From Mistery to Mastery, and Back Again: Reframing Technological Procreation Through Awe

The rapid advancement of technologies such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and surrogacy, along with the increasing capacity of technologies like ultrasound to “scan” the fetus, and most recently, the rise of biotechnologies for genome sequencing and editing, has progressively mediated and filtered the awe traditionally associated with natural procreation. The ability to foresee and manipulate what was once a source of impatient and tense apprehension — the moment of conception — has indeed significantly reshaped our reproductive narratives, identities, and perceptions. Since we have moved from a womb that conceals and protects to an increasingly transparent and threatening one, debates have emerged on whether this technological mediation has diminished the sacred aspects of reproduction, both in its traditional meaning of being worthy of respect and ceremonial reverence(1), and in the Agambenian sense of being separated and, therefore, unavailable (Lembcke 2023). This contribution aims to initiate a discussion that places awe at the center of the debate on reproductive, particularly genetic, biotechnologies. By positioning awe as a bridge between the theological and technological dimensions of procreation — and thereby necessitating a reformulation of the dichotomy between scientific and religious views of nature — it becomes possible to envision an ethical paradigm that emphasizes openness and connectedness, as well as the formation of the self as a responsible procreative agent.