Culture Needs a Return to Biological Realism

Several recent stories might not, at first glance, seem connected: Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez posted videos of herself injecting fertility drugs into her stomach and, later, having her eggs harvested to freeze them; technology entrepreneur Bryan “Never Die” Johnson doubled down on his extreme health and longevity project despite being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition; and former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White announced their intention to register for the Women’s NBA draft in 2027 as a protest against the league’s absurd stance on gender.

These stories suggest our culture needs a return to biological realism — that is, a sensible acknowledgement of human limits and biological realities. The normalization of extreme claims about humans’ ability to push past or ignore those realities has only increased in recent years, to the detriment of our common culture and common sense.

About the Author

Christine Rosen

Christine Rosen is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a contributor to Commentary.

Several recent stories might not, at first glance, seem connected: Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez posted videos of herself injecting fertility drugs into her stomach and, later, having her eggs harvested to freeze them; technology entrepreneur Bryan “Never Die” Johnson doubled down on his extreme health and longevity project despite being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition; and former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White announced their intention to register for the Women’s NBA draft in 2027 as a protest against the league’s absurd stance on gender.

These stories suggest our culture needs a return to biological realism — that is, a sensible acknowledgement of human limits and biological realities. The normalization of extreme claims about humans’ ability to push past or ignore those realities has only increased in recent years, to the detriment of our common culture and common sense.