iPedia Free Information Center

Information about Human Enhancement

Human enhancement refers to any attempt, whether temporary or permanent, to overcome the current limitations of the human body, whether through natural or artificial means. The term is sometimes applied to the use of technological means to select or alter human aptitudes and other phenotypical characteristics, whether or not the alteration results in characteristics that lie beyond the existing human range. Here, the test is whether the technology is used for non-therapeutic purposes. Some bioethicists restrict the term to the non-therapeutic application of specific technologies — neuro-, cyber-, gene-, and nano-technologies — to human biology.[1]

Ethics

While in some circles the expression "human enhancement" is roughly synonymous with human genetic engineering,[2][3] it is used most often to refer to the general application of the convergence of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and cognitive science (NBIC) to improve human performance.[4]

Since the 1990s, several academics (such as some of the fellows of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies[5]) have risen to become cogent advocates of the case for human enhancement while other academics (such as the members of President Bush's Council on Bioethics<ref name="Members of the President's Council on Bioethics 2003">Members of the President's Council on Bioethics (2003). Beyond Therapy: Biotechnology and the Pursuit of Happiness. President's Council on Bioethics. ) have become its most outspoken critics.[6]

Advocacy of the case for human enhancement is increasingly becoming synonymous with “transhumanism”, which is a controversial ideology and movement which has emerged to support the recognition and protection of the right of citizens to either maintain or modify their own minds and bodies; so as to guarantee them the freedom of choice and informed consent of using human enhancement technologies on themselves and their children.[7]

Neuromarketing consultant Zack Lynch argues that neurotechnologies will have a more immediate effect on society than gene therapy and will face less resistance as a pathway of radical human enhancement. He also argues that the concept of "enablement" needs to be added to the debate over "therapy" versus "enhancement".[8]

Although many proposals of human enhancement stem from, and remain in, the domain of fringe science, the very notion and prospect of human enhancement has sparked public controversy.[9][10]

Many critics argue that "human enhancement" is a loaded term which has eugenic overtones because it may imply the improvement of human hereditary traits to attain a universally accepted norm of biological fitness (at the possible expense of human biodiversity and neurodiversity), and therefore can evoke negative reactions far beyond the specific meaning of the term. Furthermore, they conclude that enhancements which are self-evidently good, like "fewer diseases", are more the exception than the norm and even these may involve ethical tradeoffs, as the controversy about ADHD arguably demonstrates.[11]

However, the most common criticism of human enhancement is that it is or will often be practiced with a reckless and selfish short-term perspective that is ignorant of the long-term consequences on individuals and the rest of society, such as the fear that some enhancements will create unfair physical or mental advantages to those who can and will use them, or unequal access to such enhancements can and will further the gulf between the "haves" and "have-nots".[12][13][14]

Accordingly, some advocates, who want to use language which provides a minimum of offense, and advance the public interest in so-called "human enhancement technologies", prefer the term "modification" and "enablement" over "enhancement"; defend and promote rigorous, independent safety testing of enabling technologies; as well as affordable, universal access to these technologies.[6]

Technologies

Human enhancement technologies (HET) are techniques that can be used not simply for treating illness and disability, but also for enhancing human capacities and characteristics.[15] In some circles, the expression "human enhancement technologies" is synonymous with emerging technologies or converging technologies.[4]

The major methodologies that allow these enhancements include:[16]

References

1. ^ Hughes, James (2004). "Human Enhancement on the Agenda". Retrieved on 2007-02-02.
2. ^ Agar, Nicholas (2004). Liberal Eugenics: In Defence of Human Enhancement. ISBN 1-4051-2390-7. 
3. ^ Parens, Erik (2000). Enhancing Human Traits: Ethical and Social Implications. Georgetown University Press. ISBN 0-87840-780-4. 
4. ^ Roco, Mihail C. and Bainbridge, William Sims, eds. (2004). Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance. Springer. ISBN 1402012543. 
5. ^ Bailey, Ronald (2006). "The Right to Human Enhancement: And also uplifting animals and the rapture of the nerds". Retrieved on 2007-03-03.
6. ^ Hughes, James (2004). Citizen Cyborg: Why Democratic Societies Must Respond to the Redesigned Human of the Future. Westview Press. ISBN 0-8133-4198-1. 
7. ^ Ford, Alyssa (May / June 2005). Humanity: The Remix. Utne Magazine. Retrieved on 2007-03-03.
8. ^ R. U. Sirius. "The NeuroAge: Zack Lynch In Conversation With R.U. Sirius", Life Enhancement Products, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-02-02. 
9. ^ The Royal Society & The Royal Academy of Engineering (2004). "Nanoscience and nanotechnologies (Ch. 6)". Retrieved on 2006-12-05.
10. ^ European Parliament (2006). "Technology Assessment on Converging Technologies". Retrieved on 2006-12-06.
11. ^ Carrico, Dale (2007). "Modification, Consent, and Prosthetic Self-Determination". Retrieved on 2007-04-03.
12. ^ Mooney, Pat Roy (2002). "Beyong Cloning: Making Well People "Better"". Retrieved on 2007-02-02.
13. ^ Fukuyama, Francis (2002). Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution. Farrar Straus & Giroux. ISBN 0-374-23643-7. 
14. ^ Institute on Biotechnology and the Human Future. "Human "Enhancement"". Retrieved on 2007-02-02.
15. ^ Enhancement Technologies Group (1998). "Writings by group participants". Retrieved on 2007-02-02.
16. ^ Naam, Ramez (2004). More Than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement. Broadway Press. ISBN 0-7679-1843-6. 

