Prajñâ Vihâra, Volume 7, Number 2, July-December, 2006, 141-156 141 © 2000 by Assumption University Press LOVE IN THE AGE OF HIGH TECHNOLOGY: HOW ARE METTA AND KARUNA STILL POSSIBLE?* Soraj Hongladarom Chulalongkorn University, Thailand Abstract The tremendous advances in science and technology today need not deter us in promoting and sustaining love. This may seem surprising to some, at least because such advances have resulted in pessimism concerning the survival of love. On the contrary, not only is love possible, but it has become more necessary in today’s world. The paper will focus on the kind of love that Buddhism pays particular attention to, namely metta (Skrt. maitri) and karuna. The two terms are generally translated as ‘loving-kindness’ and ‘compassion’ respectively. It is the teleological character of Buddhist thought that makes metta and karuna possible in today’s world. I. Introduction The fact that today’s world is so thoroughly pervaded by technology scarcely needs comment. By ‘technology’ here I do not mean merely the kind of technology that has existed since there were human civilizations, such as the plough or the water mill. The technology that concerns me in this paper is much more powerful, and has the potential to transform not only our ways of living and conceptualizing the world, but they have the potential power to transform the constitution of our very being. One is well aware now that the first steps toward cloning of full human beings are now a reality. Genetic manipulation of living organisms is growing rapidly, prompting concerns over the use of such technology in ways that exacerbate existing inequalities and perhaps create irreversible changes to the environment. On the other hand, information technology is poised to transform human beings and societies just as dramatically. The Internet,