PROPOSAL for CYBEK - New York DNA Group - by Dr William Theaux

introduction : Recent technology allows conservation of chromatin - and even presumes its use for the future, thus introducting a notion of preservation. This means that a present management and regulation of this material will determine the future decisions regarding the self-manipulation of the human genome.

By self-manipulation, we indicate the "complex" logic that the 20th century psycho and sociology have been working on (Re: Cybernetics/Psychoanalysis).

Current State : today the social and industrial regulation of the genetic industry and engineering seems to reflect a spontaneous response to the new knowledge regarding DNA. At the present time, institutional conservation is limited to military, penal, or medical organization. Meanwhile, sane civil people have no support, nor institution, nor organization for keeping that specific DNA code that an individual carry, represent or identify - leading Committee and Councils for Human and Responsible Genetics to call urgently for a reaffirmation of the rights and entitlements of individuals regarding the biological industry.

We believe that an individual must be able to affirm the future of his DNA (i.e. either to be preserved or destroyed at his death). In the case he/she wants it to be preserved, he must be able to affirm - or exclude - the categories of its future use (Familial and medical use, Collective and ecological use, or Individual and personal use in his will - he therefore must be able to find a social organization which is set for the purpose of recording his instruction, to protect his will, and to apply them when it is possible and allowed.

Technically the current methods of preservation are dry samples, freeze-dried or cryogenics procedures - the future may open other methods or record such as computer digitization, algorithms etc...

Proposal
represented by Cybek (1)

Beside the national proven governemental ability for military, penal, medical regulations and awaiting for possible national or international social proposal - Cybek sets an organization for individual or private participation in long term management of genetical specificities and/or genetical pool of the species.

Tool A) As the individual conservation can be easily done by any individual - Cybek answer this situation by the educational means of explanation and description according to the ecological and cybernetical sciences. It provides a kit according to the model already experimented by Third Millenium Research and J.Bicknel Ph.D. (Seattle WA) - it adds ethical comments.

Tool B) As the collective preservation cannot just rely on the familial group indefinitely - Cybek provides a local organization (as New York DNA Group - which indicates a geographical quality(2)). Those groups are composed by their members who wish to collectively store their DNA (as for example in cryogenics pluri-samples containers), and rely on the collective decision for the policy and practical management of the stock (for example, the choice of the laboratory, or the company which provides requested conditions of safety). The cost of the preservation is handeled by the membership of this not-for-profit organization.

• During his life, at any time, a member is free to withdraw his DNA from the stock and use it according to his free will.

• The member will also record his will regarding his DNA usage after his demise - either in designating a person (for example, a member of his family) to represent his membership - or in delegating the Organization to continue to apply his instruction (see above:Familial and medical use, Collective and ecological use, or Individual and personal use in his will).

When a membership fee happens to be exhausted, the Organization and its representatives are entirely responsible for the aforesaid instruction of the late member - and the cost of the stock storage is supported by the active members or their representatives.

It is known than such a cost is not very high - and it is expected that the group will perpetuate and take care of its predecessor within its own pool. As members decease they will be replaced by new alive needers within a group which can be composed of a small number of people (as required for a not-for-profit organization) or larger, but would not exceed one thousand.

If the group dissolves - each living member will recuparate his DNA sample ; the will of the deceased members regarding the instruction, in case of dissolution, will be apply to their DNA - in exception of those cases the group (if it is able by collective decision) will decide the management of those exceptions, or (if it is unable to make a collective decision) those samples will be destroyed. This clause applies and answers the situation of social troubles or natural catastrophies implying the cessation of the group.

Historical background of Cybek :

The proposal for the New York DNA group is made by Dr William Theaux, French Psychiatrist and Psychoanalyst - his interest and relation to genetics are explained in his books (published in France by L'Ecriture and Unefpe) they can also be described as a logical consequences of the Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysis, which have been extended by William Theaux to the Collective Psychology.

Especially because of its biological foundation, Psychoanalysis, applies to Collective Psychology as an Ecological Model - and thus is concerned with Genetics. This is also explained in relation with the laws of memory whose phenomenology the Freudian Psychoanalysis is principally applied to.

According to this major Western Psychology of the 20th Century, the conscious memory of the human species has been first supported by (archeological) artifacts, plus later by symbols and writing. A third category of memory factor is recently represented by the awareness and knowledge of genetics and biological code.

While civilization acquires the biological record of the memory phenomenon, its Psychoanalysis deciphers the its [social conterpart and maintenance[lnk>rei#ec]].

It is after its setting by the Freudian means that Dr William Theaux got the confirmation of the historical Art of Memory in accordance with the London Royal University - he then lectured in several countries and Universities, until his installation in New York, where he lectured at the U.N.

Dr William Theaux offers his guidance for a New York DNA Group (as described above) - he suggests a democratic organization mode, beside the currents experiences (Third Millenium Research (Seattle) = no collective regulation/individual anarchy ; GeneLink (New Jersey) = mortuary regulation/Universitary responsibility) - he advises the advantage of the computer link to answer the sociological needs of medium size democratic groups - he indicates which memory laws will favor and continuation of the groups above defined, and thus an homeostasy and a good condition for the application of the will of the individual regarding their DNA.

NOTES :

(1) - CYBEK is a name given in 1995 in a theorical writing by William Theaux,, meaning a symbolic phase of symetry between the psychological reality and its social coding (currently studied in Italy/Milano as Cyphermathics). (back)

(2) - this geographical dimension is set for technical convenience & sociological habits but does not, in principle, imply any exclusion - the residency of a member can be distant or moved. (back)

© CYBEK of New York, 1999.