by R. CAMPA.
Journal of Evolution and Technology, 19[1]:28-34,2008.
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Review by Professor George F. Hart, LSU.
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Having lived and worked in Britain, the former Soviet Union, South Africa, USA and India I am sure that the way in which we view pure science depends upon our cultural gamodeme. Dr. Campa’s view that “Since the industrial revolution, humans have tended to reduce science to the ancillary role of (the) engine of technology”, whilst true for certain cultures and especially those that came under the influence of Sovietism, is not a global attribute of scientists. The former Soviet Union trained skilled specialist to a very high level in narrow and specialized fields and, indeed, looked upon science as the tool of technology. Britain provided a broad but still specialized education for it’s highly skilled scientists. The USA used a broader model still [see Hart, 2008]. My current view is that science is the way in which we understand reality, and technology is essentially a set of ‘trades’ that utilize science. In no way, however, is science subservient to technology.
Dr Campa’s article does not break any new ground but its usefulness is in the comments on some of the critical popular literature of the past few decades [this includes the usual suspects: Chomsky, Dennett, Dyson, Fukuyama, Horgan, Kuhn, Minsky and Moravac]. In this regard it offers a starting point for those interested in delving deeper into transhumanism.
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Hart, G. F.,2008. Evolution and the Future of Humanity, Homo sapiens’ galactic future. eBook edition. ScienceAnd Publications, Boulder, Colorado. ISBN-13 978-0-9818642-0-4 ,
Reference link: www.ScienceAnd.com.