Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age

Book Description

Nearly fifteen years ago, in The End of Nature, Bill McKibben demonstrated that humanity had begun to irrevocably alter and endanger our environment on a global scale. Now he turns his eye to an array of technologies that could change our relationship not with the rest of nature but with ourselves. He explores the frontiers of genetic engineering, robotics, and nanotechnology-all of which we are approaching with astonishing speed-and shows that each threatens to take us past a point of no return. We now stand, in Michael Pollan's words, 'on a moral and existential threshold,' poised between the human past and a post-human future. McKibben offers a celebration of what it means to be human, and a warning that we risk the loss of all meaning if we step across the threshold. Instantly acclaimed for its passion and insight, this wise and eloquent book argues that we cannot forever grow in reach and power-that we must at last learn how to say, 'Enough.'

Customer Reviews:

The Simple Life.......2007-07-28

McKibben has turned simplicity, primitivism and that universal longing railed against almost every aspect of modern American life - television, marketing, the environment, capitalism, education and now biotechnology with its evil twins, nanotech and artificial intelligence. He continues issuing dire warnings that the race is imperiled if we continue down our current paths. I think he would prefer extinction over transformation, something he sees with every genetic advance or scientific breakthrough. Except, of course, those he deems "allowable". Here, he is concerned about the genetic haves vs the have-nots - you know, the group with money will outperform those with less, an idea as old as society. In Bill Land folks just accept their fate and never change, accepting their lower status for lack of access to the techy gizmos of the Rich & Famous.

Here's the rub - it's a subjective matter of limits and definitions. Which of the following would he reject? Knee, hip, heart or liver replacement, cataract lenses, magnets in the brain to forestall epilepsy, regulators to pump blood, implants to kill cancer cells. The real question is what he thinks about using biotech letting the blind see, the deaf hear and the paralyzed walk. Is removal of pain with replacement joints "anti human"? Again, this is a matter of opinion (for him, not the poor victims). Lately, he has been warning that immortality may be around the corner in one form or another. He insists that death is a vital part of life, something that gives us our "humanity. " No, death is the termination of human life, good or bad. As one panelist at a symposium recently told him, he didn't mind if Bill wanted to die - he just didn't want to be told he had to also.

His real concern is genetic engineering and again we face the problem of who decides limits. He appears to "OK" some physical improvements but mental or emotional ones are taboo. We hear the usual red herrings - slippery slope arguments that if this happens then that will follow, designer babies, folks so smart they don't consider themselves human, people who won't know if they or a machine is "thinking", drugs to keep us happy or make into robots for "them", that nameless group that tells us to do bad things (probably fat, evil business types smoking cigars).

He has expressed dissatisfaction with the Industrial Age. We've become machines instead of frolicking through fields and woods. In better days, neighbors talked and relatives lived together. They would head out daily - mom to spend the day washing, dad & junior to hunt for dinner, sis sewing a new dress by hand. Technology has made our lives qualitatively better and easier, we live twice as long as just a few years ago and yet he has an array of statistics "proving" that we were happier before all this newfangled techno stuff. Could it be the hysterical unscientific news media with its "fear of the week"? You know, sharks, bird flue, Ebola, anthrax, mad cow, mad dog, hurricanes, "the environment", heat, cold, traffic, subliminal advertising....the list is endless as are those who think earlier ages were pastoral and peaceful. This is not only bad reading but also bad pleading.

A naturist's bias on germline genetic engineering.......2007-07-01

McKibben has some valid points and questions regarding germiline genetic engineering, unfortunately his stong naturist bias diminsh his credibility. He extensibly quotes scientists and experts on the matter, at the end what they say fits his idea that genetics and technlogy will be the apocalyptic executor.

Take for example three pages from his book were he uses the research work by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi to demonstrate that genetic enhancement will not make people happier.

McKibben's claim that "What if you were thinking, in the back of your head, Is it really me doing this? Is it my programming? Am I losing myself, or is that feeling merely an artifact of my engineering? And those are precisely the sorts of thoughts that would rise in your mind because, in some ways, the whole point of flow experiences is to know yourself better" is emotional extortion, as if he is trying to scare people away from germline engineering. Either he doesn't understand the neurobiology of flow or he's just using a quote to fit his agenda, or both.

Flow is a term coined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi to describe a mental state characterized by lack of self-awareness and sharp concentration on the task at hand, not worried on how things are going or what the outcome will be. People engaged on this state perform at their best. Under flow action and awareness merge into one, lack of self and thinking creates a sense of deep relaxation and joy seems to arise by itself. Flow is also known as "the zone" by some athletes.

