# Charles Cantor **Domain:** Genetics / Genome Engineering / Human Futures **Doc Type:** Person Node **Maturity:** Developing ## Definition **Charles Cantor** argued in the 2003 Boston University Pardee Center symposium paper “Human Evolution at the Crossroads” that genomic tools could someday accelerate deliberate human change. He also identified difficult choices about which capacities to alter, warned against homogenization, and asked for wisdom in using the tools. His forecasts are historical predictions, not evidence of completed control over complex traits. ## Relationships - **Authored:** [“Human Evolution at the Crossroads”](https://www.bu.edu/pardee/files/documents/Conf03-Human-Nature.pdf), a named contribution to the 2003 Boston University symposium *The Future of Human Nature* (pp. 9–12). - **Discussed:** [[wiki/Self-Directed Evolution|Self-Directed Evolution]] as a projected genetic capability, with distinct concerns about diversity, disease, and choice. - **Institutional context:** The paper identifies Cantor's then-organization as Sequenom; that affiliation is not the author of the symposium claim. - **Collection and article routes:** [[collections/Consciousness Continuity|Consciousness Continuity]], [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]], and [[articles/The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley|The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley]] supply a historical and conceptual route. ## Simple Reminders, Quotations, and Thoughts > “We have the tools today not just to control evolution, but to speed it up in a massive way. The cat is out of the bag. Evolution is in our hands. I only hope we have the wisdom to use it wisely.” > **— Charles Cantor**, *“Human Evolution at the Crossroads,” Boston University symposium, 2003* [[reminders/Evolution/Evolution Is in Our Hands but Wisdom Must Guide It by Charles Cantor|Evolution Is in Our Hands but Wisdom Must Guide It by Charles Cantor]]