Long has man dreamed of the existence or creation of a perfect state or society, a Utopia out of legend brought to life in which he could prosper and be happy until the end of days. From the biblical Eden, to the communes of the 60s, to futuristic science fiction novels we have ever sought to design or institute this haven for a variety of reasons, good and bad. At the same time we have also attempted to remake everything around us to reflect ourselves, and even to create new things in our own image. Such a concerted effort to improve one's environment is unique to humans as a species, as is the urge to artificially replicate ourselves, and none can truly say where it comes from and where it will lead, much less if it is positive or negative. As conscientious students of human nature, we must ask a series of basic questions to better understand the issues at hand. Are these desires functions of our dissatisfaction with the world around us, or with our concepts of our own !.
beginnings? Is there a method to our madness, a reason to attempt total control that we may ultimately challenge our assigned place in the universe, and the mortality that plagues us? Have we the right or responsibility to play God, or is it inherently dangerous and imprudent? Do the benefits of our advancements outweigh the risks, and what are we willing to sacrifice for our goals? All of these questions are but a fraction of the whole, the overarching ideas that govern human behavior and are ever just out of reach of our comprehension. Our hunger for knowledge and power is insatiable, and just as man long ago sought to fill in all of the dark places on the map of the world, he now strives to shed light upon the timeless mysteries of life and death, in the hopes that he may escape or control them. Now he is standing on the edge of progress, and it remains to be seen whether his push for happiness and fabricated immortality will succeed, or threaten what he has already achieved.
