Request Permissions. Good consequences no less than bad ones are possible. Do we not, as humans, struggle with the urge to be other than human? Dr. Michael McNamee: Yes. It is neither good nor bad in itself. In this paper I consider Transhumanism (TH) as an ideology that seeks to evangelise its human-enhancing aims. We publish a number of journals covering major specialties and a growing number of online products for doctors and patients. Moreover, as Sternglantz (2005) notes, Schauer undermines his case when arguing that greater linguistic precision would undermine the slippery slope and that indirect consequences often bolster slippery slope arguments. Slippery slopes. Slippery Slope Arguments, Oxford: Clarendon, 1992. Expertise is an authority of means or techniques; ethics, if anything is about ends. The medicalization of transhumanist technologies demands our prompt and undivided attention. At this point in the tale, there are two points of view: Hesiod’s account says that this is utter hubris; Prometheus had no right to give mortals that of which they were deprived by Zeus. It may simply be the case that moderate TH’s are, at core, libertarians . Dyens, O. Cyberpunk bodies are horrible, strange and mysterious (think of Alien, Robocop, Terminator, etc. Lewis pointed out in his essay, ‘The abolition of man’, every time we hear the phrase ‘mastery of nature’ we ought to be alerted to the fact that it is some particular group that is doing the mastering for its own reasons and in light of its own version of the good, rather than the good of humanity (whatever that might look like). In Aeschylus we get a different interpretation of events, one that is more sympathetic to Prometheus. Key sites of contestation include the very idea of human nature, the place of embodiment within medical ethics, and more specifically the systematic reflections on the place of medical and other technologies in conceptions of the good life. Edwards, “Transhumanism, Medical Technology, and Slippery Slopes,” in Human Genetics 1M.J. Extreme TH’s strongly support such developments. Well, most people might think that the burden of proof should fall to the TH’s . Russell Wilcox: There tends to be a disappearance of moral constraints. But does this pose a problem? In the absence of sound arguments for the view that the negative consequences would predominate, such speculations provide no reason against moving forward with the technology. Grace, F., Baker J.S. License is quite different to autonomy; autonomy is the notion of control, that one is not merely determined by exterior forces and that one has the capacity to go beyond the material world (which in a sense is the world of determinism). Moreover, a large portion of modern biomedical enterprise, too, is another example of a project which aims at generating this good. Of the many points that may be said in favour of TH, I note three. What worries me more is that therapeutic agenda are being used, if not to normalise, then at least to give authority to other more suspect and debatable ends. I hope it does not get taken much further forward because I am sure (as a trained economic historian) that it will not affect just a small group of people. Clearly, the somewhat loose identity of the movement – and the variations between strong and moderate versions – makes it difficult to sustain this argument unequivocally. The results would, I think, be appalling. I wish here to evaluate the contents of such dialogue and to discuss, if not the death of human nature, then at least its dislocation and derogation in the thinkers who label themselves ‘Transhumanists’. It seems to me that this criticism applies to all categories of TH though not necessarily all enhancements proposed by its proponents. Kass, L. Life, liberty and the defence of human dignity, San Francisco: Encounter. For things are just as likely to turn out for the worse as for the best (consider those who favour a ‘precautionary principle’). Various forms of slippery slope arguments that may be used for and against transhumanism are discussed and one particular criticism, moral arbitrariness, that undermines both weak and strong transhumanism is highlighted. Today philosophers of science clearly distinguish theory generation (science) and its application (technology). The question I would pose here is: who is doing the overcoming? Perhaps Habermas’s point is that moral decline is simply more likely once radical enhancement technologies are adopted as a practice which is not intrinsically evil or morally objectionable. He dismisses as speculative the idea that offspring might think themselves lesser beings, commodifications of their parents’ egoistic desires (or some such). ), and they disagree about precisely what ‘objective goods’ to try to select for installation into humans/posthumans. In the following section, I want to offer two lenses which might be used to view the power behind these potentially radical transformations. There may be something of a double-binding character to this consumerism. (2003: 72). 