The Taoist principle of return: enhancement technologies that eventually cycle back to natural baseline, preventing permanent dependency or systemic lock-in.
"All things return to the root," teaches Laozi. This cyclical wisdom applies powerfully to biotech enhancement: interventions designed to be temporary, reversible, or self-limiting rather than permanent locks. The danger of permanent enhancement is dependency—biological, psychological, social. Laozi would caution against modifications that create irreversible states or perpetual technological servitude. Instead, the wise biotech approach designs enhancements as cycles: temporary cognitive boosters that allow the mind to rest and regenerate, genetic modifications whose effects fade, therapeutic implants with natural expiration. This framework opposes the transhumanist dream of permanent transcendence, instead embracing rhythmic oscillation between enhanced and natural states. It also addresses collective risk: if all humans permanently enhance in one direction, we lose adaptability. Return-based design preserves human plasticity, reversibility, and freedom. The sage enhancement never traps you; it supports a journey toward your own nature, not away from it, allowing always the possibility of cycling back.
Peri can explain this concept, give practical examples, help you decide whether it applies to your situation, or recommend a journey if appropriate.
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