Nanotechnology, enhancement, and human nature
Nanoethics 2 (3) (2008)
| Abstract | Is nanotechnology-based human enhancement morally permissible? One reason to question such enhancement stems from a concern for preserving our species. It is harder than one might think, however, to explain what could be wrong with altering our own species. One possibility is to turn to the environmental ethics literature. Perhaps some of the arguments for preserving other species can be applied against nanotechnology-based human enhancements that alter human nature. This paper critically examines the case for using two of the strongest arguments in the environmental ethics literature to show that nanotechnology-based human enhancements are impermissible: 1) Our species, like many other naturally occurring species, has aesthetic value. So, nanotechnology-based human enhancements that alter our species should be prohibited. 2) Our species plays valuable ecological roles. Nanotechnology-based human enhancements that alter our species are likely to interfere with our species playing our ecologically valuable roles. So, such enhancements should be prohibited. Neither argument, ultimately, proves conclusive. The paper concludes, however, that considerations underlying both arguments may show us that some nanotechnology-based human enhancements are impermissible. | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,672 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesTim Lewens (2012). Human Nature: The Very Idea. Philosophy and Technology 25 (4):459-474.
David H. Bennett (1986). Triage as a Species Preservation Strategy. Environmental Ethics 8 (1):47-58.
Nick Bostrom (2005). In Defense of Posthuman Dignity. Bioethics 19 (3):202–214.
Richard Twine (2007). Thinking Across Species—a Critical Bioethics Approach to Enhancement. Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 28 (6):509-523.
David L. Hull (1980). On Human Nature. Environmental Ethics 2 (1):81-88.
Allen Buchanan (2008). Enhancement and the Ethics of Development. Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 18 (1):pp. 1-34.
Patrick Lin & Fritz Allhoff (2006). Nanoethics and Human Enhancement: A Critical Evaluation of Recent Arguments. Nanotechnology Perceptions 2:47-52.
Allen Buchanan (2009). Human Nature and Enhancement. Bioethics 23 (3):141-150.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2009-01-28Total downloads36 ( #32,994 of 549,069 )Recent downloads (6 months)1 ( #63,185 of 549,069 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
