Beyond Humanity?
The Ethics of Biomedical Enhancement
1st Edition
Published on 17. February 2011
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-0-19-958781-0 (ISBN)
Description
Biotechnologies already on the horizon will enable us to be smarter, have better memories, be stronger and quicker, have more stamina, live longer, be more resistant to diseases, and enjoy richer emotional lives. To some of us, these prospects are heartening; to others, they are dreadful. In Beyond Humanity a leading philosopher offers a powerful and controversial exploration of urgent ethical issues concerning human enhancement. These raise enduring questions about what it is to be human, about individuality, about our relationship to nature, and about what sort of society we should strive to have. Allen Buchanan urges that the debate about enhancement needs to be informed by a proper understanding of evolutionary biology, which has discredited the simplistic conceptions of human nature used by many opponents of enhancement. He argues that there are powerful reasons for us to embark on the enhancement enterprise, and no objections to enhancement that are sufficient to outweigh them.
Reviews / Votes
an important book worth reading independent of one's views about the topic. It is well argued, clearly written, and presents a comprehensive analysis of the relevant key questions in the debate. To my knowledge this volume is the most wide-ranging exploration on human enhancement, and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to get a good grasp of the current debate. Both camps, bioconservatives and anti-anti-enhancement/pro-enhancement people, will benefit from the arguments Buchanan advances. * Fabrice Jotterand, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews * a remarkable book that argues in favour of biomedical enhancement ... this book is admirable for its rich inventory of new ideas and its unmerciful criticism of the all-too-convenient arguments which abound in the usual ethical literature. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to everybody interested in bioethics * Christoph Henning, Journal of Critical Realism * A level-headed discussiion of ethical issues raised by prospects of biotechnological enhancement... A great deal of rhetoric is thrown about. What we need, and what the author brings, is clarity, dividing his analysis into eight sections on character, human nature, consequences, justice, potential abuses and the rish of a new eugenics. * scimednet.org01/11/11 *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Scholars and advanced students of philosophy; medical professionals, lawyers, and policymakers interested in the ethics of technological enhancement of human nature.
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 145 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
557 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-958781-0 (9780199587810)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
01/2013
Oxford University Press
€44.20
Shipment within 15-20 days
E-Book
01/2011
1st Edition
OUP Oxford
€23.79
Available for download
Person
Content
1. The Landscape of the Enhancement Debate ; 2. Enhancement and Human Development Enhancement and Human Development ; 3. Character ; 4. Human Nature and the Natural ; 5. Conservatism and Enhancement ; 6. Unintended Bad Consequences ; 7. Moral Status and Enhancement ; 8. Distributive Justice and the Diffusion of Innovations