Synthetic biology as red herring

Area of Science:

• Philosophy of Technology
• Environmental Philosophy
• Bioethics

Background:

• The advent of synthetic biology (SB) is often perceived as blurring the line between artifacts and living organisms.
• This perceived novelty overlooks historical precedents in human-technology and human-nature interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To re-evaluate the philosophical significance of synthetic biology by situating it within a broader historical context.
• To argue that agriculture, not SB, represents the most profound ontological, cognitive, and existential shift in human history.

Main Methods:

• Ontological analysis comparing SB with Neolithic domestication.
• Cognitive analysis of biological engineering versus early agricultural practices.
• Existential analysis of the impact of SB versus the agricultural transition on human existence.

Main Results:

• Synthetic biology does not cross ontological boundaries previously crossed during the Neolithic domestication of plants and animals.
• The cognitive demands of SB are not significantly greater than those required for early agriculture.
• SB is unlikely to cause existential changes to humanity beyond those already wrought by the agricultural revolution.

Conclusions:

• Synthetic biology is a late, unexceptional offshoot of the long-standing human practice of modifying life, originating with agriculture.
• A historical perspective reveals agriculture as the truly revolutionary practice, overshadowing SB in its impact on ontology, cognition, and human existence.
• Focusing on SB distracts from deeper philosophical considerations of agriculture's transformative role in philosophy of technology and environmental philosophy.