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Transhumanism and moral equality

Wilson, J; (2007) Transhumanism and moral equality. Bioethics , 21 (8) 419 - 425. 10.1111/j.1467-8519.2007.00579.x. Green open access

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Abstract

Conservative thinkers such as Francis Fukuyama have produced a battery of objections to the transhumanist project of fundamentally enhancing human capacities. This article examines one of these objections, namely that by allowing some to greatly extend their capacities, we will undermine the fundamental moral equality of human beings. I argue that this objection is groundless: once we understand the basis for human equality, it is clear that anyone who now has sufficient capacities to count as a person from the moral point of view will continue to count as one even if others are fundamentally enhanced; and it is mistaken to think that a creature which had even far greater capacities than an unenhanced human being should count as more than an equal from the moral point of view.

Type: Article
Title: Transhumanism and moral equality
Location: England
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8519.2007.00579.x
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8519.2007.00579.x
Language: English
Additional information: This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: Wilson, J (2007) Transhumanism and moral equality. Bioethics , 21 (8) 419 - 425. 10.1111/j.1467-8519.2007.00579.x
Keywords: Human Characteristics, Humanism, Humans, Moral Obligations
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of Arts and Humanities
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Dept of Philosophy
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/89665
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