What Kind of Humanism in the Post-genomic Era?
In this essay, I defend the idea that humanism is at risk in our age of genetic engineering, biotechnologies and market-geared genetic research. Against post-modernist scholars who have proclaimed the disappearance of “great narratives”, I argue that humanity has actually acquired a new set of enemies to replace the myths of the past : geneticism. The post-genomic humanism I describe in general terms is here discussed from two complementary vantage points : 1) The “war of biologies” opposing biologists who define life in purely molecular terms to the defenders of the “emergentist” theory ; 2) the philosophical and ethical debates around “what is human in human beings?”. I invite readers to oppose the dogmas generated by the genomythology, out of respect for the history of life that has led to the apparition of the human species. Responsibility will be the key concept in the future code of ethic.