Technology, Ethics and the Quest to Build a Better Human

Michael Bess, Vanderbilt University

Location

Janet Ayers Academic Center, JAAC 4094

Presentation Type

Presentation

Start Date

22-9-2016 7:00 PM

Description

Biotechnology is moving fast. In the coming decades, advanced pharmaceutical, bioelectronic and genetic technologies will be used not only to heal the sick but to boost human physical and mental performance to unprecedented levels. The results will no doubt be mixed. People will live longer, healthier lives, enjoying a wide range of radically new capabilities, but these technologies also threaten to blur the boundary between “person” and “product,” widening the rift between rich and poor and forcing people into constant upgrades merely to keep up. This lecture will survey the ethical questions raised by human performance enhancement, exploring the space for human agency in dealing with the many societal challenges that these technologies will present.

Comments

Convocation Credit: Global Citizenship, Leadership, Diversity and the Professions

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Sep 22nd, 7:00 PM

Technology, Ethics and the Quest to Build a Better Human

Janet Ayers Academic Center, JAAC 4094

Biotechnology is moving fast. In the coming decades, advanced pharmaceutical, bioelectronic and genetic technologies will be used not only to heal the sick but to boost human physical and mental performance to unprecedented levels. The results will no doubt be mixed. People will live longer, healthier lives, enjoying a wide range of radically new capabilities, but these technologies also threaten to blur the boundary between “person” and “product,” widening the rift between rich and poor and forcing people into constant upgrades merely to keep up. This lecture will survey the ethical questions raised by human performance enhancement, exploring the space for human agency in dealing with the many societal challenges that these technologies will present.