Characteristics of flow resemble meditation experiences. Zen meditation is a relaxed attentive state, on which the practitioner clear his or her mind of thinking. "Meditation then becomes several things other than a way to relax, physically and mentally. It becomes a way of not thinking, clearly, and then of carrying this clear awareness into everyday living" . Meditation is intrinsically rewarding and joyful. The mental state under flow and mediation are equal, the difference is that "flow" occurs during an activity while meditation is passive. Nevertheless mental clarity and intrinsic joy are the same.
In conclusion McKibben is putting thoughts on the head of somebody who doesn't exist and then he claims that these very thoughts will keep this individual from experiencing flow, thus preventing him from getting to know him-self better. Clearly he is projecting and scenario that doesn't exist but fits his purpose to plant the seed of doubt and fear on the minds of potential germline users. As for flow he doesn't understand that the insight arises after the experience not during it.

McKibben may have some valid points against germline but his strong naturist bias makes him to force facts to fit his purpose. Even more, he has a pessimistic opinion on the technology that doesn't meet his preferences; treadmills with electronic read-outs are ok. Had he been born fifty years earlier he would' written a book on the evils of running machines that prevent people from breathing fresh air at the risk of lung diseases.

Good Overall Explanation .......2007-06-27

The Strong point about this book is that it poses thought provoking questions. The author has really thought about this subject and where the field of genetics may lead us. The book provides some good explanations of the terms and types of research currently being carried on. He shows that by the time the nation starts legislating procedures it is generally too late. The author does bring up some pretty good predictions that society may be forced to deal with. The compulsion to fix detrimental hereditary diseases is really a forgone conclusion, Cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy etc, but will Genetic engineering rapidly go the route that plastic surgery traveled, from repairing hideous disfigurements to cosmetic [...] augmentation and facial makeovers. The author makes a very good point, if IQ or athletic ability can be increased by genetic tweaking and everyone is doing it for their kids, do you want your kid to be the only natural kid getting below average grades with below average athletic ability. The book definitely accomplished its purpose with this reader. I appreciate the ideas and societal situations this author has brought into the book and I have thought about it many times since I finished the book. Definitely worth a second read in the short-term future. The title is unfortunate, it sounds as if the author wants no more genetic progress, but the author wants to enjoy his "humanness" . He asks that society consider the big picture when dealing with limits to genetic engineering

A vital warning which may not be taken .......2007-04-17

This book opens in a very interesting way. McKibben gives his account of a marathon he participated in. Primarily he writes about his own struggle when he reached the point where his training and his adrenaline push were no longer enough. He writes about the moments in which he had to be totally concentrated in going on, a test of his own human strength, will, courage.
He then goes on to imagine what it might be like in the future should it be able to program human beings in such a way as to make them free of suffering from fatigue, and exhaustion. He suggests what certain kinds of technological improvements might do is to not simply provide the individual racer or marathoner with incredible speeds in today's terms but in fact cancel out the whole activity of racing.
In a sense this question the question of how technological improvements may deprive the human situation and even human nature and character of its meaning is at the heart of this book.
McKibben's main claim is that we must be able to know when we have gone far enough, and not go beyond it to a Pyrrhic victory . McKibben in this sense connects with bio- ethicists one of the most prominent of whom is Leon Kass in suggesting that in order to remain human we may have to limit our own hunger for overcoming our own limitations. We may have to stop ourselves from developing in areas where we have traditionally dreamed of developing.
One problem however which may be insurmountable is the competitive character of human beings. Also , human greed may play a part in pushing humans to seek their own advantage and profit at the expense of not simply their own humanity, but humanity as a whole.
My own sense is that McKibben has a very wise and important, perhaps even vital message for humanity- but that the likelihood of humanity taking it is truly questionable.

What is so natural about nature?.......2006-11-25

If you look at man as part of some divine plan then you can suppose that there is something inviolable in the status quo. This is the old argument that says things like if man were meant to fly then he would have been born with wings. McKibben may vehemently deny that this is his stance but in essence that is what it boils down to.

On the other hand if you look at the world the way it really is, what you see is an evolutionary process ruled by the law of survival of the fittest. To even call it "natural" selection is to create a bias that suggests that what took place is in some sense globally optimal. It is not. What takes place at any stage is an incremental improvement. To see the limitations all one has to do is to consider all the genetic defects that people can be born with.

What is natural is to use our intelligence to try to make improvements, to build airplanes to allow us to fly and create medicines and surgical procedures to repair and enhance. The one advantage that the ordinary evolutinary process has is that it is gradual. If at some point a defect is introduced, it will be weeded out with minimal damage. The great danger posed by improvements introduced by man is that we could introduce changes that have highly deleterious "side effects." But this is simply to provide a word of caution, not to abandon the whole enterprise of technological enhancement.

Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age

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Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age
Bill McKibben
Manufacturer: Times Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0965015173

Enough. (Bookshelf).("Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age")(Book Review) (book review): An article from: OnEarth

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Enough. (Bookshelf).("Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age")(Book Review) (book review): An article from: OnEarth
Sarah D. Scalet
Manufacturer: Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0008DP3SS
Release Date: 2005-07-31

Book Description

This digital document is an article from OnEarth, published by Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. on June 22, 2003. The length of the article is 502 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Enough. (Bookshelf).("Enough: Staying Human in an Engineered Age")(Book Review) (book review)
Author: Sarah D. Scalet
Publication: OnEarth (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2003
Publisher: Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.
Volume: 25 Issue: 2 Page: 39(1)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Everything to lose.(Book Review): An article from: American Scholar

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Everything to lose.(Book Review): An article from: American Scholar
Chris Mooney
Manufacturer: Phi Beta Kappa Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000821WI4
Release Date: 2005-07-31

Book Description

This digital document is an article from American Scholar, published by Phi Beta Kappa Society on June 22, 2003. The length of the article is 1953 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Everything to lose.(Book Review)
Author: Chris Mooney
Publication: American Scholar (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 2003
Publisher: Phi Beta Kappa Society
Volume: 72 Issue: 3 Page: 145(4)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Algae, the grass of many waters,
L. H Tiffany
Manufacturer: C.C. Thomas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B000858SYM

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Algae: The Grass of Many Waters
Lewis Hanford Tiffany
Manufacturer: Charles C. Thomas
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NRCL3O

Book Description

This unique book takes travelers to exotic locations and foreign cultures as seen in Chicago restaurants, shops, galleries, parades, pageants, and festivals.

Customer Reviews:

Not very good with the Latino Neighborhoods Either.......2006-04-25

I picked up this book because I was curious about what it said about Pilsen/Little Village (primarily Mexican neighborhoods now). It was very dissapointing. It didn't point out any of the real places you should visit as far as restaurants and it didn't even talk about the murals or other cultural markers which are the more prominent attractions to this neighborhood. One thing that also stood out was how the author gave a literal translation of Little Village to be "Pueblo Pequeno". Little Village does actually refer to itself by its Spanish name commonly: La Villita, and here's Spanish 101-- the addition of "ita" diminuative of, as attached to Villa (village), would result in La Villita, to mean little village. No one in Chicago will send you to a good Mexican restaurant in Pueblo Pequeno, they'll send you to La Villita.

Great for Walking Tours.......2005-10-09

This guide can't tell you everything, but it does a nice job of telling you where to look. It gives a map for each ethnic "main drag" in the city. When I lived in Chicago, I used to take it and go on a walking tour of a neighborhood, sampling Lithuanian pierogies on the far South Side, for example. It'd also be a great source of cheap, fun dates, since the restaurants are rarely expensive.

Not a Complete Guide to Chicago.......2004-10-24

This book does not feature very much information on all the ethnic neighborhoods. The writer of this book ignored many Irish establishments in Chicago. He also focused only on Bridgeport as Chicago's Irish neighborhood. He didn't look at other southside Irish neighborhoods such as Beverly, Canaryville, and Mt. Greenwood. His listings for Irish attractions in Chicago were not good. He listed only a few good spots and then mostly tourist/yuppie bars. There are many Irish bars, restaurants, butchers, and other establishments on the South Side and the rest of Chicago that he could have listed for the Irish.

Great cultural guide to Chicago.......2001-08-23

This unique travel guide blends contemporary cultural attractions, parades, festivals, banquets, cotillions, tours, and ethnic museums, with a comprehensive dining and shopping guide. It also tracks the progress of diverse ethnic groups throughout their tenure in Chicago, one of America's most culturally diverse cities. Because of the natural and man-made barriers in this spacious city (25 miles long and ten miles wide), including railroad embankments, expressways and three branches of the Chicago River (extending 50 miles across the landscape), over the years different ethnic groups have lived in relative seclusion from each other, even when there has been as little as a few hundred feet between them.

This 378-page trade paperback has no index, but there is a clear table of contents listing these topics: (1) Native Americans, French traders and settlers from New England, (2) Irish Chicago, (3) German Chicago, (4) Swedish and Norwegian Chicago, (5) Jewish Chicago, (6) Czech and Slovak Chicago, (7) Baltic Chicago, (8) Hungarian, Serbo-Croatian, and Romanian Chicago, (9) Ukrainian Chicago, (10) Polish Chicago, (11) Italian Chicago, (12) Greek Chicago, (13) African-American Chicago, (14) Chinese Chicago, (15) Asian Chicago, (16) Latino Chicago, (17) Indian and Pakistani Chicago, (18) Middle Eastern Chicago, (19) Appendices with information on: multiethnic festivals, useful phone numbers and addresses, and a bibliography of suggested reading; (20) 18 maps of different areas of Chicago.

This book is not just for tourists, though they will certainly find it very useful. Anyone interested in the rich multicultural heritage of Chicago, both residents and visitors alike, will find much to appreciate in this book. I highly recommend it.

An Excellent Book!.......2000-08-15

I've had this book now for several years and I refer to it often. The book is divided into ethnic chapters. Each chapter features an indepth history of the ethnic group, plus a listing of restaurants, shops and annual events. I've used this book as an aid in research for my own book "A Barfly's Guide To Chicago's Drinking Establishment." Mr. Lindberg's book has led me to many ethnic taverns in Chicago. His information is extremely valuable for anyone interested in exploring Chicago's vast ethnic neighborhoods.

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