Jottings on science, religion, technology, pop culture and faith from the Antipodes.

Bioethics/Biotech, Science, Technology & Religion

Is the Genome the Secular Equivalent of the Soul?

A really interesting article by Alex Mauron that I skimmed today.

ESSAYS ON SCIENCE AND SOCIETY: Is the Genome the Secular Equivalent of the Soul? — Mauron 291 (5505): 831 — Science.

With the complete human genome sequence now at hand, the notion that our genome is synonymous with our humanness is gaining strength. This view is a kind of “genomic metaphysics”: the genomedag is viewed as the core of our nature, determining both our individuality and our species identity. According to this view, the genome is seen as the true essence of human nature, with external influences considered as accidental events.The notion that the genome contains the blueprint of human nature is akin to an important outlook within Western metaphysics that interprets all living organisms as having “souls,” which determine their characteristic traits. From this perspective, the human soul is viewed as encapsulating the human essence.

Connections back to the first link on Greenflame: Random Science and Religion links and to Greenflame: Is our DNA Sacred?.