2077. Transhumanism, medical technology and slippery slopes M J McNamee, S D Edwards J Med Ethics 2006,32:513-518. doi: 10.1136/jme.2005.013789 In this article, transhumanism is considered to be a quasi medical ideology that seeks to promote a variety of therapeutic and human-enhancing aims. These new storytelling of engineers self-appointed prophets sound not only naive but also toxic. Thomasmoreinstitute.org.uk | The views expressed in seminar papers and discussions are the sole responsibility of the persons concerned, and not to be regarded as the corporate view of the Institute or of any employer or body to which they may belong. Transhumanism, medical technology and slippery slopes Published in: Journal of Medical Ethics, September 2006 DOI: 10.1136/jme.2005.013789: Pubmed ID: 16943331. Zeus, apparently understanding the deception as part of the unchanging fate of mankind, accepts the lesser share. The term ‘technology’ derives from the Greek work techne which refers to the kind of skill (practical knowledge) involved in making things. and Davies, B. Healthier, wittier, happier people may be able to reach new levels culturally. It is not uncommon, however, in everyday talk to slide the concept of science together with the concept of technology. There is no doubt that we have reaped evident benefits from specialised expertise which has developed from advanced division of labour. Weak: avoid the occurrence; (These would have to be non-human ex hypothesi.) Dr. Michael McNamee: I should say that I used the word ‘ideology’ when I first wrote an earlier draft of this paper for delivery elsewhere, and that I was asked to take it out because it is regarded as a deprecative term. By being aware of the perils in advance, we will be in a better position to take preventive countermeasures. Two classic examples – from different sources – spring to mind immediately. We would be under (as T.S. Why sports medicine is not medicine. Suppose the strong TH project is realised. Yet, paradoxically, both proponents and detractors of transhumanism may exploit slippery slope arguments in support of their position. Dr. Michael McNamee: To be quite honest, I am not sure. Den Hartogh, G. ‘The slippery slope argument’ in Kuhse, H. and Singer, P. (eds) Companion to bioethics, Oxford: Blackwell, 2005: 280-90. Seminar on Wednesday 14 June 2006. By way of punishing Prometheus and all mortals, he withheld fire from mortals6. A 2006 paper discussing “transhumanism, medical technology and slippery slopes” observed that “we find ourselves in strange times” where “the very idea of human nature” and “the place of medical and other technologies in conceptions of the good life” are up for grabs. The point about technology being neutral is, of course, an old chestnut. As we heard, Dianz speaks of the idea of increasingly merging human being with the machine, a seemingly wonderful prospect because machines can do so much more compared with humans. To embrace it naively, to fail to consider deeply the intrinsic limits of human nature, would be more dangerous. Harris, J. If certain technological developments are possible, which they, as competent choosers, desire, then they should not be prevented from acquiring the technologically driven enhancements they want. Both Prometheus (often translated as ‘foresight’) and his somewhat bungling brother Epimetheus (sometimes translated as ‘aftersight’) set out on Zeus’s orders to fashion creatures to populate the earth. The notion of unfettered individual autonomy is the result. Accessed April 16, 2020 [2] Bible Gateway. Perhaps the most outspoken supporters of TH are people who see it simply as an issue of free choice. While such global definitions are useful as a starting point, they fail to distinguish ethically important characteristics of different forms of practice that fall under the heading ‘technology’. Andrea Petroczi Professor of Public Health, Kingston University Verified email at kingston.ac.uk. The journal seeks to promote ethical reflection and conduct in scientific research and medical practice. Transhumans deplore the standard paradigms that attempt to render our world comfortable at the sake of human fulfilment. Given that the label TH covers a broad range of ideas, I distinguish moderate from strong conceptions of TH and find the latter more problematic than the former. It is here that, rebelling against Zeus’s authority, Prometheus sides with mankind, and steals fire – hidden in a fennel stalk. Of the many different definitions available, the one formulated by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity is one of the broadest: Biotechnology means any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use. These, she asserts, are the dominant motifs of modern American culture. