Ethics of Enhancement

Enhancement and Its Ethical Considerations

Understanding Enhancement
  • Definition: Enhancement is often defined as to advance, augment, elevate, heighten, or increase the worth or value of something.
  • Contextualizing Enhancement: We must consider what is being enhanced and the moral implications involved.
    • Example: Enhancing the fear of prisoners through maltreatment is ethically wrong.
Examples of Biomedical Enhancement
  • Use Cases:
    • Parents using biosynthetic human growth hormone (hGH) for children.
    • Musicians using beta blockers to manage performance anxiety.
    • Athletes employing anabolic steroids for strength.
    • Caffeine as a stimulant among writers.
  • Testosterone: An example of a hormone used in enhancement contexts, particularly in sports. The complexity of its use is highlighted in the context of fairness in athletics.
The Distinction Between Therapy and Enhancement
  • Therapy vs. Enhancement:
    • Therapy improves health; enhancement is for improvement beyond what is deemed medically necessary.
    • This distinction is often blurred, as certain medical treatments can be considered enhancements.
    • Example: Vaccines enhance immune function, thus blurring the line between therapy and enhancement.
  • Challenges in Defining Enhancement:
    • All therapy can be seen as a form of enhancement, complicating clear definitions.
    • Treatment modalities like hGH prescriptions for children can evoke ethical dilemmas between therapeutic needs and enhancement desires.
Ethical Arguments for Enhancement
  1. Incoherency Argument:
    • Claims no rational basis exists for distinguishing between acceptable and non-acceptable means of enhancement.
  2. Line-Drawing Problem:
    • Difficulty in determining arbitrary boundaries between acceptable and unacceptable techniques.
  3. Argument from Liberty:
    • Individuals should have the freedom to enhance themselves as they see fit, promoting personal autonomy.
  4. Resistance is Futile Claim:
    • Suggests that enhancement is inevitable; attempts to suppress it are ultimately ineffective.
  5. Heroic-Romantic-Promethean Assertion:
    • Advocates that self-design is an inherent human pursuit, deserving of consideration.
Human Nature and Ethical Concerns
  • Can Human Nature Guide Enhancement Ethics?:
    • Human nature may offer both a framework and a limitation in determining enhancement ethics.
    • Three perspectives:
    1. Raw Material View: Human nature as a pliable entity for enhancement.
    2. Contours of the Given: Our nature exhibits certain limits that can inform ethical boundaries.
    3. Normative Guide: A vision that what is inherently good in human nature should direct enhancement efforts.
  • Concerns About Enhancement:
    • Possible undermining of innate gifts, leading to a loss of humility and solidarity.
    • Emergence of a culture that focuses excessively on control over innate characteristics, yielding potential tyranny in parenting decisions.
Social and Moral Implications of Enhancement
  • Complicity with Unjust Norms:
    • Enhancements can reinforce societal standards, leading to negative societal impacts (e.g., cosmetic surgery reinforcing youth and beauty standards).
  • Younger Generations and Parental Influence:
    • Parents may unintentionally establish unrealistic standards for their children through enhancement efforts.
  • Resource Allocation:
    • Enhancement interventions must be evaluated for their broader societal value and potential waste of resources.
Conclusion: Navigating the Ethics of Enhancement
  • Diversity of Enhancements: Recognizes the various manifestations and moral implications associated with enhancement, emphasizing no singular ethical principle.
  • Call for a Conceptual Map: Necessitates a nuanced understanding of goods, dangers, and social context regarding each enhancement effort, promoting consideration for the implications of enhancements on human flourishing.