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Science & Morality

When Paths Diverge

Jason Xenopoulos asks if accelerating technological change and the widening gap between rich and poor mean an imminent evolutionary divergence for humanity.

Back in 2012 I attended a keynote presentation by Bill Clinton. In his speech he said that “our common humanity matters more than our interesting differences.” This statement struck me as being both profound and profoundly disturbing. While it seemed on the surface like an inherently humanist position, it was also a deeply imperialistic one: it’s easy to ignore interesting differences, I thought, when yours is the dominant culture. Prompted by Clinton’s speech, I began questioning some of the contradictions inherent in my own beliefs.

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