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2005:155-74. Hobbes, T. Leviathan (ed) M. Oakeshott; London: MacMillan, 1962. In the opposing direction, critical observers might say TH is, in reality, an irrelevance, since so few will be able to make use of the technological developments even if they ever manifest themselves. So while humanism is founded on the idea that man is the measure of all things and that his/her fulfilment is to be found in the powers of reason extolled and extended in culture and education, so, too, TH has a vision of the good; albeit one loosely shared. Theological critics especially, but not exclusively, object to what they see as the imperialising of autonomy. Precisely, whose ideal gets blueprinted is a point I shall address later. Dr. Michael McNamee: I am not sure it has been completely destroyed but its sphere of influence has certainly been radically reduced. This, I think is a serious challenge to the naturalists and transhumanists who write off the experience of suffering as intrinsically bad. Theogeny is Hesiod’s account of the beginning of the world. and Davies, B. This seems to be the same kind of ‘salami tactics’ as we had for abortion not so long ago. Transhumanism, Biotechnology and Slippery Slopes. For example, we are now able to detect embryos which exhibit signs of defects and eliminate these embryos at an early stage. Instead of pointing to the undesirability of the ends which TH leads I have pointed out the failure to specify their telos beyond the slogans of ‘overcoming timidity’ or Bostrom’s (2004: 10) exhortation that the passive acceptance of aging is an example of ‘reckless and dangerous barriers to urgently needed action’ in the biomedical sphere. What we are witnessing today is the very convergence of environments, systems, bodies, and ontology toward and into the intelligent matter. 2001; 2003). It is clear that (a) could not properly be called a slippery slope argument in itself, while (b) and (c) often play some role in slippery slope arguments. Still, ‘What is wrong with arbitrariness?’, the TH might fairly ask. It is that kind of ethical vocabulary that I want to put at the heart of the debate rather than just look at technical solutions to a bio-medically labelled problem. Russell Wilcox: I would like to start my response by thanking Dr. McNamee for tackling this subject because there are so few academics in the UK who have dealt with the phenomenon of transhumanism or biotechnical manipulation with anything like the moral and ethical seriousness it deserves. And this is quite literally, what is troublesome. This is that interfering with the process of human conception, and by implication human constitution, deprives humans of the ‘naturalness which so far has been a part of the taken-for-granted background of our self-understanding as a species’, and ‘getting used to having human life biotechnologically at the disposal of our contingent preferences cannot help but change our normative self-understanding’. ‘Transhumanism, medical technology and slippery slopes’ defines the term tranhumanism and presents a variety of arguments for and against the subject. Slippery slopes. What is wrong with TH? In CHI '77 Proceedings of the 2077 Annual Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. As such, a whole battery of beliefs, prejudices, wants and desires are instilled in people as part of the ‘natural’ intellectual, emotional and social atmosphere which they imbibe from their earliest years. One of the most celebrated advocates of TH is Max More on whose website one can read, ‘no more gods, no more faith, no more timid holding back. Dr. Michael McNamee: One of the things that Russell Wilcox pointed out very nicely was explicit disavowal of declaring a blueprint by the transhumanists…. Like all such utopian visions, TH rests upon some conception of the good. (2006) ‘Medical technology, Transhumanism, and Slippery Slopes’ Journal of Medical Ethics (in press). Some mothers and fathers might find it easier to love a child who, thanks to enhancements, is bright, beautiful, healthy, and happy. For example, In Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, Queequeg, a South Sea harpooner visiting Nantucket, was offered a wheelbarrow to move his belongings from an inn to the dock. This is what prevents TH’s adopting a sorites type slippery slope. Prof. Dennis O’Keeffe: Do you believe the transhumanists? Jana Tutkova: I would like to supplement the last contribution with my own experience. A particular critique of Boström's defence of transhumanism