Daedalus; or, Science and the Future is a book by the British scientist J.B.S. Haldane, published in England in 1924. It was the text of a lecture read to the 'Heretics', an intellectual club at Cambridge University on 4 February 1923.
Haldane uses the Greek myth of
DaedalusIn Greek mythology, Daedalus was a most skillful architect, or artificer, or craftsman, so skillful that he was said to have invented images that seemed to move about. Daedalus had two sons: Icarus and Iapyx, along with a nephew, whose name varies...
as a symbol for the revolutionary nature of
scienceScience is in its broadest sense to any systematic knowledge-base or prescriptive practice that is capable of resulting in a prediction or predictable type of outcome...
with particular regard to his own discipline of biology.
"The chemical or physical inventor is always a
PrometheusIn Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan, the son of Iapetus and Themis, and brother to Atlas, Epimetheus and Menoetius. He was a champion of human-kind known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals...
.
Daedalus; or, Science and the Future is a book by the British scientist J.B.S. Haldane, published in England in 1924. It was the text of a lecture read to the 'Heretics', an intellectual club at Cambridge University on 4 February 1923.
Haldane uses the Greek myth of
DaedalusIn Greek mythology, Daedalus was a most skillful architect, or artificer, or craftsman, so skillful that he was said to have invented images that seemed to move about. Daedalus had two sons: Icarus and Iapyx, along with a nephew, whose name varies...
as a symbol for the revolutionary nature of
scienceScience is in its broadest sense to any systematic knowledge-base or prescriptive practice that is capable of resulting in a prediction or predictable type of outcome...
with particular regard to his own discipline of biology.
"The chemical or physical inventor is always a
PrometheusIn Greek mythology, Prometheus is a Titan, the son of Iapetus and Themis, and brother to Atlas, Epimetheus and Menoetius. He was a champion of human-kind known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals...
. There is no great invention, from fire to flying, which has not been hailed as an insult to some god. But if every physical and chemical invention is a
blasphemyBlasphemy is the use of reference to one or more gods in a manner considered objectionable by a religious authority. It may include using sacred names as stress expletives without intention to pray or speak of sacred matters; it is also sometimes defined as language expressing disbelief or...
, every biological invention is a perversion. There is hardly one which, on first being brought to the notice of an observer from any nation which had not previously heard of their existence, would not appear to him as indecent and unnatural."
He also expressed
skepticismIn classical philosophy, skepticism is the teachings and the traits of the 'Skeptikoi', a school of philosophers of whom it was said that they 'asserted nothing but only opined.' In this sense, philosophical skepticism, or Pyrrhonism, is the philosophical position that one should suspend...
over the human benefits of some scientific advances, arguing that scientific advance would bring grief, rather than progress to mankind, unless it was accompanied by a similar advance in
ethicsEthics is a branch of philosophy which seeks to address questions about morality, such as what the fundamental semantic, ontological, and epistemic nature of ethics or morality is , how moral values should be determined , how a moral outcome can be achieved in specific situations , how moral...
.
The book is an early vision of
transhumanismTranshumanism is an international intellectual and cultural movement supporting the use of science and technology to improve human mental and physical characteristics and capacities. The movement regards aspects of the human condition, such as disability, suffering, disease, aging, and involuntary...
and his vision of a future in which humans controlled their own
evolutionIn biology, evolution is change in the genetic material of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. Though changes produced in any one generation are normally small, differences accumulate with each generation and can, over time, cause substantial changes in the population, a...
through directed
mutationIn biology, a mutation is a randomly derived change to the nucleotide sequence of the genetic material of an organism.Mutations can be caused by copying errors in the genetic material during cell division, or by exposure to mutagens , or can be induced by the organism itself, by cellular processes...
and use of in vitro fertilization ("ectogenesis") was a major influence on Aldus Huxley's
Brave New WorldBrave New World is a novel by Aldous Huxley, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Set in the London of AD 2540 , the novel anticipates developments in reproductive technology and sleep-learning that combine to change society. The future society is an embodiment of the ideals that form the basis...
. The book ends with the image of a
biologistA biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life.Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
, much like Haldane himself, in a laboratory: "just a poor little scrubby underpaid man groping blindly amid the mazes of the ultramicroscop...conscious of his ghastly mission and proud of it."
The book has been discussed at length by other writers, including
Freeman DysonFreeman John Dyson FRS is a British-born American theoretical physicist and mathematician, famous for his work in quantum field theory, solid-state physics, and nuclear engineering. Dyson is a member of the Board of Sponsors of . Dyson lives in Princeton, New Jersey, as he has for over fifty...
in his book "Imagined Worlds", "Science, Society, and Values" by Sal. P. Restivo and the conceit has been used in contemporary science lectures .
External links
Daedalus; or Science and the Future (online version of the text)