Do the benefits of enhancing humans through science outweigh the negatives?
Introduction
There are technologies evolving in the world among humanity potentially result in benefits or a peril based on the perspective one holds especially in reshaping the definition of human beings. The common human development debate involves whether we should embrace or reject the technologies of human enhancement. The human enhancement technologies have received a welcome from the transhumanists. Nevertheless, there are more concerns over the application of human enhancement technologies that range from ethical issues to health to social issues. enhancement of human beings has been a subject of debate over the years and the majority of the population is yet to understand the safety and effects of the process. There are numerous benefits associated with human enhancement, although there are still more concerns and questions that need to be addressed before its full application.
Imagine the world in which the parents engage in scanning through pods that are filled with distant possibilities particularly for their embryos. The parents have the ability through the human enhancement technology to design their babies in the image of Disney princess. These babies could be designed to have lips a red as blood, hair as dark as night, and also skin fair as snow. As technology becomes more advanced, this is perceived to become reality across the world. implementation diagnosis can be employed in by the parents in manipulating the makeup of genes for their children. The PGD is currently applied in the screening of embryos particularly for deficiencies occurring in the genes, where the deficiencies are altered if established before the embryo is returned into the womb. This implemented through the process of test-tube fertilization. The concept of designer babies has been a common term as a result of the technological, and the efforts of human enhancements. designer babies are described as the babies with a genetic makeup that has undergone artificial selection through the genetic engineering and in combination with In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Parents should not be allowed the opportunity to make use of genetics in manipulating the physical abilities or appearances as well as the social traits including the intelligence of the unborn child.
Ethics of Human Enhancement
There has been an ongoing debate between the bio conservatives and transhumanists concerning the ethical issues on the application of human enhancement technology. One of the more moderate approaches to the debate and a moral view include whether the enhancement of human beings is a fundamental development and that whether it is a representation of appropriate use of time, resources and funding compared to other more pressing issues in society. ethical and societal discussions based on what makes up human enhancement are necessary to back the creation of policy models as well as regulations on the new technological advances. When taking into consideration the ethical implications of enhancing humans that the technology will be available to provide now and also in the future, the human enhancement can be grouped into different forms including somatic and non-heritable genetic intervention, strictly phenotypic intervention and germline, heritable genetic intervention.
One of the ethical concerns of the application of technology developments includes the effects of CCR5 since we are yet to understand the exact total of the impacts that the artificial mutation of the CCR5 it may that could occur both at the phenotypic and genetic levels. This because it is widely known that a gene potentially affects several traits, where the majority of these traits are apparently not related. This is explained by the constrained developmental interactions, genetic networks and mechanisms, where a transformation in a single gene potentially leads to a cascade of multiple effects. In the case of CCR5, it has been established that the mutation provides protection against the infection of HIV, and also it seems to scale up the risk of fatal or severe reactions some of the infectious diseases including influenza.
Social issues
The recent scientific enhancements have been perceived as increasingly allowing human beings to improve everything starting from memory to their appearances. Nevertheless, these scientific improvements o human beings are accompanied by questions regarding how they should be applied and who needs to make the accompanying decisions. The scientific approach offers ways through which the technological advances can allow individuals to make themselves become better than they are through the use of enhancements including modifications of their brain to scale up their reasoning capabilities and memory. The changes to biochemistry occur to increase the resilience of human beings to the environment or the technological advances allow the creation of new capacities. There is some benefit associated with human enhancements including enabling people to live longer or changes to the appearances of people that make them become more attractive or even more aesthetically distinct.
Human as entered the era known as transhuman, where biology is perceived as something that can be manipulated at will, in terms of the lifestyle interests of a person instead of the health needs of an individual. there are still questions concerning how far society is ready to welcome the kinds of uses as well as the ethical concerns that the human enhancement create.
There exists a good rationale for humans to seek ways of enhancing themselves across their lives. Human beings have indeed been seeking ways of improving themselves, where some of the reasons that they would opt for the enhancements include exercise, education or a good diet. The concern is if there is exists something that differentiates the accepted enhancement methods from those causing more issues including the use of drugs or the genetic modification.
Human enhancement can be questioned by considering the means by which individuals attain their goals in life. In this argument, it takes into considering if an individual makes use of a technological shortcut that allows him or her to achieve a given goal, which is perceived to likely decrease the value of the accomplishments. For example, if a mountaineer decides to use a helicopter instead of physically climbing to the summit, it undermines the value of the achievement. The use of human enhancement is considered a shortcut that will not yield the value of the goal or under question.
