It must be fun to philosophize about the future while closing one's eyes to present.

A few months ago I noted that the folks who are wishing to transform the human have not shown much discrimination in opting for the sponsorship of Bahrain's petro-dollars.To quote myself:

"It's also a peculiar feature of dictatorships that they relentlessly accentuate the positive. Ever since Plato tried to get the ear of a tyrant, philosophers have been tempted by the lure of the Enlightenment despot. I have been ruminating on these matters because a few weeks ago, I received a cfp for Transforming the Human. The main conference website happily features the glossy 'benefits' of military research and the word "eugenics" is conspicuously lacking in the list of "possible topics". Moreover, the website features not merely tourist but also political propaganda for Bahrain. This is not the place to explore the exact accuracy of all the claims (no doubt Bahrain is just about the best place to be a citizen in the Gulf, but migrant workers are still treated harshly). Just to reflect that there is a very thin line between gratitude and being bought. Caveat Emptor!"

It seems that the political situation in Bahrain is a bit less harmonious than the official propaganda portrays.