What is the Church's Response to Human Commoditization?

By Gregory Minchak
Op/Ed

Recently we have seen public commentators devote significant attention to the negative effects of relativism. Those arguing against relativism are in actuality missing an even greater hazard. Over the last few years, there is a noticeable shift in the way people regard each other and themselves. There is a tendency to commoditize the human character. This commoditization is occurring in a myriad of ways and in all facets of society - most notably in marketing to consumers, worker treatment, and a rise of style over substance.

Does this commoditization of the human character flow from relativism, or is it something else? Most people who accept a tolerance of relativism do so because they are essentially good people who value others' opinion in the hopes of not causing discord. Commoditization occurs when people start accepting or passively ignoring certain treatment towards the human character that ultimately devalues human dignity.

Years ago in our nation we saw sweatshops that eventually lead to the creation of labor standards. But the unintended consequence was the rise of the organization man. A man on a line or in a cubicle had no more value than a machine. When the costs of this became unsustainable, the jobs were shipped overseas where individuals were treated as poorly as before. Now our nation enters a new age, where exceptional creativity and motivation becomes a requirement for survival. Those unable to meet these stringent criteria will be disenfranchised and slashed off the global workplace.

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Incredibly, we are also starting to see individuals extol the virtues of being considered a product. Corporations have always been named after families, only now there are no products or services behind that name. Perhaps this is inevitable in an information economy, but usually there is still an expertise or knowledge base to provide substance behind a name. Artists have always only had their names, but that was because they "created" something. This no longer holds, as individuals are now famous for being famous with millions of people turning in to catch a glimpse. We now have an entire news industry dedicated to the vapid and unimportant. The way people show themselves to the world - particularly on the Internet - is fast becoming the central activity for many people. We have always had fashionable people, but we are moving beyond. People are in a constant scavenger hunt for the coolest and newest trend. Yes, this trend quest can be a fun diversion, but what happens when it becomes a central point for society?

Perhaps most telling is the products themselves. Many children's programs have become productions that are nothing more than product brochures. Botox and plastic surgery is on the rise. Forget exercise and trying to look healthy, it's all about injections and knives. Shows like Who Wants To Be A Star show people undergoing surgery to recreate themselves into a celebrity. No real self-improvement, never mind commitment to a higher ideal. People can hide themselves on the Net, manufacturing whole identities for themselves through role-playing games, or anonymous communication.

These are all minor demonstrations of this movement. There are many more concerning events that devalue human dignity. In 1999 the United States Patent Office actually had to rule that humans could not be patented. We will soon have cloning, allowing people to recreate themselves as their own children. Or more likely, to pick and chose whatever attributes the parents want with no consideration towards the natural process. As we try to eliminate randomness from our birthing process, those with "flaws" that cannot be "fixed" will be outcast. It is already occurring in some industrialized nations, where if you do a sonogram on a fetus and it is handicapped, you must destroy the child before birth. Humans become nothing more than biological machines to be fixed like a car. Not only does this devalue the individual, it devalues all of society.

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How should we respond? Not through government intervention. Government is not and should not be designed to function as a promoter of ethics in any sense. Government is essentially neutral, shaped by its practitioners. If this movement is to be reversed, it must occur by other society institutions taking the lead and promoting a new and realistic paradigm.

There needs to be a discussion on how far we are willing to go and at what cost. This discussion needs to go further than the heated rhetoric surrounding specific issues like abortion and stem cell research. Firstly, scientists need to take the lead in determining the social impact for their work. Scientists cannot decide that an invention should not have been created after the fact. Once a discovery is made, we must be aware of the directions it can take us and decide whether the trip is worth it.

For those of you inclined to blame science for this, realize that science has nothing to do with it. Science, like religion, searches for truth. The devaluing of the human character comes from developments within science that are the result of a culture valuing conformity to an impossible ideal.

Secondly, the Church, in coordination with other faiths, needs to determine its response to new scientific knowledge that will challenge its beliefs. Will the Church endorse new knowledge as an example of God's work, or will it defensively hide in the shadows, letting an opportunity to help frame society's ethical choices going forward? The Church is one of the only institutions concerned with the ethical considerations of society, and as such must be involved in this discussion. But it must remain careful not to condemn all science. The Church must acknowledge the positive contributions science makes to our lives and support science in its search for truth. The Church cannot be afraid of the possible discoveries. The Church needs to be flexible and understand that new discoveries only illustrate that the complexity of nature proves God's plan. However, it must take a firm stand on matters that will devalue the human character.

We live in an age when science and technology is moving faster than we can react. It is only going to continue. Starting with the Renaissance, we have been dangling on a precipice of discovery and are now about to go over. New discoveries will create a paradigm shift every few years. This is why now is the key time to establish bedrock values of ethical scientific behavior for the next 500 hundred years. A conversation is occurring involving all aspects of society. The Church must be certain not to marginalize itself out of the conversation. Its voice should be heard.

Contact

Gregory Minchak
DC, US
Gregory Minchak - Author, 202 265-6615

Email

phalanxshere-co@yahoo.com

Keywords

science

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