Sept. 21, 2009

Contact: Dr. Patrick Lin
Director, Ethics and Emerging Technologies Group
805-756-7295; palin@calpoly.edu

Professor Co-Authors Ethics Report on Bio-Human Enhancements

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA - We have the (bio)technology. We can now build better, faster, stronger humans. But is that a good idea or a step toward a 'Frankenstein' future?

The question is the topic of the latest report released by the Ethics and Emerging Technologies Group at Cal Poly -- a report funded by the US National Science Foundation.

Entitled “Ethics of Human Enhancement: 25 Questions and Answers,” the 50-page report serves as a convenient and accessible starting point for both public and classroom discussions about ethics issues such as bioethics. Some of the questions addressed include:

  1. What is human enhancement?
  2. Does human enhancement raise issues of fairness, access and equity?
  3. What kind of societal disruptions might arise from human enhancement?
  4. If individuals are enhanced differently, will communication be more difficult or impossible?
  5. Will we need to rethink the notion of a “good life?”
  6. Should children be enhanced?
  7. What are the policy implications of human enhancement?

“No matter where one is aligned on this issue, it is clear that the human enhancement debate is a deeply passionate and personal one, striking at the heart of what it means to be human,” explained lead author Lin, assistant professor at Cal Poly’s philosophy department and director of the technology ethics group. “Some see it as a way to fulfill or even transcend our potential; others see it as a darker path towards becoming Frankenstein’s monster.”

The report addresses issues surrounding human enhancement including: definitions, possible scenarios, freedom and autonomy, fairness and equity, societal disruptions, human dignity, rights and obligations, and policy and law. 

The report was co-authored by Fritz Allhoff, Western Michigan University; Patrick Lin, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; James Moor, Dartmouth College; and John Weckert, Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics/Charles Sturt University, Australia. The report is part of a three-year ethics study on human enhancement and emerging technologies, especially nanotechnology.

The report can be accessed without charge at www.humanenhance.com/NSF_report.pdf. 

The Human Enhancement Ethics Group is a sub-group of the Ethics and Emerging Technologies Group. To find out more, go to: http://ethics.calpoly.edu.

The study is supported by US National Science Foundation, under grant numbers 0620694 and 0621021.  Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in the report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.

About the Ethics and Emerging Technologies Group:
Based at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, the Ethics and Emerging Technologies Group is a non-partisan research and educational organization focused on the risks of emerging technologies, and ethical and social impacts.  Members and collaborators include experts from respected academic institutions worldwide.  Current projects and interests are related to issues in robotics, human enhancement, nanotechnology, space development and other areas.

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