Transhumanism and the issue of freedom in the face of moral enhancement

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18012/arf.v10i2.67284

Keywords:

Transhumanism, Moral Enhancement, Ethics, Freedom

Abstract

Transhumanisms, as cultural, philosophical, and ideological movements that permeate various areas of technical and scientific knowledge, have caused a rupture in Western philosophical praxis by asserting the possibility of genetic enhancement of the human being through biotechnoscientific procedures. However, the biophysical alterations advocated by transhumanists are not limited to the somatic and psychic realms; they encompass humanity as a whole, including moral aspects. In this sense, the aim of this article is to demonstrate the ethical and political impacts concerning human moral enhancement, highlighting to what extent our freedom may be threatened by such practices. After all, is it possible to genetically enhance our morality? Should we enhance our dispositional moral traits through biotechnoscientific procedures? Faced with these questions, we will first analyze how human moral enhancement can interfere with our freedom as human beings, and then we will examine how human enhancement has become a moral urgency for transhumanists.

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Author Biography

Leonardo Nunes Camargo, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná

Doutor em Filosofia na Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná (PUC - PR). Mestre em Filosofia pela Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná (PUC - PR) concluído em 2017. Possui especialização em Ética concluído em 2014 (PUC-PR). Graduado em Filosofia pela Faculdade Vicentina, concluída em 2012. Membro dos Grupos de Trabalhos: GT Hans Jonas e GT Filosofia da Tecnologia e da Técnica, ambos ANPOF. Professor de Filosofia da Academia da Força Aérea Brasileira (AFA). Atualmente pesquisa temas relacionados ao transumanismo e o pensamento de Hans Jonas, tendo como enfoque os temas sobre: liberdade, técnica, tecnologia, ética e bioética. 

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Additional Files

Published

2023-10-31

How to Cite

Camargo, L. N. (2023). Transhumanism and the issue of freedom in the face of moral enhancement. Aufklärung, 10(2), p.125–136. https://doi.org/10.18012/arf.v10i2.67284

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 2 (2023): May-August

Section

Articles

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