Medical Enhancement and Posthumanity

This book critically examines the pros and cons of our growing ability to shape human nature through technological advancements. It systematically analyzes the historical, conceptual and ethical issues regarding medical enhancement and posthumanity.

As we are increasingly using new technologies to change ourselves beyond therapy and in accordance with our own desires, understanding the challenges of human enhancement has become one of the most urgent topics of the current age. This volume contributes to such an understanding by critically examining the pros and cons of our growing ability to shape human nature through technological advancements. The authors undertake careful analyses of decisive questions that will confront society as enhancement interventions using bio-, info-, neuro- and nanotechnologies become widespread in the years to come. They provide the reader with the conceptual tools necessary to address such questions fruitfully. What makes the book especially attractive is the combination of conceptual, historical and ethical approaches, rendering it highly original. In addition, the well-balanced structure allows both favourable and critical views to be voiced. Moreover, the work has a crystal clear structure. As a consequence, the book is accessible to a broad academic audience. The issues raised are of interest to a wide reflective public concerned about science and ethics, as well as to students, academics and professionals in areas such as philosophy, applied ethics, bioethics, medicine and health management.

Presents a systematic, well-balanced and substantiated analysis of conceptual, historical, conceptual and ethical issues regarding medical enhancement and posthumanity The combination of an historical, conceptual and ethical approach gives the volume a strong original aspect in comparison with other recent literature on enhancement and posthumanity Accessible to a wide range of people, including graduate students, researchers, and academics teaching in the area for which the book could be a key teaching reference and resource in course design The issues raised in this book are of interest to a wider reflective public concerned about science and ethics, particularly in relation to the rapid development of various technologies (such as bio-, info-, neuro- and nanotechnology), as well as to students and academics/professionals in such areas as philosophy, applied ethics, bioethics, medical ethics, health management and biomedical sciences

Auteur
Bert Gordijn is Chair of Ethics and Director of the Ethics Institute at Dublin City University. He has studied Philosophy and History at the Universities of Utrecht (Netherlands), Strasbourg (France) and Freiburg in Breisgau (Germany). In 1995 he was awarded a doctorate in Philosophy; in 2003 he received a doctorate in Bioethics. He was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for Economic and Social Aspects of Genomics at Lancaster University (UK), the Center for Clinical Bioethics at Georgetown University (USA) and the Fondation Brocher (Switzerland). Bert is Editor-in-Chief of the academic book series The International Library of Ethics, Law and Technology (published by Springer). In addition he is Editor-in-Chief of two peer reviewed journals: Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy (also published by Springer) and Studies in Ethics, Law and Technology (published by Berkeley Electronic Press). Bert has been appointed to the Scientific Advisory Board of the European Patent Organization, the External Science Advisory Panel to the Long-Range Research Initiative of the European Chemical Industry Council and has served on the UNESCO expert committee on ethics and nanotechnology.

Contenu
Medical Enhancement.- The History of Medical Enhancement: From Restitutio ad Integrum to Transformatio ad Optimum?.- Therapy, Enhancement and Improvement.- Medical Enhancement: A Destination of Technological, not Human, Betterment.- How to Defend Genetic Enhancement.- Posthumanity.- A Critical History of Posthumanism.- Posthumanity, Transhumanism and Human Nature.- Why I Want to be a Posthuman when I Grow Up.- What is the Good of Transhumanism?.- Current Developments.- Cosmetic Surgery.- Decelerating and Arresting Human Aging.- Germline Genetic Modification.- Bioelectronics and Implanted Devices.- Converging NBIC Technologies for Improving Human Performance.