The Future of Human Nature in a Post-human World: Habermas in Dialogue with Jonas' Philosophical Biology

Abstract:In two lectures given at the beginning of the 2000s, Habermas focuses on the ethical problems linked to biotechnologies, notably to genetic engineering techniques. In an attempt to warn of the dangers inherent in liberal eugenics, Habermas proposes a definition of human nature with a metaphysical basis. In this paper, I argue that Habermas' analysis of the potential effect of biotechnology on human beings represents the theoretical outcome of a close dialogue with Hans Jonas' biological philosophy. The deconstruction of Habermas and Jonas' arguments not only provides the opportunity to reflect on the internal contradictions of an essentialist conception of human beings—still widespread today and directly or indirectly present in various critiques of post- and trans-humanist dystopias—but also allows for an exploration of some tendencies of 20th century German thought, which seeks to distance itself from the philosophical consequences of Darwinian evolutionism.