Science, Justice, and Human Enhancement: An Interview with Professor Colin Farrelly, Queen’s University Political Studies
Jacquie Sandler, External Affairs
November 18th, 2019
When exploring the elements of political science, we are confronted with both the fundamental ideas of philosophers past and the complex questions about what is in store for human political life. While both of these areas seem rather separate and distinct from each other, The Observer’s External Affairs Branch brings you an interview with political theorist, philosopher, and Queen’s professor, Dr. Colin Farelly, who discusses some of the captivating ways that political theory is coupled with contemporary and future political issues.
What is the focus of your research?
My research interests are quite diverse and span over multiple disciplines. I originally taught Philosophy, but made the switch to Political Science around 20 years ago. I do still publish journals in Philosophy, but have broadened my spectrum by also publishing in Political Science, Law, Medicine, and Science. My more recent research has focused on the ethical and social implications of advances in human genetics. Contrastingly, I am also interested in research relating to the history of political thought, distributive justice, virtue ethics, and law. I’ll go from teaching a class about the civil war and right after to a course on human enhancement! My next book project is one about the concept of play, and how the playful society can be viewed as a ‘realistic utopia’.
In what ways does political theory contribute to our understanding of what’s happening in the world today?
Political theory offers us two important things. First, it offers a diagnostic lens when dissecting societal problems. Without the language and vocabulary that concrete theory offers, it’s hard for us to identify such problems. For example, we are able to use the term ‘equality’ to diagnose certain issues that need to be addressed. This diagnostic lens is extremely beneficial in examining issues ranging from poverty and chronic disease, to climate change, the health of democratic governance and the virtues of justice and toleration. Second, political theory allows us to think rationally and clearly about how to address these problems. What institutions, principles, and actions need to be taken to make the world a better place? The generation of this transformative knowledge is, for me, the real value of political theory.
How does teaching about fundamental political theory and philosophy speak to, or compliment, your research about the future of politics? How are the two topics intertwined?
I find engaging with the history of political thought extremely instructive. The greats of the past like Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Wollestonecraft, Mill and Marx all tackled the big issues of their day; whether it be the limits of democracy, the reasons for accepting political authority, the persistence of patriarchy, the importance of free speech or social ills of capitalism. There is a wealth of wisdom in the past, and we as humans need to have the humility to recognize that many of the problems of today have already been tackled before. With this understanding, we can learn a great deal from engaging with the ideologies of previous thinkers. So, my research on the future of humanity is informed by the canon of thinkers that have helped shaped the institutions, practices and aspirations of liberal democracies.
What are some of your deepest concerns regarding the future of science and justice?
For me, the most significant and neglected issue of the 21st century is global aging. Unprecedented numbers of humans, in the billions, will suffer the chronic diseases of late life, such as cancer, heart disease, and stroke over the course of this century. Never before has humanity faced the predicament where the greatest threats to human health come not from the external risks of the hostile world, but from the constraints of our evolutionary history and biology. To realize the aspiration of ‘healthy aging’, I believe we will need to innovate and find ways to directly modulate the aging process itself rather than simply tackling each specific disease of aging. My concerns about science range from the neglect of this predicament of global aging, the disconnect between scholars working in the humanities/social sciences and scientists working on the biology of aging and technologies of genome editing, and us needing to ensure that there is equitable access to newly emerging technologies that improve the human healthspan.
What issues in the field of bioethics do you see arising in the future and in what ways can we further combat these concerns?
I think advances in human genetics is one of the most fascinating and important topics to consider in bioethics. Advances with gene therapy and genome-editing mean that humans will gain some control over what was historically a ‘genetic lottery’, determined by evolution and natural selection. Some children are born with early onset genetic disorders that limit how many years they can live. Conversely, some people inherit the ‘longevity genes’ that could help them live over a hundred years of disease-free life. However, genetic inheritance impacts many traits that go beyond simply health and disease; they also influence traits such as intelligence, athletic ability and behaviour (an example being impulse aggression). As the science progresses, we need to think deeply: where do we want the science to take us, and should we enhance humans? The genomic era also raises significant challenges for ideals of freedom and equality. We need to consider the injustices we have committed in the past and ensure that such events are not repeated. Questions about the ethics behind designer babies and equal accessibility of health technologies are also significant. To address these issues we need an informed public dialogue and dialogue between scholars in different academic disciplines. I am an optimist about the future - science has taken us from the historical norm of life expectancy at birth, below the age 30, to over the age of 72. This will continue to rise this century. However, the real goal is not to simply prevent death to increase life expectancy, but rather to increase the human healthspan and ensure all that people can enjoy a happy and healthy life.
Professor Farrelly’s ideas speak to the dynamic interplay between the frameworks of political theory and questions about the future of human enhancement. He insightfully explains how political theory is a beneficial tool in assessing the political issues of today and tomorrow, and provides excellent commentary on how justice and equality are leading ideas in the transformative complexities of scientific discovery.
Professor Farrelly’s contact information can be found on the Queen’s University Political Studies page:
https://www.queensu.ca/politics/people/faculty/colin-farrelly