Summary
The central argument is that genetic engineering is an unstoppable force driven by the pursuit of power, leading to a future where humanity is robotized by states creating designer humans. The passages emphasize that the knowledge and tools for advanced genetic engineering are widely available and cannot be contained by ethical codes, making proactive control impossible. Attempts to stop this progress are seen as merely postponing an inevitable outcome.
The book argues that humans are inherently driven to become something other than what they are, a fundamental aspect that fuels the relentless advancement of genetic engineering. This drive, coupled with the universal availability of the know-how, suggests that humanity is on a path toward a dystopian future, with no apparent way to reverse the trend or prevent the monopolization of these technologies by states. The ultimate consequence is a loss of freedom and the creation of a subservient, robotized population.
Key concepts
- Situational models — Hypothetical frameworks for understanding reality, dismissed as unnecessary inventions.
- Know-how is available to everyone — The idea that the technical knowledge for genetic engineering is widespread and accessible.
- Fissionable materials are already missing — A metaphor for the uncontrolled spread of dangerous knowledge and technology.
- Designer human beings — Individuals engineered by states to possess specific desired traits.
- Mankind will be robotized — The prediction of a future where humans lose their autonomy and individuality due to genetic control.
- Power (as motivation for knowledge) — The assertion that the primary driver behind acquiring knowledge is to gain power over others.
From the book
Title: Interview: The Future of Gene Editing (TED Talk, 2016) by Emmanuelle Charpentier← No Way Out - Further Dialogues with U.G.Krishnamurti ( 1992 ) U.G. Krishnamurti , Edited by: - J.S.R.L.Narayana Moorty, Anthony Paul Frank Naronha, Published by - Akshaya Publications, 201, Gandhibazar, Bangalore- 560 004, INDIA → This edition is taken from well.com . 110764 No Way Out - Further Dialogues with U.G.Krishnamurti 1992 U.G. Krishnamurti , Edited by: - J.S.R.L.Narayana Moorty, Anthony Paul Frank Naronha, Published by - Akshaya Publications, 201, Gandhibazar, Bangalore- 560 004, INDIA My teaching, if that is the word you want to use, has no copyright. You are free to reproduce, distribute, interpret, misinterpret, distort, garble, do what you like, even claim authorship, without my consent…
Popular questions readers ask
- U.G. states, "I am not anti-rational, just unrational." Explain, as if to a skeptical peer, how this distinction is crucial to understanding his criticism of "the guarded citadels of human culture."
- U.G. encourages others to "interpret, misinterpret, distort, garble" his teaching, even claiming authorship. How does this radical relinquishment of control over his message align with or challenge the very concept of a "guru" or a defined philosophical system, and what does it imply about the nature of his "truth"?
- Based on the provided chapter titles and descriptions of U.G. as an "iconoclastic figure," identify three specific societal or psychological "foundations of human civilization" that U.G. appears to dismantle. For each, elaborate on what he might propose in their place, or why he believes they are inherently problematic.
- The text describes U.G.'s unique, informal accessibility in contrast to other spiritual figures. How does this methodology—his 'open doors' and rejection of formal 'talks' or 'interviews'—directly embody or further illuminate his "unrational philosophy" and his critique of "seeking"?
- If, as U.G. claims, any "rational meaning" inferred from his words is "your doing, not mine," and his work can be freely distorted, what does this suggest about the inherent stability or objective existence of concepts like "reality," "truth," or even "self," particularly when considering chapters like "You Invent Your Reality" and "Nothing to be transformed"?