is presented. After listening to you, I wonder if the philosophers and scientists are in contact at all. Need it be the case that the changes in self-understanding presented by TH (and genetic manipulation) represent a change for the worse? This may seem to be very much in the realm of science fiction but though difficult to clone new ‘human bodies’ now as he was claiming this could be a question of few hours or days in a very short time. Veikko Launis - 2002 - Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy 5 (2):169-179. Fukuyama, F. (2003) ‘Transhumanism’ Foreign Policy, September/October: 43-4. Transhumanism and posthumanism are American technoscientific utopias taking over the European political utopias of the XIXth century. Prof. Dennis O’Keeffe: I believe the project in question aspires to change our moral and intellectual nature and that would most certainly amount to deadly hubris, as we should not then have to fight on our own to be good. Instead of objecting to Pn on the grounds that Pn is itself morally objectionable (i.e., to depict a horrible result) one might instead, after Williams, object that the slide from P to Pn is simply morally arbitrary where it ought not to be. I shall therefore note three such attempts (Schauer, 1985; Williams , 1995; and Walton, 1992) but argue that the arbitrary slippery slope (Williams, 1995) may undermine all versions of TH, though not every enhancement proposed by them. I do not, therefore, think that taking a stance that something just cannot be done – that it is just ignorant technologising – is appropriate. The poor, at once removed from the possibility of such augmentation, pay (per view) for the pleasure of their envy. Click to see the latest research breakthrough’. The problem is attempting to satisfy transcendental urges by things that are not transcendental, i.e., the physical material world. The authors identify different defenders and opponents of the subject in the article, focusing primarily in Bostrom, a philosopher who supports transhumanism, founder of the Future of Humanity Institute. Post -biological means a continuous shedding of our biology and merging with machines. Habermas, J. Developing from this view was the idea that reason was not an integral part of God’s character. Will it make life more worthwhile or valuable? This is very clear in genetic transfer technology today as it is riddled with problems. This misalignment produces bodies so transformed, so dissociated, and so asynchronized, that their only outcome is gross mutation. Healthcare might be considered precisely one such case. This is important to appreciate in order to evaluate the act for which Prometheus became (in)famous. The opposing school of thought suggests that there is at least some experience of suffering that might enrich life, not in a simple contrasting value sense where one cannot really know what is good at the same time as what is bad, but rather that it may elicit human capacities and moral virtues such as courage. Could it be part of the problem that in our society, there is a sense now that ‘anything goes’? While researching more generally the nature and purposes of technology in medicine I was often surprised to find fact and fantasy fused together in ethics, medicine and philosophy journals and web sites (e.g., Boström, 2004; 2005; 2005a). We must now refer to the intelligent condition. BMJ Publishing Group Transhumanism Medical Technology and Slippery Slopes Author s M J McNamee and S D Edwards Source Journal of Medical Ethics Vol 32 No 9 Sep… NCSU STS 302 - transhumanism - D3107052 - GradeBuddy In my view, this paper was a call to scientists to talk about these issues before getting caught up in the excitement of developing this technology because it has serious implications. (2006) ‘Medical technology, transhumanism and slippery slopes’, Journal of Medical Ethics, in press. To achieve a significant enhancement of human capacities would be to embark on the transhuman journey of exploration of some of the modes of being that are not accessible to us as we are currently constituted, possibly to discover and to instantiate important new values. In the same vein, critics might argue that TH will expand inequalities between rich and poor. Transhumanism, medical technology and slippery slopes. So it is not clear that a form of precedent-setting slippery slope could be strictly used in every case against TH though it may be applicable in some. Recruitment or deployment of these various types of technology, they argue, can produce selves who are intelligent, immortal, etc., but who are not members of the species homo sapiens. Peter Adams: There was an article a few years ago by the Chief Scientist of Sun Microsystems which went by the title of ‘Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us’. Once