Life on the Grid: Implanting Humans. A Look at the Ethical & Moral Considerations for Relative Legislation in Ireland Relating to Implanted RFID Tags.

Abstract

This paper introduces the concept of Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) technology and its inevitable use in humans. Generally speaking, these technologies should theoretically enable us to be better and stronger human beings, but at what cost? Philosophers have countered that such alterations are unethical and/or immoral, yet it remains unclear on what basis such rights would rest. I propose that answers may come from an angle of rights issues. Therefore, I have principally focused on the notions of ‘bodily integrity’ through privacy issues, fundamental rights of the individual, and the collective social responsibility in Ireland. As a global community, we frequently waive rights in the quest for technological participation . It is because the synergy between man and machine is both equally a seductive and profitable enterprise, security of basic human rights becomes vital as the RFID technology takes on a revolutionary status. As acceptance grows, so too does its reliance through familial integration in every aspect of modern day life - thus it becomes an inevitability, and exerts an indirect pressure for conformity throughout society. Historically however, it has been the vulnerable classes who have had need of protection of their basic human rights and dignity through the law. For the purposes of this work, sexual offenders have been used to represent one vulnerable class in an effort to demonstrate how this technology could effectively lead us to balance the needs of the many against the needs of the few, in light of legislative measures. Research of this subject revealed however, that despite being in existence for over 50 years, RFID technology information has only recently been taken seriously by academics. I propose to bring some level of substance to RFID implantation as a real possibility, and how Ireland may have to look not just to the EU or Constitution for guidance, but ultimately to ourselves. I sought to demonstrate this using Ronald M. Dworkin’s final theory of justice, and implemented his normative focus of putting human dignity at the centre of what he constituted to be a good moral system. A basic requirement one would expect legislators to wholly regard when creating legislative justice is the consideration of both the moral and ethical issues this technology raises, and subsequently its consequences. Dworkin ultimately summed up this premise in Justice For Hedgehogs where he wrote, “Without dignity our lives are only blanks of duration. But if we manage to lead a good life well, we create something more. We write a subscript to our mortality. We make our lives tiny diamonds in the cosmic sands.”