Author: Greenfield, Susan

Source: Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, Volume 25, Number 3, June 2000 , pp. 184-190(7)

Publisher: Maney Publishing

Abstract:

More than ever before, the twenty-first century is likely to throw into focus the age old question: 'what am I doing with my life?' Recent developments in neuroscience mean that a scientific understanding of consciousness is no longer out of the question. The rapidly expanding field of genetic medicine will soon allow single gene disorders such as cystic fibrosis to be treated routinely by gene 'therapy' and has already thrown up complex ethical questions surrounding the idea of genetic screening for insurance purposes. And the latest directions in computer science have the potential to challenge our ideas of reality, as well as confusing our understanding of the distinction between information and knowledge. In this paper I revisit the notions of human nature and personal identity in the light of these advances.

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/030801800101523440

Affiliations: The Royal Institution, London, UK

Publication date: 2000-06-01

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