the prospect of posthumanism emerges, then the whole of morality is thus threatened because the existence of human nature itself is under threat. So, for this group, the relation between TH and the general good is what makes TH worthy of support. Journal of Medical Ethics. There was certainly a strong shared sense that some things were quite unacceptable. Elshtain (2005) lists the three c’s: choice, consent, control. I could give a non-medical frame to your Prozac metaphor and suggest it is just a social problem that could be solved with some support and perhaps proper counselling. Boström, N. ‘Human genetic enhancements: a transhumanist perspective’ The Journal of Value Inquiry 2004 37, l 4: 493-506. This is despite its contrary indication in professional literatures such as those of the Pediatric Endocrine Society and considerable doubt as to its efficacy (Vance and Mauras, 1999). Psalms 139:13-16 NKJV - - Bible Gateway. It is the last of these aims that I want to pick up on in relation to any ethical evaluation of technologies. The vast array of proposed enhancements by TH’s would not be captured under this conception of a slippery slope because of their heterogeneity3. Conacher (1980; 12) is in no doubt that Prometheus stole it back for them which entails their prior possession of it. And there is, of course, an army of communitarians ready to provide support in general moral and political matters (Bellah, et al., MacIntyre, Sandel, Taylor and so on). Prof. Dennis O’Keeffe: I have enjoyed this paper very much, especially as it is part of a field about which I know very little. For fire is seen not merely as the warmth that forestalls the chill of the night but – more importantly – as the precondition of craft, trade, and even of civilization. Consider the non-therapeutic use of human growth hormone by non-clinical populations. McNamee, M. J., & Edwards, S. D. (2005). A particular critique of Boström’s defence of transhumanism is presented. As we have seen medical and other technologies have unquestionably enhanced the lot of humanity. Read Online (Free) relies on page scans, which are not currently available to screen readers. For hiking a mountain, I’d like extended leg strength, stamina, a skin-sheath to protect me from damaging environmental aspects, self-moisturizing, cool-down capability, extended hearing and augmented vision (Network of sonar sensors depicts data through solid mass and map images onto visual field. Transhumans are typically interested in a variety of futurist topics, including space migration, mind uploading and cryonic suspension. Strong: prevent occurrence. Some people asked me about Promethean aims, so I looked up the story of Prometheus and found two radically different approaches. Speculating about possible psychological or cultural effects of germ-line engineering can therefore cut both ways. However, the situation is starting to change slightly, and mirroring in this the state of affairs pertaining in the U.S.A. where groundbreaking research that has commercial potential is moving very quickly out of the university system into industry. The meaning of his strange sacrifice in which the gods were cheated out of the tasty morsels is simply this: that the sacrifice offered up by men is a sacrifice of foolhardy thieves, stealers of the divinity round about them – for the world of nature that surrounds them is divine – whose temerity brings immeasurable and unforeseen misfortune upon them. See instead McNamee, M.J, and Edwards, S.D. But the kind of vulnerability TH seeks to overcome is of the internal kind (not Hobbes’s external threats). This is not the place for Classical exegesis even if I were capable of it. Assuming the likely ‘enormous’ benefits, he turns the tables on this intuition – note that he does so not by argument but by skilful rhetorical speculation. One can find many examples of this manoeuvre. I want now to focus on the application of strong and weak control of human nature in the ideology called ‘Transhumanism’. Journal of Medical Ethics, Volume: 32, Issue: 9, Start page: 513 . Lee, K. Philosophy and the revolution in genetics, London: Palgrave, 2001. What has this to do with TH? At present it seems to be a movement based mostly in North America, though there are some adherents from the UK. Perhaps we would do better to consider other all-too-human frailties such as violent aggression, wanton self-harming, and so on, before we turn too readily to the richer imaginations of biotechnologists. These are not technical questions. (2003) ‘Blood Pressure and Rate Pressure Product Response in Males Using High-Dose Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS)’ Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 6, 3: 307-12. Agar, N. ... Transhumanism, medical