Human Dignity and Bioethics

58 | Daniel C. Dennett
And what of those who are frankly impatient with tradition, and
even with the values that tradition endorses? We must recognize that
there are a vocal minority of people who profess unworried acceptance
of an entirely practical and matter-of-fact approach to life, who
scoff at romantic concerns with Frankensteinian visions. Given the
presence and articulateness of these proponents, we do well to have
a home base that can withstand scrutiny and that is prepared to defend,
in terms other than nostalgia, the particular values that we are
trying to protect. That is the germ of truth in multiculturalism. We
need to articulate these values in open forum. When we attempt this,
we need to resist the strong temptation to resort to the old myths,
since they are increasingly incredible, and will only foster incredulity
and cynicism in those we need to persuade. Tantrums in support of
traditional myths will backfire, in other words. Our only chance of
preserving a respectable remnant of the tradition is to ensure that the
values we defend deserve the respect of all.*
* Thanks to Gary Wolf, Tori McGeer and Philip Pettit for asking questions that
crystallized my thinking on these topics.