Human Enhancement Technologies Research Articles

態度、原則與方法：儒家對後人類未來監管可能的貢獻

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.
 Human beings are facing problems entailed by the development and application of human enhancement technology. Confucianism and transhumanism respond to these problems in fundamentally different ways. Confucianism calls for a “careful attitude”, makes use of an “adaptable method”, and bases on the principle that technology is a tool for human continuity and development. Such an attitude, principle and method may represent the contribution of Confucianism to our supervision of Posthuman future.

儒家為什麼反對超人類主義？

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.
 The concept of human enhancement is a key to understanding transhumanism. According to Confucian ethics, the supervision of human enhancement technology is vital because we are facing the reasonable expectation of achieving “the unity of heaven and man.” (The idea of harmony between man and nature is not exclusive to Confucianism; it can be found in other schools of thought in the pre-Qin dynasty period, especially the philosophy of Taoism. However, the idea is uniquely expressed and developed in Confucianism.) Furthermore, human enhancement makes people unable to “settle in their place.” Therefore, Confucianism cannot accept it.

ETHICS OF DECISION MAKING IN MEDICINE IN THE ERA OF TECHNICAL REVOLUTION

Abstract. Which way do world outlooks, scientific findings and empiric evaluations correlate with each other in decision making in medicine? The answer to this question is given in the scientific context. There is a theory of decision making which is in demand by medical professionals, though not enough yet [1, 2]. So, what is the theory of decision making and to what extent its advancement may be applied to medicine with growing contradictions of technological revolution and human bioevolution? The choice of tactics in a patients management does not depend exclusively on clinical decisions. A doctors moral stand plays a significant role in decision making in medicine. This article deals with some factors that have effect on this stand. The role of ethical expert examination is substantiated. It is particularly important due to implementation of human enhancement technologies in medical practice. Decision making is always associated with a choice of options. Moral considerations are a key point that must influence this choice under uncertain predictions concerning application of new biotechnologies.

\u2018Beyond\u2019 Human Enhancement \u2014 Taking the Developing Country\u2019s Perspective Seriously

Bioethicists and philosophers dominate the on-going debate on human enhancement. They have debated the definition of human enhancement as well as the potential impacts of human enhancement technologies (such as pharmaceutical enhancements or pre-natal selection). These discussions have percolated, through bioethics bodies and bioethics recommendations, policy makers and have eventually been translated into policy. While some suggestions have been based largely in Western liberal democracies, others have deliberated the geopolitical consequences of human enhancement technologies. This paper argues that the present debate currently lacks perspectives from developing countries. It begins by introducing the current debate on human enhancement and recognizes Allen Buchanan’s well-raised concerns on how these technologies may potentially cause new injustices for low- and middle-income countries (‘developing countries’). It then provides two arguments calling for further research into human enhancement from the perspective of developing countries. First, this paper will argue that the current frames with which enhancement technologies are viewed are inherently neoliberal and require change. The second argument shows how the potential impacts of human enhancement technologies in developing countries have not been fully realized by analyzing how human enhancement technologies will impact Thailand, a developing country.

The theologian as dreamer: on theological imagination and human enhancement

This article reflects on the theologian as dreamer in the context of human enhancement, artificial intelligence and digital technology. In positioning the theologian as the dreamer of possible futures, I argue that it is the responsibility of the theologian to engage in exploration of such an imagined future in our service to the public, both in the ecclesial community and beyond. This theological endeavour is both practical (in that it begins with lived experience) and constructive (it seeks to construct theology that responds to the needs of a rapidly changing society). I offer two examples of imagined futures as case studies of this mode of theology in practice, before considering potential difficulties in such a theological mode. Finally, I offer a mandate for the theologian as dreamer of distant futures; the theologian as one with responsibility to imagine the impossible and reflect on its meaning and impact on humanity.

Reading Posthuman Ethics in Daniel Wilson’s Amped

In 20th century and beyond, humans have witnessed numerous advances in technology which have opened new horizons. Science and technology redesigned human life exponentially and humans always search for a more technological world and hence more comfort and ease. As such, going past human confinement could be accessible through a few changes in human form, but these changes posture a contentious point since people grow into being more reliant on technology in order to execute their desires and needs. What will happen to humanness and humanity? What will happen to their moralities and behaviors? In this manner, technological development could have both promising and discouraging pictures within the human mind. The current study cites Daniel H. Wilson’s Amped (2013) to discuss the clash of views between Transhumanists and Bioconservatives. Transhumanists believe that human improvement advances should be made broadly accessible, where people could adopt these innovations and apply them to themselves to have a better life. In particular, bioconservatives consider human enhancement technologies as ‘dehumanizing’ for these technologies might weaken human dignity and affect something that is profoundly valuable about being human. As such, Posthuman theory is consulted in order to analyze the ethical and moral concerns of human enhancement technology in Wilson’s Amped. The findings are summed in the importance of ethics in any kind of enhancement and conclude that the trustworthy source is a priority to ensure success.

