Futurists see a conflict forming over our dominion over the human body, and over the choices we make about our biological future, and that of our children. Some call it a clash between “bioliberals” and “bioconservatives,” and frame it as a debate over individual rights.

Transhumanists — those who advocate the use of science to alter the human future — may be playing an instrumental role in reshaping our lives. They argue for that even the most radical physical modifications of the body will become commonplace, and that the body itself may soon be obsolete. Newt Gingrich, who doesn’t hesitate to use fundamentalist religion to support his conservative movement, supports leading transhumanist Ray Kurzweil.