Naturalism, Nanotechnology,
and Our “Post-human” future:
A Reformed Perspective
Charles C. Adams
Dordt College
2006-2008 ARIHE Lectures
Naturalism, Nanotechnology and
Our “Post-human” Future
Introduction:
•Ray Kurzweil
The Age of Spiritual Machines
•Bill Joy
“Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us”
Naturalism, Nanotechnology and
Our “Post-human” Future
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A biblical foundation
Defining science and technology
A little history
A look at naturalism
A Christian alternative to naturalism
A look at some issues
The main point
Naturalism, Nanotechnology and
Our “Post-human” Future
• The Creator-creature distinction
– Genesis 1:1
– Hebrews 1:1-3a
– Colossians 1:15-20
• The goodness, unity, and dynamic quality
of creation
– Genesis 1:25-28, 31
Naturalism, Nanotechnology and
Our “Post-human” Future
• The creatureliness of being human
– Genesis 2:7
– Psalm 8
• God’s faithfulness to his Word for creation
– Psalm 119:89-91
Naturalism, Nanotechnology and
Our “Post-human” Future
• The radical character of the fall and the
curse
– Genesis 3:17-18
– Romans 8:20
• Redemption as reconciliation of all things
– Colossians 1:20
Naturalism, Nanotechnology and
Our “Post-human” Future
So what does it mean to be human?
• A creature like other creatures
• A creature unlike other creatures
– Responsibility and freedom
– Multifaceted dimensions of responsibility
– The Creator’s enabler with respect to creation
Naturalism, Nanotechnology and
Our “Post-human” Future
Egbert Schuurman’s
philosophy of technology
• Meaning disclosure
• Distinguishing science from
technology
• Distinguishing physical
technology from
biotechnology
Naturalism, Nanotechnology and
Our “Post-human” Future
• Science: Humanity’s attempt to
understand and articulate the orderliness
in creation
• Technology: Responding to the cultural
mandate
– Genesis 1:28, 2:15
– Psalm 8:6-8
Naturalism, Nanotechnology and
Our “Post-human” Future
A Little History
• Aristotle, the Aristotelian worldview, and
the Copernican revolution
• Galileo and naturalist epistemology
• Descartes, dualism, and the foundations of
naturalism
Naturalism, Nanotechnology and
Our “Post-human” Future
The Naturalistic Worldview
• Simple physical reductionism
• Humanistic naturalism
• Christian naturalism: methodological
atheism
Naturalism, Nanotechnology and
Our “Post-human” Future
Ray Kurzweil’s vision of the future
• Moore’s law and more
• The merging of human and machine
intelligence
• Downloading our consciousness into
durable robotic bodies
• 2099
Naturalism, Nanotechnology and
Our “Post-human” Future
Rodney Brooks Confession
• “On the one hand, I believe myself
and my children all to be mere
machines.”
• “But that’s not how I treat them.”
• “Like a religious scientist, I maintain
two sets of inconsistent beliefs.”
Naturalism, Nanotechnology and
Our “Post-human” Future
Bill Joy’s Angst
• Old vs. New Technologies
– NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical)
– GNR (genetics, nanotechnology, robotics)
• We lose our humanity when we evolve into
our robotic creations
Naturalism, Nanotechnology and
Our “Post-human” Future
Francis Fukuyama’s Fear
• Distinguishing
neuropharmacology from
genetic engineering
• Losing our essential humanity
Naturalism, Nanotechnology and
Our “Post-human” Future
A Christian Alternative to
Naturalism
• God, not creation, is divine.
– Roy Clouser’s The Myth of
Religious Neutrality
• Reason is creaturely.
Naturalism, Nanotechnology and
Our “Post-human” Future
A Christian Alternative to
Naturalism
• The image of God: built upon our physical
and biotic nature, but not reducible to it.
• The New Jerusalem rather than Utopia.
• Normative technology and shalom.
Naturalism, Nanotechnology and
Our “Post-human” Future
A Christian Alternative to
Naturalism
• The predispositional properties of
technological artifacts.
• The bi-directional character of
technological artifacts.
Naturalism, Nanotechnology and
Our “Post-human” Future
Some Issues
• Merging with our machines.
• Genetic therapy and “playing God.”
• Nanotechnology, biotechnology and risk.
Naturalism, Nanotechnology and
Our “Post-human” Future
Conclusion
• Technology as response to God’s call.
• Technology as normed.
• Technological products as promoting or
inhibiting faithful living.
• Therefore:
– Working prophetically in technology.
– Living discerningly with technology.