The exposed psyche and the constitutional ambiguities of mind reading

Elon Musk’s Neuralink, revealed in August 2020, signalled the fact that we are on the verge of the wide commercialization of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). The use of such technologies pose numerous, hitherto unresolved ethical and legal challenges. From a legal perspective, concretely, they trigger the question of whether interference with the ‘privacy of the mind’ is permissible. This contribution provides an overview of human enhancement and human enhancement technologies, the motivation behind their use and their potential impact on individuals and groups/societies. The contribution elaborates on the impacts to rights and freedoms, autonomy and integrity with special attention to the right to privacy, enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights. After interpreting the Convention and the relevant judgments of the European Court of Human Rights from the point of view of human mind as the subject of protection the contribution concludes that 1) there is no immediate need for the development of new human rights, targeting specifically the privacy of the mind; 2) according to the Convention and the Court’s jurisprudence interference with the human mind is permissible but only until a certain extent; and 3) Clarification and legal interpretation of hitherto undefined terms concerning such as enhancement or mind are necessary.

Nietzschean Meditations: Untimely Thoughts at the Dawn of the Transhuman Era

Nietzschean Meditations: Untimely Thoughts at the Dawn of the Transhuman Era

‘Avengers, [Lawfully] Assemble!’ – Military Human Enhancement and the Disruption of Fundamental Principles of International Humanitarian Law

Spanning across early history until modern day, military application of human enhancements has consistently challenged the evolutionary trajectory of the human species with the promise of providing soldiers abilities beyond current ones on the battlefield. As States pursue the tantalizing ‘bio-revolution’ to dramatically alter the makeup of their military capabilities, concerns have been raised as to whether these unprecedented advances in human enhancement technologies mark a paradigm shift that cannot be easily accommodated by current IHL frameworks that could either improve adherence to or degrade soldiers’ respect for the fundamental principles of IHL.

Udoskonalanie człowieka. Uwagi na marginesie przypadku udoskonalonego lekarza

The problem of human enhancement technologies (HET) is linked to Transhumanism, a trend which advocates the improvement of human beings and the possibility of taking control of ever larger areas of human activity. Using enhancers might appear desirable, but permitting (or perhaps making obligatory) the use of enhancers by certain professional groups raises important issues. Medical professionals in particular bear technical, moral and legal responsibilities for the lives and health of other people, and questions relating to the involvement of enhancers on the part of practitioners touch upon a number of concerns. Among them are agreement on the definition of 'enhancement and 'enhancers; the motivations for which a physician has decided to use HET, and not least, the consequences for safeguarding patient rights. These issues must be decided under the applicable standards and regimes of civil, criminal or professional liability. These regimes do not at present refer directly to the responsibility of an 'enhanced' physician. They propose, however a 'cautious' approach to the problems of the use of enhancers, indicating that use of technologies (that are not already specifically prohibited) might be permitted where there is no exposure to the possibility of harm or any threat to human life or health. The de lege ferenda proposal is to introduce legislative changes which would specifically and unequivocally refer to the situations under consideration.

Introduction to Special Issue “Human Enhancement Technologies and Our Merger with Machines”

We are pleased to introduce the authors and papers which form the Special Issue “Human Enhancement Technologies and Our Merger with Machines” [...]

Is human enhancement intrinsically bad?

A pertinent concern in the human enhancement debate is that human enhancement technologies (HET) are intrinsically bad and, hence, morally impermissible. This article evaluates the related claims about the intrinsic badness of HET by looking into philosophical theories of intrinsic value. It investigates how well-established conceptions of intrinsic value map onto typical bioconservative arguments about HET's intrinsic badness. Three predominant variants of these arguments are explored and found wanting: (i) HET are intrinsically bad owing to their unnaturalness; (ii) the pursuit of HET reveals intrinsically bad character (“the desire for mastery”); and (iii) HET will necessarily undermine intrinsically valuable things (e.g., human dignity). My analysis shows that the debate on intrinsic value places serious constraints on claims about the intrinsic badness of HET. More specifically, the analysis shows that bioconservative arguments are, for the most part, inconsistent, misconceived, and overly speculative. Enhancement interventions cannot be bearers of intrinsic value on any of its plausible understandings, and, even if we could grant such a possibility, there are no compelling reasons to presume that the intrinsic value of HET would be necessarily negative. As a result, claims regarding their moral impermissibility are unwarranted.

