Human Genetic Enhancement: Arguments For and Against Transhumanism - A Dialogue in Philosophy of Biomedical Technology

Abstract

There are varied advices on human genetic enhancement. The transhumanist perspective professes that it is possible to enhance the human condition by overcoming biological as well as cultural constraints to the degree that we become post-humans. The following dialogue is based on Nick Bostrom’s “Human Genetic Enhancements: A Transhumanist Perspective” (2003, Journal of Value Inquiry, Vol. 37, No. 4, pp. 493-506) and tries to address arguments for and against transhumanism. Note that the quoted statements in the dialogue are taken from Bostrom’s article unless noted otherwise. This dialogue also draws on From Chance to Choice: Genetics and Justice (a book by Allen Buchanan, Dan W. Brock, Norman Daniels, and Daniel Wikler, Cambridge University Press, 2000) as well as my own critical stance on the issue.