How to Build a Better Human
An Ethical Blueprint
By (author) Gregory E. Pence University of Alabama at Birmingham
Publication date:
17 August 2012Length of book:
224 pagesPublisher
Rowman & Littlefield PublishersDimensions:
223x146mm6x9"
ISBN-13: 9781442217621
Medicine has recently discovered spectacular tools for human enhancement. Yet to date, it has failed to use them well, in part because of ethical objections. Meanwhile, covert attempts flourish to enhance with steroids, mind-enhancing drugs, and cosmetic surgery—all largely unstudied scientifically.
The little success to date has been sporadic and financed privately. In How to Build a Better Human, prominent bioethicist Gregory E. Pence argues that people, if we are careful and ethical, can use genetics, biotechnology, and medicine to improve ourselves, and that we should publicly study what people are doing covertly. Pence believes that we need to transcend the two common frame stories of bioethics: bioconservative alarmism and uncritical enthusiasm, and that bioethics should become part of the solution—not the problem—in making better humans.
The little success to date has been sporadic and financed privately. In How to Build a Better Human, prominent bioethicist Gregory E. Pence argues that people, if we are careful and ethical, can use genetics, biotechnology, and medicine to improve ourselves, and that we should publicly study what people are doing covertly. Pence believes that we need to transcend the two common frame stories of bioethics: bioconservative alarmism and uncritical enthusiasm, and that bioethics should become part of the solution—not the problem—in making better humans.
Human enhancement is an important topic. However, too many authors dwell on improbable scenarios, such as genetic engineering of super-babies. By contrast, this book tackles the real ethical dilemmas that our society faces today. Is it wrong for healthy college students to boost academic performance with Ritalin and similar drugs? Is increased longevity a bane or a boon? How can simple interventions like good nutrition and vaccinations produce children who are not only healthier but smarter? Professor Gregory Pence uses science, logic, and ethics to analyze these and many other topics. Along the way, he explains why we need not fear designer babies and other Brave New World scenarios. Legislators and other policymakers should read this timely and fascinating book so that they will know what to regulate—and what to leave alone.