On the Ethical Issues of Gene-enhancement in Different Stages of Human Development

The ethics of human enhancement technology are highly controversial. The purpose of this paper is to provide an ethical justification for the genetic enhancement technology and then extend it to the ethical feasibility of other human enhancement technologies. According to the customs of most countries in the world, the age of 18 is generally regarded as the threshold of adulthood. Non-adults under 18 can be divided into the embryonic period from the fertilized egg to the eighth week and the growing period from the ninth week to the age of 18. Genetic enhancement in embryonic period has been criticized by a series of ethical charges with germline change as the core. Although genetic enhancement in the growing period avoids the critical opinion of germline change, it is still criticized by a series of ethical charges with human-nature change as the core. Genetic enhancement in the adulthood will successfully avoid the two fatal charges of “germline change” and “human-nature change”, while responding well to other ethical charges. The conclusion of this paper is that adult gene enhancement is ethically feasible, and further application of other adult human enhancement techniques is also ethically feasible.

The Legal Risk of Human Enhancement Technology and Its Regulation in China

As technology advances, our ability to intervene with ourselves has reached an unprecedented height, and “human enhancement” has come into being and discussed by the public. This paper holds that human enhancement behavior is based on mutual voluntary medical service behavior, which is essentially a civil legal act. In reality, human enhancement may be abused under the dual inducement of commercial interests and social needs as the technology develops. The Chinese government has the responsibility to be a major part in the process of regulating the technology by law in order to minimize its harmful impact on public stability. But some problems still exist, such as vague regulatory standards, unclear regulatory authorities, insufficient legal responsibility response and imperfect relief procedures. This paper focuses on the legal issues brought about by human enhancement and discusses it in a systematic way, and tries to put forward suggestions that could function with China’s national conditions. As for the bottom line of human enhancement, reproduction gene enhancement should be absolutely prohibited, and other enhancement methods should be conditionally restricted. In terms of the overall regulation path, it should focus on legal provisions, and implement the regulation mode by both mild and strict laws. China should also set up special agencies and implement strict access mechanism. At the same time, the industry association should formulate the corresponding technical norms and cultivate the scientific concept of the public, in order to improve the effect of legal regulation.

The Ethics of Genetic Cognitive Enhancement: Gene Editing or Embryo Selection?

Recent research with human embryos, in different parts of the world, has sparked a new debate on the ethics of genetic human enhancement. This debate, however, has mainly focused on gene-editing technologies, especially CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats). Less attention has been given to the prospect of pursuing genetic human enhancement by means of IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation) in conjunction with in vitro gametogenesis, genome-wide association studies, and embryo selection. This article examines the different ethical implications of the quest for cognitive enhancement by means of gene-editing on the one hand, and embryo selection on the other. The article focuses on the ethics of cognitive enhancement by means of embryo selection, as this technology is more likely to become commercially available before cognitive enhancement by means of gene-editing. This article argues that the philosophical debate on the ethics of enhancement should take into consideration public attitudes to research on human genomics and human enhancement technologies. The article discusses, then, some of the recent findings of the SIENNA Project, which in 2019 conducted a survey on public attitudes to human genomics and human enhancement technologies in 11 countries (France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Brazil, South Africa, South Korea, and United States).

Frontline Cyborgs at Your Service: How Human Enhancement Technologies Affect Customer Experiences in Retail, Sales, and Service Settings

Human enhancement technology (HET) is advancing a host of industries, yet it remains limited in its retail, sales, and service applications. Soon, however, these technologies appear likely to have notable impacts on customer experiences. To address their potential influences on customer–employee interactions and the customer experience, this article leverages insights about the human–robot continuum to predict that a mid-range approach may be realistic for retail, sales, and service encounters (cf. pure robot range), at least in the near term. Furthermore, the authors detail the likelihood of both beneficial (elevated warmth and competence) and detrimental (dehumanization) mediating effects of HET on customer experiences. They also propose four moderators: information about the HET, gain/loss frames, persuasion ability, and strategic fit between HET and firm orientations. These insights suggest various implications and research directions pertaining to HET, as well as ways that these technologies might be used effectively in different industries.

포스트-스포츠휴머니즘과 인간운동 수행력 향상 기술

포스트-스포츠휴머니즘과 인간운동 수행력 향상 기술

Nootropics use in the workplace: psychiatric and ethical aftermath towards the new frontier of bioengineering.

