Man has developed an inordinate desire to overthrow God. Man has pursued an agenda of becoming God.

Will Man ever be god? Will Man ever literally conquer death? One of the best bets of Harari is the advancement in science, particularly Artificial Intelligence. Will AIs ever change the nature of human beings? Will Man outlive his need of God? In other words, are we going to literally experience the fulfillment of Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche’s assertion that 'God is dead'? Will the next fifty years redefine the history of Man? What will be the fate of God? Will God really be redundant? Must we be deeply optimistic about human abilities? Must we be upbeat about Man conquering the inherent challenges of life? Can Man live without God? How would a world without God look like? To what extent is Yuval Noah Harari building upon the arguments of earlier non-religious thinkers, including Sigmund Freud, Herbert Armstrong, James Frazer, and Charles Darwin?

In my next piece, I will respond to these and many more questions. Think through these questions with me. These are questions that people of faith and those without must ponder over to chart new paths for human beings.

Satyagraha
Charles Prempeh ([email protected]), African University College of Communications, Accra

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