But then, Greek mythology is filled with such transhumanist dreams - the desires of people who knew they were physically weak, susceptible to illness and death, and living in an environment that seemed unpredictable and at times downright cruel. This allowed each one to transform for a time from a creature of land into a creature of the air - oh, the wonders of defying nature through human genius!ĭaedalus’ invention of wings is in some ways a strangely transhumanist technology. ![]() At last, on the appointed day, each of them put on his own device and activated it. ![]() He carefully, painstakingly trained his son in using this device, a set of wondrous wings, modeled on those of birds, but capable of carrying the much heavier humans. Trapped in a remote prison on an island with his young son, he devised a revolutionary technological device that would allow them to escape to freedom. A legendary inventor and tinkerer, he found himself in a seemingly inescapable situation. Maybe it is worth taking a step back and re-telling the familiar story in full. And so the tragic story of Daedalus, one of the greatest inventors in all of Greek mythology, and his son Icarus reflects well the challenges of modern parenting, especially when it comes to the use of ever new and advancing technology. We must remember that some of the powerful inventions that we think will save us can destroy us, too. Yet we know, as did the Greeks, that inventions and technological advancements always carry risks, too. In the “Ode to Man” in Sophocles’ tragedy Antigone, the chorus of city elders marveled over everything people have accomplished and invented over the ages, all to make their lives a bit better. Perhaps the entire history of humanity is, first and foremost, the history of technological inventions and advancements, as the Greeks thought. ![]() And it is, no less than that, a cautionary tale about parenting and the use of technology. The story is, rather, about the relationship of a father and a son. But it seems that whenever we focus on the tragic death of the one who flew too close to the sun, we forget that the story is not just about him, the child. We have all heard this advice and, likely, the tale of hubris that inspired it.
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