CIRCUMSTANCES

Abstract

The welfarist account of these concepts gives an unusual answer: it depends. If your new ability to mass produce great manuscripts is likely to make your life go better, while my inability to read is likely to make my life go worse, then yes—you have been enhanced and I disabled. On the other hand, had we both been living in illiterate societies or eras with no use for reading or writing, then it is not clear there is anything enhancing or disabling about our new capacities. This is because, for the welfarist account, whether a loss or gain in capacities is enhancing or disabling depends on how such changes to our bodies and minds impact our well-being in our given circumstances.