Modern science seems to be moving in the queerest of ways. I mean the days of “Eureka!” seem to be wiped of the charts with the days of, well, call it what you may. As we hear more and more of ‘inventions’ which turn out to be ‘controversial’ and with no positive benefits to mankind we worry if science is becoming only about destruction! I mean, no more are many of us impressed by missiles that fly forty times the speed of towns. Missiles don’t build; they destroy as they are presently in Yemen, Ukraine and elsewhere. So hearing supposedly big and nominally ‘untouchable’ countries bragging of possessing weapons which could turn entire cities to dust at the touch of a single button, applause is the last thing that comes to our mind.
These days when they talk about the most sophisticated modern weapon they are not talking about lessening human destruction. They are talking about annihilating the highest number of people. More and more science seems to be coming up with ‘inventions’ which are not about saving humanity; but about destroying what’s already here. Many explain the never-ending wars and armed conflicts with the grand scheme of depopulating this earth. The talk of the financially muscular that in a few decades the world population will decrease by a third is a very strange thing to say. About two billion people perishing in a few decades! You can’t blame those who would say; Are these people thinking of doing something? Are they to let out another
round of viruses? Are the nukes about to fall all over this planet! Believe me these days no thought could be dubbed as crazy, because the craziest things are happening every day.
You can’t help but be scared. Take artificial intelligence. If the technology is used for the good of humanity and to build better world the benefits would have known no bounds. But when they are using them with the idea of bringing more destruction it’s worrying. Unfortunately that seems to be the overwhelming scenario! The things they tell you the robots of the artificial intelligence technology could do you wonder if the time when human beings would end up expendable is drawing ever nearer. One person even warned the robots would be far smarter than the smartest human beings. Recently an expert of something or other was quoted as claiming at a high level international meeting the world’s climate problems would be solved only when nine tenth of human being perish. What does that mean?
“The story of human evolution will not be the same again;” that is what one media outlet claimed writing about what they call Ectolife or ‘artificial womb.’ Artificial what! Ours being a very religious society such ‘news’ send the shivers through tens of millions. As the ‘news’ from spiritual dimensions it is taken by many other sign of the Judgment Day drawing nearer. After all in so-called secular sections, societies have
begun talking of the “End Times.” You tube is bursting with all kinds of such stories. This is a world craving for good news and yet the reverse seems to be happening. What the hell is going on?
We are not here to debate about the Ectolife thing or other such ‘inventions.’ Still the matter deserves and those with the knowledge on both sides of the religious/secular divide should come out and tell us what’s what. Some would ask “Doesn’t this world has more pressing things to deal with before thinking of ‘incubating’ human beings in some factory or something?” Look I didn’t push in the term ‘incubating.’ It appears on many written material on the issue.
The extent to which this ‘invention’ goes is so mind-blogging, there are many questions than there are any answers. They claim everything works as the natural child bearing process does. But then a woman who gives birth naturally doesn’t choose skin complexion, the level of intelligence of the like. “EctoLife is a concept that offers parents to ‘produce’ customized babies with the help of artificial wombs. An ‘Elite Package’ would allow people to choose their baby’s level of intelligence, height, hair, eye color, physical strength and even skin tone;” so what appears the promotional narrative goes. But EctoLife does that! Are The Matrix characters coming off the screens and being our next door neighbors? Behold the Matrix! So we might in a few years’ time sit for a drink or two with the
real life Neo, Trinity, Morpheus, Agent Smith, Niobe etc.?
“EctoLife baby farm eliminates pregnancy and labor;” that’s how one paper titled it. Maybe, nice and good. But isn’t having babies all about pregnancy and labor! Isn’t being a mother all about going all through these processes! Just musing. Behold the Matrix!
By the way Cambridge dictionary changed its definitions for the terms “Man” “Woman.” Yes, it really did!
Man: – “an adult who lives and identifies as male though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth”.
Woman: – “an adult who lives and identifies as female though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth”.
Does that mean the biology books are going to be rewritten? It turns what you have been thinking all through on its head. In some countries male prisoners can claim to be women and they are relocated to the females ward. The bottom line seems to be if you say you’re a female then you’re a female. But family and friends must be still considering you as a “he!” The same might go for the females.
The people behind the ECTOLIFE thing say it would be practical within ten or fifteen years. And voila! You’ve a ‘factory’ that could ‘incubate’ as any as thirty thousand babies a year! You feel heavy around the throat even talking about it in those terms.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD 18 DECEMBER 2022