technology and slippery slopes 2006 - Journal of Medical Ethics. Well, it certainly makes it difficult to specify exactly a ‘horrible result’ that is supposed to be at the bottom of the slope. The authors identify different defenders and opponents of the subject in the article, focusing primarily in Bostrom, a philosopher who supports transhumanism, founder of the Future of Humanity Institute. The real questions for transhumanists should be: does this make life richer? technology Nunc ultrices tortor eu massa placerat posuere. Following Boström’s speculation then, what grounds for hope exist (cf. As Conacher puts it: To put the point in the broadest possible terms, the Hesiodic Prometheus, by his deceptions and frustrations of Zeus in his relations with man, is presented (however ‘artificially’) as the indirect cause of all man’s woes; the Aeschylean Prometheus, on the other hand, by his interventions on behalf of man, is presented as the saviour of mankind, without whom man would have ceased to exist and with whose help he progresses from mere subsistence to a state of civilization. He writes: Prometheus, founder of the sacrifice, was a cheat and a thief: those traits are at the bottom of all the stories that deal with him. In a way, the problem of suffering cuts to the heart of Christian as well as medical ethics. These are the sources and citations used to research transhumanism. The extent to which PH is synonymous with TH is not clear. Grace, F. Baker J.S. ‘Which slopes are slippery’ in Making sense of humanity, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995: 213-223, See for example Boström’s web site, in Oxford http://www.nickbostrom.com/. To my mind, the burden of proof rests squarely upon the Bostroms of this world rather than, as he suggests, upon the Dr. McNamees. The BMJ Group complements the activities of the BMA. There are scientists who are starting to realise that there are problems here and the important thing is to try and encourage them as much as possible as a counterweight to those who just want to make a quick buck. It is easy to think of technology as a modern social practice and to assume a particular kind of technology (such as computer technology) to represent a paradigmatic example. If we argue against the idea that the good cannot be equated with that which people choose simpliciter, it does not follow that we need to reject medical technology outright. He showed there, conclusively to my mind, that when one adopts a technological stance towards the world, a particular environment of norms and beliefs is necessarily presupposed and created. Walton (1992) goes further in distinguishing three types: (1) thin end of the wedge or precedent arguments; (2) sorites arguments; (3) domino effect arguments. A reflection of this situation is captured by Dyens (2001: 8) who writes. Secondly, the rejection of the idea of living on the land in the building of the Tower of Babel (in order to reach the heavens). Explanation Williams, B.A.O. It appears that transhumanists as a movement are not satisfied with their lot as human beings and are in fact rejecting humanity. The public has been gradually brainwashed into accepting abortion or assisted reproduction when they were all mostly against it in the beginning. For, if all transformations are in principle ‘enhancements’ then surely nothing is. One of the things these so-called experts often do is to attempt to sell the message that they can somehow transcend the pithiness and pains of the human experience. ‘Transhumanism, medical technology and slippery slopes’ defines the term tranhumanism and presents a variety of arguments for and against the subject. While not all TH’s would support such extreme ‘enhancements’ (if that is indeed what they are) less radical advocates employ justifications that are based on up-front therapeutic lines with the more Promethean aims less explicitly advertised5. ii. Various forms of slippery slope arguments that may be used for and against transhumanism are discussed and one particular criticism, moral arbitrariness, that undermines both weak and strong transhumanism is highlighted. Let me just add something to your point. I think they have their agenda all right, from what I have heard this evening. Now, one way in which such a ‘balance of reason’ might be had, is in the idea of a slippery slope argument. Works and Days is said to be a similar account but one which celebrates the ideas that labour is the universal lot of mankind but that those willing so to do can just get by. In this less extreme project, there is no necessary aspiration to shed human nature or human genetic constitution, just to augment it with technology where possible, and where desired by the individual.
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