” When we can synthesize life, it makes the notion of a living being less special.’
Discovering that the sun did not actually orbit the earth, displacing humans from the center of the universe, had the same effect. We became less special, in our eyes. Hopefully, species-level self-esteem won’t prevent us from creating life from scratch.
I do not know if many people can value life less. So many are aborted for convenience or sent to be human bombs.
As for creating life from scratch, my wife and I did that twice. One is 2 1/2 years old, and the next will come out this week.
Personally, I prefer the way we created life from “scratch” (Though I thought it was called ‘sex’) over the laboratory method.
On a serious note. Say one day we create multi-cellular organisms. Say these become capable of actions and can receive stimuli input (adaptation/sensory input). Say they CAN do work. Now we have created a new species. Future society may believe they are gods for they create.
The question becomes, how will we treat our creations, these synthetic lifeforms? Will we, like our Creator, imbue them with free will and freedom? Or will we have separated ourselves from morals and values to the point where these lifeforms are slaves and disposable? If, in playing God, will we become the Devil?
Probably not a question that will affect our lives, but one for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. We will help set the tone for debating that question today.
This is the question for our time: What is science unbound by morality?