Human Enhancement: Article Analysis

201 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Ethical issues on human enhancement

“Ideas of Perfection and the Ethics of Human Enhancement” discusses human enhancement’s deeper issue - attainable perfection. Johann Roduit, Jan-Christoph Heilinger, and Holger Baumann investigate how human enhancements could affect the future image of an ideal human. They argue that that some base capabilities that are essential for an ideal unenhanced human being can be maximized harmoniously to adapt to an enhanced human being.This article is reliable because The American Journal of Bioethics published this article. However, it does have a bias towards bioliberalism: it argues for the use of human enhancement. The authors have written other articles regarding bioethics together and individually. The authors are all professors at a university

Show More
Related

  • Eugenics In Gattaca, A Brave New World, And The Blade Runner

    1133 Words  | 3 Pages

    Eugenics has been an increasingly popular concept in recent films and texts. The presence of eugenics in these films and texts has caused people to believe that eugenics could be helpful in society. The idea that the perfect person can be created or modified is simply irrational. Each individual person’s qualities are created by their surroundings as they grow up. In Always With Us, Howard Horwitz wishes that the eugenics movement in the United States never had gathered steam. The negative aspects of eugenics that Horowitz discusses are noticeable in works such as Gattaca, A Brave New World, and The Blade Runner. The notion that eugenics is a positive for society limits individuals’ potential by predetermining what they can achieve. By predetermining

    Read More

  • Morality In Michael Sandel's The Case Against Perfection

    744 Words  | 2 Pages

    With the progression of modern biotechnology, there is much contentious debate affecting ongoing developmental affairs. Controversy aligns itself with cautious thoughts on the appropriate amount of enhancement that can be applied before it undermines the “gifted character of human power and achievement (Sandel).” Michael Sandel, author of The Case Against Perfection argues through political discourse that the passion to master all of the science dominion through the use of such technology is largely flawed by our interpretations of perfection.

    Read More

  • Enhancing Humans Through Science In Beneficial By Cecile Janssens

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hemmy Cho, the author of “Enhancing Humans Through Science in Beneficial”, believes that “all people should be able to benefit from important and worthwhile advancements in human technology” (Cho 1). By claiming that enhancing humans through science is beneficial, she is a strong believer that scientist can “select the gender, hair colour, personality, IQ, and eliminate any diseases and 'negative' traits such as anti-social tendencies” (Cho 1). She also thinks that now that we have advances in human technology, we don’t have to rely on evolution, (In this case, evolution is referring to parents passing on genes to the child), parents can choose what traits they want their child to have. Cho makes the point that, “many people feel uncomfortable

    Read More

  • The Case Against Perfection by Michael Sandels

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    Recent breakthroughs in the field of genetics and biotechnology have brought attention to the ethical issues surrounding human enhancement. While these breakthroughs have many positive aspects, such as the treatment and prevention of many debilitating diseases and extending human life expectancy well beyond its current limits, there are profound moral implications associated with the ability to manipulate our own nature. Michael Sandel’s “The Case Against Perfection” examines the ethical and moral issues associated with human enhancement while Nick Bostrom’s paper, “In Defense of Posthuman Dignity” compares the positions that transhumanists and bioconservatists take on the topic of human enhancement. The author’s opinions on the issue of human genetic enhancement stand in contrast to one another even though those opinions are based on very similar topics. The author’s views on human enhancement, the effect enhancement has on human nature, and the importance of dignity are the main issues discussed by Sandel and Bostrom and are the focus of this essay.

    Read More

  • Genetic Enhancement is Unethical

    1603 Words  | 4 Pages

    In order to understand the arguments for and against genetic enhancement, one must first understand what it entails. In 19...

    Read More

  • Gene Therapy Vs Gene Therapy

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this paper, I will negatively expose Walter Glannon’s position on the differentially between gene therapy and gene enhancement. His argument fails because gene therapy and genetic enhancement is morally impermissible because its manipulation and destruction of embryos shows disrespect for human life and discrimination against people with disabilities.

