unlike most of the panelists so far i'm not a former student ofo leon kass. so i feel the need to ask permission do i call you leon? okay.ou leo but that down. nevertheless, even though i'm not a student i did feel a special kinship with leon w yesterday.my w my wife and i homeschool our children and i was very surprised to hear him describe so i could at the end of the qa session our high school curriculum, first you bible --g] [laughing] but this might get c-span's i'm not going to say more about that. [laughing] so our panel title is bioethics and the transhuman future. in an e-mail to me brad wilsonls also threw in the subject heading the word posthuman future just for good measure. the question i'm going to ask today is what you posthuman and transhuman mean? i'm going to argue that they have no meaning. there is no condition that could really be described in either oe these ways. all the conditions that we see these names are either a comma impossibilities, b, deficient human conditions foresee amplifications but not changes of human nature. everything i

and then finally the distinguished scholar in his honor we have convened this conference, leon kass who is a scholar at the american enterprise institute and professor emeritus in the committee on social thoughts at the university of chicago. leon will bat cleanup and i will first recognize professor aurelian craiutu. >> i'm very honored to be on this panel so thank you for joining me to join the other panelists and since it's late in the day and we have gone through several i thought i should entertain you with a nice story which has the theoretical part ended juicier part which is the second part. every spring semester like many in the audience i teach a book that defends as you know vigorously for freedom of thought and freedom of speech against public opinion and undue government interference. this is one of the books on the mandatory reading lists for all those who care about deeper education and can still read i should have the conflicts 19th century sentences were 19th century leaders. our students today i'm not so sure can master the art. in this wonderful book a reminds us we s

finish unlike most of the panellests so far -- panelists so far, i'm not a former student of leon kass. in fact, only was introduced to you yesterday morning, so i feel the need to ask permission, can i call you leon in the -- thank you. okay. with that down, nevertheless even though not a student, i did feel a special kinship with leon yesterday. my wife and i home school our children, and i was very surprised to hear him describe so accurately at the end of the q&a session our high school curriculum, first year bible -- [laughter] but this might be on c-span, so i'm not going to say more about that. [laughter] so our panel title is bioethics and the transhuman future. and in an e-mail to me, brad wilson actually also threw into the subject heading the word post-human future just for good measure. so the question i'm going to ask is what do post-human and trans-human mean. and i'm going to argue that they have no meaning. there's no condition that could reasonably be described in either of these ways. all the conditions that receive these names are either, a, impossibilities; b, defic

leon kass and his wife, amy, were first cherished teachers, mentors, friends and role models for howto be better thinkers of the better writers, better human beings that are citizens. in our work and studies about science and technology, many at the time when we stumbled upon some new idea only to lift our lanterns and see that the things we've just begun to glimpse, dr. kass saturday seen clearly with wit and wisdom. writing the first issue of the new atlantis and the very first essay was published in the new atlantis, dr. kass had the use of biomedical science and technology, not only to seek therapies, but also to pursue ageless bodies, happy souls and dreams of enhancement imperfection. i wish to focus my remarks on a specific technology, one that is central to many trans-humanist visions of the future, but under discussed among bioethicists. that is the notion of directly uniting computers with the human nervous system. our nerves, sense organs, brains. the existence of some such technologies would presumably be a prerequisite for trans-humanist most radical schemes for the wish

and then finally the distinguished scholar in whose honor we have convened this conference leon kass. the professor americas. on the committee on social thought. at the university of chicago. leon will bat cleanup and i will recognize our professor. >> thank you for inviting me to join the other families. since we have gone through several i thought i should entertain you with a nice story. it has a theoretical part in the juicier part. every spring semester like many in the audience i teach that on liberty. the tyranny of public opinion and undue government here is this is one of the books that should be on the mandatory reading list for all of those who care about liberal education and can still read the complex 19 sensory sentences. i'm not sure that they can master that art. in this wonderful book we are reminded that we should listen to those who disagree with us and gives us that in the 21st century and the reasons for doing so. first they tell us that the opponents are valuable because they can sharpen our arguments. in our own arguments. second, they remind us of the peculiar