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Building a Better Human
Is it morally acceptable to enhance the chemical and
genetic nature of persons?
September
16, 2004
Follow-up
Focusing on the moral acceptability of genetic enhancement, speakers Dr. Hook and Dr. Peterson presented a thought-provoking and enriching evening at the 2004 Penner Debate. With over 750 in attendance, including many Wheaton College students, the speakers, aided by moderator Steven Penner, engaged in a variety of topics surrounding the ethical application of genetic enhancement. One of the first, was the actual definition of enhancement. Dr. Hook distinguished between healing and enhancement with the former being therapy, genetic or otherwise, that is used to "heal" a person from an affliction as opposed to an actual "enhancement," in which a person voluntarily changes his or her body chemistry. On the other hand, Dr. Peterson presented enhancement as synonymous with an "improvement" that encompasses the entire person, referring to the many improvements recorded in the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments. He did provide four questions that one should consider as guidelines to a moral application of enhancement.
Another topic explored was the societal repercussions of enhancement, such as the potential for an extreme type of inequality-those that are "in" and those that are "out"-based on genetics. For example, if the Smiths can pick and choose the traits of their child, maybe we should too, so our child can compete? But the Jones can't afford it and the XYZs don't believe in it. What happens to these children? Or, if one carries an inherited gene that could create challenges for future offspring, than is that person bound by societal pressures to assure a healthy child by eradicating this gene?
For further engagement on this subject, the debate is available online through WETN in several file formats.
With
rapid developments in genetic engineering and with stunning results
in pharmacology, scientists are providing new ways to enhance human
performance. Ought we pursue the opportunity to chemically or genetically
enhance our bodies? Should parents provide their children with enhancement
drugs or treatments? How much latitude do humans have to shape their
abilities and characteristics? Are there natural or divine limits to
our progress?
This debate will provide candid and helpful analysis of the issues surrounding
performance-enhancing technologies. The speakers will provide ethical
guidelines rooted in a Christian worldview, with sensitivity to the
current developments in pharmacology and genetics.
YES: Some enhancements are morally acceptable for the Christian"
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vs. |
NO: Enhancement is morally unacceptable for the Christian
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James C. Peterson, Ph.D.
Roy
A. Hope Chair in Theology, Ethics and Christian Worldview
Professor of Theology and Ethics
McMaster Divinity College, Ontario
Bio
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C.
Christopher Hook M.D.
Chair,
Non-Malignant Hematology Group, Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN)
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Free
and open to the public.
For more information, call (630) 752-5886.
Sponsored
by the Penner Foundation
and the Center for Applied Christian Ethics
Wheaton College
Recommended
Readings
These short pieces can be quickly scanned for an overview of issues
and ideas.
Genetics
Biotechnology and the Future
Nancy L. Jones and John F. Kilner
Genetic
Enhancement
National Human Genome Research Institute / National Institutes of Health
Genetic
Intervention: The Ethical Challenges Ahead
Ray Bohlin
Reflections
from the Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute
Francis S. Collins
The
Altered Human
James Gorman
(New York Times article)
Additional Readings
These articles represent more detailed viewpoints of the debate-
Is it Morally Acceptable to Enhance the Chemical and Genetic Nature
of Persons?
Opposed to Enhancement
The
Techno-Sapiens are Coming
In this article, Dr. C. Christopher Hook presents an informative discussion
on the capabilities of bioengineering, the similarities of transhumanism
with gnosticism, and the role of the Christian as a "techno-realist."
Beyond
Therapy: Biotechnology and the Pursuit of Human Improvement
This article by Leon R. Kass, M.D., the Chairman of the President's
Council on Bioethics, discusses in his words, "- the use of biotechnical
powers to pursue 'perfection,' both of body and of mind. I do so partly
because it is the most neglected topic in public and professional bioethics,
yet it is I believe the deepest source of public anxiety, represented
in the concern about 'man playing God,' or about the Brave New World
or a 'post-human future.'"
What's
Wrong with Enhancment?
Michael J. Sandel, D. Phil. is a member of the President's Council on
Bioethics and a Professor of Government at Harvard University. In this
article, Dr. Sandel writes, "it is commonly said that enhancement, cloning,
and genetic engineering pose a threat to human dignity, or point us
toward a post-human existence. But we still need to know how these practices
diminish our humanity. What aspects of human freedom or human flourishing
do they threaten?"
(Dr. Sandel also has written a longer essay on this same topic. See
"The
Case Against Perfection.")
Cloning,
Germline Engineering, Designer Babies and the Human Future
Brent Blackwelder, President of Friends of the Earth, argues "that cloning
and germline engineering of humans are in conflict with two cornerstones
of the environmental movement: 1) respect for nature, and 2) the precautionary
principle, which requires gathering of knowledge on risks and benefits
before taking potentially irreversible actions."
For Enhancement
Interview
with Ted Peters, Professor of Systematic Theology at the Pacific
Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, CA.
Dr. Peters is an expert on the theological implications of the new gene
science and the author of many books, including "Playing God?: Genetic
Determinism and Human Freedom". In this interview Dr. Peters presents
a theological justification for gene therapy/enhancement and addresses
the notion of "Playing God."
A
Transhumanist Perspective on Human Genetic Enhancements
Nick Bostrom describes in detail the transhumanist philosophy and its
arguments for human genetic enhancement.
Additional References
Genetic Turning Points: the Ethics of Human Genetic Intervention
James C. Peterson.
Converging
Technologies for Improving Human Performance: Nanotechnology, Biotechnology,
Information Technology and Cognitive Science
Quoted in Dr. Hook's article above, this lengthy report was sponsored
by the National Science Foundation.
The Birth-Mark by Nathaniel Hawthorne
This short story along with a short introduction is found at the first
link below. The discussion of this story by the President's Council
on Bioethics is found at the second link. To quote Professor Bill May
who opens the discussion, "the Hawthorne story may help us recognize
the way in which all major undertakings, those of this council included,
sooner or later force us to reflect on the human condition. A condition
which we know first and foremost not as experts but as participants
in daily life so I will start not with the great public projects associated
with biotechnology but with every day life.
http://www.bioethics.gov/bookshelf/birthmark.html http://www.bioethics.gov/transcripts/jan02/jan17full.html#2
"Review of Genetic Turning Points, by James Peterson"
James C. Peterson, Genetic Turning Points: the Ethics of Human Genetic
Intervention, Eerdmans, 2001.
Promoting
and encouraging the formation of moral character
and the application of biblical ethics to contemporary moral decisions
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