External links

The human body is the entire physical structure of a human organism. The human body consists of a head, neck, torso, two arms and two legs. The average height of an adult human is about 1.6 m (5 to 6 feet) tall. This size is largely determined by genes.
..... Click the link for more information.
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical universe, material world or material universe. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general.
..... Click the link for more information.
Artificial refers to something which is not natural. Its original sense, related to artifact and artifice, refers to a product of human endeavor; a more English synonym is man-made.
..... Click the link for more information.
This article may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the for details.
This article has been tagged since July 2007.

..... Click the link for more information.
phenotype describes the total physical appearance of an organism, as opposed to its genotype. This genotype-phenotype distinction was proposed by Wilhelm Johannsen in 1911 to make clear the difference between an organism's heredity and what that heredity produces.
..... Click the link for more information.
Bioethics is the ethics of biological science and medicine. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, philosophy, and theology.
..... Click the link for more information.
Neurotechnology is the set of tools that analyze and influence the human nervous system, especially the brain. These technologies include neural modeling simulations, biological computers, human-brain interfaces, any of various neuron and brain mapping technologies, and
..... Click the link for more information.
Cyberware is a relatively new and unknown field (a proto-science, or more adequately a “proto-technology”). In science fiction circles, however, it is commonly known to mean the hardware or machine parts implanted in the human body and acting as an interface between the
..... Click the link for more information.
Gene therapy is the insertion of genes into an individual's cells and tissues to treat a disease, and hereditary diseases in which a defective mutant allele is replaced with a functional one. Although the technology is still in its infancy, it has been used with some success.
..... Click the link for more information.
Nanomedicine is the medical application of nanotechnology. It covers areas such as nanoparticle drug delivery and possible future applications of molecular nanotechnology (MNT) and nanovaccinology.
..... Click the link for more information.
Human biology is an interdisciplinary academic field of biology, biological anthropology, and medicine which focuses on humans; it is closely related to primate biology, and a number of other fields.
..... Click the link for more information.
Human genetic engineering refers to the controlled modification of the human genome, which is the genome of Homo Sapiens composed of 23 pairs of chromosomes with a total of approximately 3 billion DNA base pairs containing an estimated 30,000 genes.
..... Click the link for more information.
This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the for details.
This article has been tagged since September 2007.

..... Click the link for more information.
Nanotechnology refers broadly to a field of applied science and technology whose unifying theme is the control of matter on the atomic and molecular scale, normally 1 to 100 nanometers, and the fabrication of devices within that size range.
..... Click the link for more information.
Biotechnology is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture, food science, and medicine. The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity has come up with one of many definitions of biotechnology:[1]

"

..... Click the link for more information.
Information technology (IT), as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware.
..... Click the link for more information.
Cognitive science is most simply defined as the scientific study either of mind or of intelligence (e.g. Luger 1994). It is an interdisciplinary study drawing from relevant fields including psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, linguistics, anthropology, computer science,
..... Click the link for more information.
NBIC can refer to different subjects:
  • Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Information technology and Cognitive science (see Emerging technologies)
  • Netherlands Bioinformatics Center ( www.nbic.nl )

..... Click the link for more information.
Performance improvement is the concept of measuring the output of a particular process or procedure, then modifying the process or procedure in order to increase the output, increase efficiency, or increase the effectiveness of the process or procedure.
..... Click the link for more information.
Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century

1960s 1970s 1980s - 1990s - 2000s 2010s 2020s
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

- -
-
For the band, see .

..... Click the link for more information.
The Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET) was founded in 2004 by philosopher Nick Bostrom and bioethicist James Hughes. Incorporated in the United States as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, the IEET is a techno-progressive think tank that seeks to contribute to
..... Click the link for more information.
The President's Council on Bioethics (PCBE [1] ) is a group of individuals appointed by President George W. Bush to advise his administration on bioethics. Established on November 28, 2001 by an executive order, the council is directed to "advise the President on
..... Click the link for more information.
The President's Council on Bioethics (PCBE [1] ) is a group of individuals appointed by President George W. Bush to advise his administration on bioethics. Established on November 28, 2001 by an executive order, the council is directed to "advise the President on
..... Click the link for more information.
Posthuman Future, an illustration by Michael Gibbs for The Chronicle of Higher Education's look at how biotechnology will change the human experience, has become one of the secular icons representing transhumanism.
..... Click the link for more information.
Body modification (or body alteration) is the permanent or semi-permanent deliberate altering of the human body for non-medical reasons, such as spiritual, various social (markings), BDSM "edgeplay" or aesthetic. It can range from the socially acceptable decoration (e.g.
..... Click the link for more information.
Cognitive liberty is the freedom to be the absolute sovereignty of the individual’s own consciousness. It is an extension of the concepts of freedom of thought and self-ownership.
..... Click the link for more information.
Morphological freedom designates a proposed civil right of a person to either maintain or modify his or her own body, on his or her own terms, through informed, consensual recourse to, or refusal of, available therapeutic or enabling medical technology.
..... Click the link for more information.
For freedom of choice, see:
  • choice for information on theories that involve free will and human behavior.
  • Freedom of choice plans to integrate US schools (1964-73).
  • Freedom of Choice, a 1980 synth-pop landmark album by Devo.

..... Click the link for more information.
Tort law I
Part of the common law series
Intentional torts
Assault  · Battery
False arrest  · False imprisonment
Intentional infliction of emotional distress
Property torts
Trespass to chattels
Trespass to land  · Conversion
..... Click the link for more information.
Neuromarketing is a new field of marketing which uses medical technologies such as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to study the brain's responses to marketing stimuli.
..... Click the link for more information.


This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
Herod_Archelaus


page counter