The authors have sought to expound upon and shed a light on the rise of nootropics, which have gradually taken on a more and more relevant role in workplaces and academic settings. Multidisciplinary databases have been delved into by entering the following keys: "nootropics", "cognitive enhancement", "workplace", "productivity", "ethics", "bioengineering". In addition, a broad-ranging search has been undertaken on institutional websites in order to identify relevant analysis and recommendations issued by international institutions and agencies. Papers and reports have been independently pored over by each author. This search strategy has led to the identification of 988 sources but only 64 were considered appropriate for the purposes of the paper after being selected by at least 3 of the authors, independently. The notion of an artificially enhanced work performance - carried out by the 'superworker' - is particularly noteworthy and resonates with the conception of contemporary work on so many different levels: the rising need and demands for higher degrees of flexibility and productivity on the job, the implications of a '24/7' society, where more and more services are available at any time, the ever greater emphasis on entrepreneurial spirit, individual self-reliance and self-improvement, and last but not least, the impact of an ageing society on economic standards and performance. Moreover, it is worth mentioning that human enhancement technologies will predictably and increasingly go hand in hand with gene editing, bioengineering, cybernetics and nanotechnology. Applications are virtually boundless, and may ultimately affect all human traits (physical strength, endurance, vision, intelligence and even personality and mood).

Reviving critical thinking and sense of ethics and humanity through “Exploring Human Enhancement Technology”

Background The advancement of human enhancement technology (HET) has raised concerns among bioethicist due to its potential to undermine human nature. The existence and application of this technology in medical practice is inevitable facts which shifted medical practice. Medical education institutions have no choice except to prepare and equip future doctors with moral and ethical capacity to deal with this challenge, hence the development of this HET module.ObjectiveOur study aimed to explore students’ perspectives and acceptance of the HET module.MethodWe asked students to write daily commentaries expressing their perspectives and acceptance throughout the module. Content analysis was performed on these textual data based on three main issues: (1) opinions on the module design (contents and methods); (2) reflections on overall learning experiences; and (3) applicability of the knowledge and skills. We analysed students’ grade to confirm achievements of learning objectives and effectivity of the module.Results A total of 78 medical students self-enrolled into this elective module in 2015 and 2016, and wrote daily commentaries posted online. Most students thought that the teaching methods were stimulating critical thinking, encouraging open-safe discussion, and sensitizing students to humanity issues. Topics related to ethics, humanities, and social sciences discussed were perceived as interesting and provided new perspectives. In overall reflection, students felt for the 1sttime in medical school they had an enjoyable yet life-changing learning experience through this module. Students were inspired to use the knowledge and skills gained from this module to be better doctors, deliver comprehensive patient care, and contribute more to humanity. The LOs were well achieved as indicated with the students’ understanding of the HET concept and discourses, and their ability to show critical analysis, build and present logical-ethical arguments, and suggest a recommendation for better HET application in their group as well as individual works.ConclusionThe module was delivered effectively and well accepted by the students. Most importantly, the module had successfully engaged students in various personalized form and influenced students’ positive transformation regarding personal, academic and professional commitments. The module showed potentials for further development and implementation as part of the mandatory medical curriculum.

Risk and benefit perceptions of human enhancement technologies: The effects of Facebook comments on the acceptance of nanodesigned food

The introduction of a new technology, such as a human enhancement technology, may induce apprehension and concern among the general public. Social media enable individuals to find information and share their insights and concerns regarding new technologies. This results in an abundance of viewpoints that guides the individual's acceptance and decision-making. A relevant question for this special issue is to what extent attitudes toward human enhancement technologies are influenced by online cues that signal the views of other people without obvious relevant expertise, such as online comments (social proof). An online experiment focusing on the enhancement of human health and the functioning of the human body through the application of nanotechnology in food was conducted. The study investigated to what extent social proof impacted views on the application of nanotechnology in food. The valence of comments on a fake Facebook image with four comments was manipulated (positive, negative, mixed). A representative sample of Dutch Internet users (n = 289) completed the study. Perceptions, feelings, behavior, and information need were measured. Results showed that comment valence had a significant effect on risk perception, benefit perception and attitude: the more positive the comments read by the participants, the lower risk perception, the higher benefit perception and the more positive the attitude toward nanodesigned food. Significant interaction effects of initial feelings of dread and comment valence were further found for risk perception and willingness to buy. In contrast, there were no significant interactions of initial feelings of optimism and comment valence. Implications for risk communication regarding human enhancement technologies are discussed.