Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Fukuyama and Our Post Human Future

Francis Fukuyama, 2002, Our Post Human Future: Consequences of the Biotechnological Revolution, London: Profile Books

Francis Fukuyama is Bernard L Schwartz Professor of International Political Economy at the Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, John Hopkins University. A social scientist, Fukuyama published The End of History and the Last Man in 1989 which which he proclaimed that due to the exhaustion of alternatives to liberal democracy, history as we know it has come to an end.

Ten years later and we are still here; he revised his theories to that history has not ended yet because we have not reached the end of science. Fukuyama asks an important question: How does the ability to modify human nature affect liberal democracy?

Fukuyama examines how the changing understanding of human nature -from Plato and Aristotle to the present- has affected society. Then he extrapolates into the future on how the consequences of genetic manipulation will affect society especially liberal democracy. The foundation of liberal democracy is based on the concept that all humans are created equal.

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2 comments:

  1. 'Trust' is his best book, IMO...although he's still famously known for his 'End of History' (whose thesis near-totally discredited given 9/11, the Web, etc etc).

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  2. Hi Alwyn,

    I like his book Trust too. However I consider this his best book because he finally comes to terms with the inadequacy of his theories and ask some penetrating questions.

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