    Read More

  • Empathy: What We Need Now: Article Analysis

    425 Words  | 1 Pages

    According to Arianna Huffington in the article “Empathy: What We Need Now”, during hardships and instability of society, empathy is needed to find solutions to those issues. Huffington writes about how empathy is needed in our country in order to produce a positive social change. She begins by giving an example of a movement that Martin Luther King created and how empathy was a part of this movement. King as well spoke of how empathy is the sign of living. To become involved in the situations of humanity in order to improve it, displays that empathy is the core of a human’s existence. After reading this article, I do agree with Huffington about how individuals need to fully understand and put themselves within the situation to fully comprehend the issue to solve.

    Read More

  • Transhumanism and Elective Amputation

    2287 Words  | 5 Pages

    The two controversial topics discussed below share a single goal: to enhance the quality of life of a human individual. The first topic, transhumanism, is a largely theoretical movement that involves the advancement of the human body through scientific augmentations of existing human systems. This includes a wide variety of applications, such as neuropharmacology to enhance the function of the human brain, biomechanical interfaces to allow the human muscles to vastly out-perform their unmodified colleagues, and numerous attempts to greatly extend, perhaps indefinitely, the human lifespan. While transhumanist discussion is predominantly a thinking exercise, it brings up many important ethical dilemmas that may face human society much sooner than the advancements transhumanism desires to bring into reality. The second topic, elective removal of healthy limbs at the request of the patient, carries much more immediate gravity. Sufferers of a mental condition known as Body Integrity Identity Disorder seek to put to rest the disturbing disconnect between their internal body image and their external body composition. This issue is often clouded by sensationalism and controversy in the media, and is therefore rarely discussed in a productive manner (Bridy). This lack of discussion halts progress and potentially limits citizens' rights, as legislation is enacted without sufficient research. The primary arguments against each topic are surprisingly similar; an expansion on both transhumanism and elective amputation follows, along with a discussion of the merit of those arguments. The reader will see how limits placed on both transhumanism and elective amputation cause more harm to whole of human society than good.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Beefalo

    709 Words  | 2 Pages

    Usage of genetic modification to pick and chose features and personality traits of embryos could conceivably occur in future times. Wealthy individuals could essentially purchase a baby with built-in genetic advantages (Simmons). Ethically, these seem immoral. Playing God and taking control over the natural way of life makes some understandably uneasy. Ultimately, religious and moral standpoints should play a role in the future of genetic engineering, but not control it. Genetic engineering’s advantages far outweigh the cost of a genetically formulated baby and

    Read More

  • Genetic Engineering

    1882 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sandel, M. J. The case against perfection, ethics in the age of genetic engineering. Belknap Press, 2007. Print.

    Read More

  • Ethics of Human Enhancement

    1355 Words  | 3 Pages

    The evolution of technology has been hand in hand with the human subjugation of earth, but the question persists, when does the use of technology go too far? Advances in medical science have tremendously improved the average human lifespan and the quality of life for individuals. Medical science and biology are steadily arriving at new ways to make humans superior by the use of advanced genetic alteration. This ability raises the question of how ought this new technology be used, if at all? The idea of human enhancement is a very general, since humans are constantly “enhancing” themselves through the use of tools. In referring to human enhancement, I am specifically referring to the use of genetic intervention prior to birth. Julian Savulescu in his, “Genetic Interventions and the Ethics of Enhancement of Human Beings” argues that it is not only permissible to intervene genetically, but is morally obligatory. In this paper I will argue that it is not morally obligatory to genetically intervene, but may be permissible under the criterion established by Savulescu. I plan to argue that the argument used by Savulescu for the obligation to genetically intervene is not the same obligation as the prevention and treatment of disease. The ability for humans to genetically intervene is not sufficient to provide a moral obligation.

