New Technique Regrows Muscles

From Slashdot...

"Marine Isaias Hernandez has been able to grow back most of the missing muscle from his leg, including skeletal muscle, thanks to an experimental treatment involving an injection of a a growth promoting substance extracted from pig bladders. Hernandez lost 70% of his right thigh muscles from a mortar exploded attack in Afghanistan. Normally this type of injury would lead to an amputation. From the article: "In preparation for the operation, corporal Hernandez was made to build up the remaining 30 per cent of muscle left on the damaged thigh. Surgeons then sliced into the thigh, placing a thin slice of a substance called extracellular matrix. The surgery is the result of a $70 million investment by the US military into regenerative medicine research."

So now we can grow muscle, the next step is bone, then nerves, blood vessels, etc. Isaias still responds as a human being and appears to maintained a "soul". One has to wonder at what point we will get to where a person loses their individuality. What if that doesn't happen? What happens to metaphysical claims?

I'm not trying to support materialism, but we have to understand the positions and anticipate any possible questions. We may also need to accept the possibility that "our" positions need to be modified.

Joe

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Permalink Reply by Capt. Anand Kumar on June 20, 2011 at 9:38pm

Yes, indeed we will have to rethink our "traditional" position and modify it. Cryogenic preservation of cord blood of newborn babies is already big business even in poor countries like India. Poor women are lending their wombs for surrogate motherhood to rich couples for earning a livelihood. Is it unethical? Before the current decade is over, humans will be cloned for organ harvesting purposes as it is possible to create humans with predetermined blood groups etc. Couples will be able to pre-select the colour of skin, eyes, ears and other personality enhancing features of their babies. It may also be possible to create super intelligent humans, as predicted by Ray Kurzweil. Singularity, truly appears to be near.

On one level, Nano-biotechnology appears to support the theosophical principle of "every atom is alive". On the other, the idea of a Creator God never faced such serious challenge in history. We will need to ask ourselves, if we are able to accept genetically engineered Insulin produced using recombinant DNA techniques, why would we object to same technology being used for human cloning. Why a porcelain polymer heart valve is acceptable but not the valve of exactly the same material as is being replaced, grown in situ, i.e. replaced without the use of expensive and dangerous surgery.

Supporters of traditional morality and ethics should perhaps take note of the fact that in the history, Technology has never lost, as it has an evolutionary dynamics of its own.

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Permalink Reply by Capt. Anand Kumar on June 21, 2011 at 12:41am

Thanks Joe.

I would think that this debate is entirely within the domain of Theosophy as it provides perhaps the best framework for dealing with and evaluating the issues of morality, ethics and as you have accurately identified, Justice. But more importantly Theosophy deals exhaustively with the subject of Change and Evolution.

Alvin Toffler, in 1970's coined a concept called "Future Shock" indicating a condition suffered by individuals and societies who are overwhelmed by change. The root of the origin of this debate is in Future Shock suffered by us in what technology is promising. This question is best addressed by those who are not suffering from it, or in other words are willing to accept change more readily than us. Once upon a time Justice meant "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth", in some societies. Does it mean the same today? But the change took a long time and the societies did not suffer from Future Shock.

However, this debate should be conducted without boundaries, i.e. free thinking and not within the purview of one thought system or another, including Theosophy.

We could begin with identifying a few future social trends that we may think arise as a result of the rise of technology and then examine the ethcical and moral issues. I would refrain from using the terms like the materialists and spiritualists as the lines are getting blurred. May I suggest the three future trends to begin with, for examination:

1. Break up of family, and the rise of individuals as more and more designer babies come into being. Humanity may progress towards being androgyne as technology allows reproduction without physical inviolvement or requirement of biological parents.

2. Connectivity of and amongst humans and non-humans without devices, either through nano circuits implanted or biologically generated. This will have the most profound effect as there will be no secrets either of individuals or of societies.

3. Disappearnce of governments and their replacements by large transnational corporations or similar entities.

Other suggestions and counter views are of course, welcome.

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Permalink Reply by Michael A. Williams on June 21, 2011 at 10:30pm

Both Joe and the Captain have some good thoughts here. Personally, I saw in the original article an event to rejoice about. A young man has, if things continue along positive lines, regained the use of his leg.

There's nothing here that gives a "victory" to Materialism over Idealism, as such. Only an extreme wing of the consciousness,/metaphysical/spiritual movement(or whatever you want to call it) would do completely away with the positive, helpful elements of materialist science. The neo-Luddites, as it were.

As I've said before, materialist science is a great servant, but a terrible master. We need look no further than the horror classsic, "Frankenstein" by Mary Shelly, to see the havoc that a runaway, hyper-materialist "mad" scientist(or scientists) can wreck upon humanity.

It was mentioned that Theosophy can and should play a big role in the coming use of these advanced medical technologies. Does anyone here know of what Adyar or the ULT branch have said on these matters in their official publications?

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Permalink Reply by Capt. Anand Kumar on June 21, 2011 at 11:49pm

Thanks Michael.

Once the domain of the Creator God is breached by Nano-biotechnology, what role can idealism or spiritualism have in such discussion other than that of nostalgia. Theosophy indeed provides the basic framework of motion => change => evolution, but that may be only the guideline on which a future -ism may be built.

It is not a secret that while Adyar or ULT remained totally nostalgic, the world moved on. Those who keep recycling the same ideas eventually end up in the recycle bin for violating the fundamental principle of change. Let us break free of such self imposed constraints and think afresh, out of our own experience and knowledge.

As for Frankenstein, Hindu scriptures are replete with such examples. Each one has been defeated by the nature. One such story is that of "Sahastrabeej" who could not be killed as every drop of his blood that fell on the ground produced one thosand replicas of such monster. The nature thus came in the form of the popular Goddess Kali with her long tongue and lapped up the all the blood before it fell to the ground. Come to think of it, the modern day Frankensteins like Hitler or Osama Bin Laden, were not created in labs.

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Permalink Reply by Michael A. Williams on June 22, 2011 at 12:45am

Don't despair, Captain, for First Cause, Consciousness, "Creator God", Spirit, or whatever term you prefer, is in no danger from nano-technology. The Absolute Source of everything is outside of matter/energy/time/space as we normally understand and experience them. Nano-technology is within the realm of the physical.

This is not a "quaint" idea and notion of a bygone era, but a living reality, a direct experience of not only the great sages and wise of past and present, but available to all of us. You don't have to be an advanced, super adept to fully realize all this.

Nano-technology like all technologies is a two edged sword. Like the old cliche, but true, it can be used for good or evil. It came from the mind of people, it can be tamed by the minds of people. If mis-used, it may destroy humanity, but it won't destroy the very source of the 'All and Everything."

As has been pointed out in other forums here, there are numerous conferences and symposiums of new thinking scientists and modern sages all over the world each year, and growing. Plus, there are a number of influential groups of scientists concerned with the very ethical questions you raise.

I know this won't convince you of anything different, but I personally don't see the future as bleak as you do.

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Permalink Reply by Michael A. Williams on June 22, 2011 at 1:26pm

Thanks, Joe, for changing the topic. Frankly, I wasn't going to pursue this thread anymore, either.

Unfortunately, you switched it to something totally unrelated to the original one. And, to top that, to a topic virtually guaranteed to generate even less enthusiasm than the first one did! lol

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Permalink Reply by Michael A. Williams on June 22, 2011 at 7:12pm

Joe, it was said in a friendly, humorous manner. I meant no offense.

To follow up on your topic of time dilation, I personally have noticed that events in my life in the 80's and 90's seem closer than those in the last 10 years. Maybe you're onto something.

Who knows what topics will catch fire here!