Humanity seems to be moving from paper-based forms of authentication (like licenses or passports) to electronic forms of authentication (like iris scans, face scans, or fingerprints). In this work, Grinnell signals that the changes wrought by such biometric technology might not be all good. Ever-anxious “biometric thought” arises from interacting with this technology, and he analyzes how this thought tends to leave out social relationships that really define us.
By trade, I’m a software developer, but I’m also keenly interested in the formation of an ethical world that uses technology rightly. As Grinnell brings out, technology does not always bring out the best in humanity. Indeed, as he shows, new biometric technology intertwines with a growing fear of the “other” – whether that be people from other cultures and countries or people forced to migrate because of catastrophe. Biometric technology breeds a sort of paranoia if we don’t attend to underlying social relationships.
I agree wholeheartedly with this social analysis. However, by labeling this anxiety as “biometric thought,” Grinnell puts a lot of the blame on the technology rather than focusing on the human actions behind the technology. Biometric tools only do what the humans tell them to do. Just like eugenics (which led to the Holocaust) had to be weeded out of genetic theory, so must we parse the good and the bad resulting from the creative disruption that new technologies cause. Instead of teasing this out, Grinnell seems to lump all anxious and unhealthy thought under the technological term “biometric” (which simply means “a measurement of life”). I’d rather see him name human practices as something else than just to associate it with the tool.
Don’t get me wrong – Grinnell is onto something. He identifies how hospitality tends to be put aside in our current era. He even ties “biometric thought” as a reincarnation of how people used to think they could “read others’ faces” in prior centuries (physiognomy). He presents an awful lot of data from a wide variety of sources not to be heard. Perhaps this gives away my bias towards technology, but the human use of biometric technology needs to be more carefully analyzed in order for us to properly recognize its weaknesses. Better terminology leads to better communication.
This work is more philosophical in nature and focuses upon a social definition of humans. (Interestingly, Grinnell does not discuss how metrics are now collected on human social lives – for example, social network diagrams. Again, this muddies his picture somewhat.) This work can inspire work in fields of artistic and creative expression. Also, those who seek to make the most out of technology for ethical human benefit can learn from this analysis. Finally, it will certainly serve as food for discussion in university classrooms across the English-speaking world. Grinnell’s warning will challenge, but he presents and analyzes too much information to be quickly forgotten.
The Social Life of Biometrics
By George C. Grinnell
Copyright (c) 2020
Rutgers University Press
ISBN13 9781978809062
Page Count: 200
Genre: Philosophy, Social Theory
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