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第95页

    大多数人宁愿躲避而不去想了。就连生命伦理学这个领域,也宁可去回答另一个问题:“有什么是必须禁止的?”我们可以用活人做基因实验吗?用流产的胚胎?用干细胞?克隆羊符合伦理道德吗?克隆黑猩猩?克隆人类呢?虽然这些问题确实都很重要,但如果还认为我们能够踩刹车、阻止让人类升级成另一种不同的物种,可能就太天真了。原因就在于,虽然这些计划各有不同,但追根究底还是回到了对长生不死的追求:吉尔伽美什计划。不管是问科学家为什么要研究基因组,还是为什么要把大脑连接到计算机,或者为什么要在计算机里创建一个心灵,十有八九,都会得到相同的标准答案:这么做是为了治疗疾病、挽救人的性命。想一想,为了治疗精神疾病,就说要在计算机里创建一个心灵,难道不会觉得太小题大做?但就是因为这种标准解答太具正当性,所以没有人能够反驳。正因如此,吉尔伽美什计划正是现在科学的旗舰,能够让科学所做的一切都有了正当的理由。创造科学怪人的弗兰肯斯坦博士,现在就坐在吉尔伽美什的肩膀上。阻挡不了吉尔伽美什,我们也就阻挡不了弗兰肯斯坦博士。

    现在我们唯一能做的,就是影响他们走的方向。既然我们可能很快也能改造我们的欲望,或许真正该问的问题不是“我们究竟想要变成什么”,而是“我们究竟希望自己想要什么”,如果还对这个问题视若等闲,可能就是真的还没想通。

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