Words From Chu

The evolution of life and intelligence on Earth has finally reached the point where it is now deemed possible to engender something almost out of nothing, at least in principle, a universe of possible worlds based on generative principles inherent within nature and the physical universe. For the first time, mankind is now finally in possession of the power to change and transform the nature of biological species, including the genetic make-up that defines the condition of being human. By bringing into the foreground the hidden reservoir of life in all its potential manifestations through the manipulation of the genetic code, the unmasking or the transgression of what could be considered the first principle of prohibition - the taking into possession of what was once presumed to be the power of God to create life - may lead to conditions that are so precarious and treacherous as to even threaten the future viability of the species, Homo sapiens, on Earth. At the same time, depending on how mankind navigates into the universe of possible worlds that are about to be siphoned through computation, it could once again bring forth a poetic re-enchantment of the world, one that resonates with all the attributes of a pre-modern era derives, in this instance, from the intersection of the seemingly irreconcilable domains of logos and mythos.

From Genetic Space, Karl Chu
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