    Read More

  • A Critique on the Transhumanism Movement

    3010 Words  | 7 Pages

    When did being human become not good enough? Transhumanism theories strive toward the perfect human, a posthuman, which can be achieved through modern technology. In the opinion of transhumanists, humans are constantly subject to change and their calling is to transcend their body and brain in order to reach their full potential. While this may have positive effects for the people involved, such as immunity toward hereditary diseases, Down syndrome for example, the question arises what is considered ethical in these practices. Three ethical issues arise when considering transhumanism. Firstly, should we extend our mortality and take away the chance for another human to live life on this earth to the fullest? Secondly, once the human race is perfect, we will not know what makes us unique and gives us our personality. Thirdly, the ability to breed perfect humans brings with it the possibility of a subspecies, due to the affordability of the specific technology. Finally, the need for enhancement comes down to parents wanting the best for their children, but it soon ends up being about their child being perfect.

    Read More

  • Genetic Interventions and the Ethics of Enhancement of Human Beings by Julian Savulescu

    3287 Words  | 7 Pages

    The evolution of technology has been hand in hand with the human subjugation of earth, but the question persists, when does the use of technology go too far? Advances in medical science have increased the average human lifespan and improved the quality of life for individuals. Medical science and biology are steadily arriving at new ways to alter humans by the use of advanced genetic alteration. This technology gives rise to the question of how this new technology ought to be used, if at all. The idea of human enhancement is a very general topic, since humans are constantly “enhancing” themselves through the use of tools. In referring to human enhancement, I am referring specifically to the use of genetic intervention prior to birth. Julian Savulescu, in his, “Genetic Interventions and the Ethics of Enhancement of Human Beings,” argues that it is not only permissible to intervene genetically, but is a morally obligatory. In this paper, I will argue that it is not morally obligatory to intervene genetically even if such intervention may be permissible under certain criteria. I will show, in contrast to Savulescu’s view, that the moral obligation to intervene is not the same as the moral obligation to prevent and treat disease. In short, I will show that the ability of humans to intervene genetically is not sufficient to establish a moral obligation.

    Read More

  • The Future is Here: Genetic Enhancement

    1750 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout history, society has always placed value on being bigger, stronger, and faster by any means necessary to obtain these abilities. In order to obtain these abilities, society use genetic enhancements. A genetic enhancement is the use of genetic engineering to modify an individual’s biological traits; in addition, it is the alteration of genes in an individual’s body. Scientists are able to alter individual’s genotype with the purpose of choosing desired phenotype of a newborn. The process that scientist must go through to genetically alter a gene is provide the gene to be transferred, a host cell in which the gene is inserted, and a vector to bring about the transfer, in which the enhancement is made possible. Considering that enhancement is perceived as improving the image of individuals can be beneficial, in which influences society to turn to genetic enhancements because of the expectations that the world as a whole view enhancements. However, genetic enhancements can impede the natural cycle of life and with an excessive amount of humans; it can create a lack of natural resources to sustain human life. Therefore, society believes that enhancement carries a positive connation that perceives society to further pursue in such behaviors. On the contrary, in today’s science, the advanced technology of genetic enhancements allows the ability to manipulate a baby’s preset genes which can affect society’s threshold of the image of beauty and disrupt the biological gene pool creating a society that is based on superiority and a new defined definition of “beautiful”. Genetic enhancement can, in fact, have negative effects on the baby and future generations.

    Read More

  • Analysis of the Bioethical Issues in Gattaca

    843 Words  | 2 Pages

    Biology is the science of life. Technology uses science to solve problems. Our society has progressed in its understanding of life to the point that we are able to manipulate it on a fundamental level through technology. This has led to profound ethical dilemmas. The movie Gattaca explores some important bioethical issues that are currently the focus of much dispute. The underlying thematic issue presented is the question of the extent to which biologically inherent human potential determines the true potential of a person. Perhaps the most controversial issue in Gattaca is the use of genetic engineering technology in humans to create a more perfect society; this is, essentially, a new method of Eugenics. Another related issue seen in the movie is that of pre-natal selection. Through the use of the same or similar technologies, parents are able to choose the characteristics with which their children will be born.

    Read More

More about Human Enhancement: Article Analysis

Open Document