The next concern of human enhancement concerns the psychopharmacological substances including antidepressant medications. In this case, some of the applications of human enhancements may not be morally desirable types of enhancements as they essentially change the particular patient to become a different individual. The original person before the enhancement will be completely transformed, which might be against the consent of the patient. As a result, there arises ethical concern on why the process of transforming an individual would be carried out.
There are also reasoning about the caution that needs to be undertaken involving the enhancement of human beings such as the narrowing of the prospects of a person. This functions in the violation of the principle of open future preservation. Some of the human enhancements are likely to encourage success that would occur in early stages in life, although are associated with severe disability in the future. For instance, drug use that offers short-run gain including stimulating activity or increasing the physical strength, although it may also ultimately be accompanied by long-run health threats.
Further concerns on human enhancement include involves a social issue that it is likely to undermine some of the important qualities of human identity that human beings could rather preserve. There fears in most cases that biotechnological transformation, which is based on the idea that it plays the creation plan of God. It is important to find some of the general principles governing the ethical behavior of enhancing human beings at every level. The application of the measures should involve widespread independent consultation and investment into the principles of research.
The next area of concern in ethics in human enhancement includes the question of governance. Where numerous enhancements of human beings will ultimately call for a range of decision-makers to take charge of the creation of policies for the use of human enhancement. Besides, it is an implication for the need of social systems providing that all people have affordable access to human enhancements.
The next concern involves the extent to which the application of human enhancements will require an international response, instead of just being applied as a domestic policy. While there has been a lot of work on the issue, there is still more to be done before fully attaining a clear understanding of the international implications of enhancing human beings and developing ways of managing the technology.
One of the arguments that society should avoid permanent enhancement of human beings is that it potentially alerts our common knowledge of human excellence and flourishing in ways that have the ability to undermine our social practices. For instance, the human enhancement would lead to loss of sight of the worth of seeking excellence in one’s life and we also ultimately fail to understand the meaning of excellence and the ways of pursuing it as human beings. Particularly, human enhancement is considered to potentially transform the meaning of sports, as we are likely to honour the innovation brought by technology and pay little attention to talent or athletic attainment.
The next concern to limit human enhancement is that the nature of human beings is a sophisticated reality and when one aspect is enhanced, it potentially undermines the excellence of the whole human being. further, enhancement of separate abilities in human beings has the potential of disrupting the unity and also human nature continuity, and lead to the compromise of humanity. For instance, through diminishing our humanity particularly through the decrease of our appreciation for benevolence, beauty and vulnerability. Further, there is the concern that enhancement of human beings would disturb a delicate balance in nature leading to unintended and also potentially harmful repercussions. Through human enhancement, we can obtain our goal, although it seems to be counterproductive or that it undermines something that is initially cherished.
Human enhancement impacts human beings as it is yet to be known the consequences of the process. There is a lack of understanding concerning where the functional gens are placed. These genes are likely to replace the essential genes in a body rather than the mutated genes and this may contribute to additional health problem or disease to human beings. further, since the defective genes can be replaced with a functional gene, it is feared that there may be the possibility of a reduction in gene diversity. Therefore, if the entire population possess identical genomes, it will prone to any form of diseases or virus.
The process of human enhancement has also raised concerns such as it would make people stand outside the human species and be perceived as posthumans. Or the concern that human beings should ultimately go against some of the unique features of the nature of humans including basic dignity. Is widely known that all the human family members which cut across all the living bodies are said to have human life. Consequently, these members of the human family deserve the respect commanded by such membership. Further references, especially to nature, are based on the argument the limitations and handicap are inherent to the condition of human beings and need to be endured as provided by our personal fates. This argument also related to the responsibility of human beings including that transforming the nature of humans would offer us a responsibility that we may not be in a position to handle and which amounts to the perception of “playing God”. Besides, one of the common arguments is that when a gene is placed in the body of human beings, it shard to reverse the process.
Effects on the environment
There are numerous advantages and benefit associated with the enhancement of human beings and the application of genetic engineering. Nevertheless, there also several questions concerning the ecological impact of genetic engineering. It is very challenging to predict the impact that the enhancement of human beings could pose on the environment. There are fears that an imbalance would occur on the ecology if alterations are made in humans. Besides, if an accident occurs during the process of human enhancement, this would be associated with severe problems. For instance, the enhancement may contribute to the emergence of a stronger type of a virus when an accident occurs which could potentially contribute to the severe epidemic across the world. consequently. This could result in the development of problems that range from minor medical issues to fatality.
Conclusion
There are technologies evolving in the world among humanity potentially result in benefits or a peril based on the perspective one holds especially in reshaping the definition of human beings. The common human development debate involves whether we should embrace or reject the technologies of human enhancement. There are numerous benefits associated with human enhancement, although there are still more concerns and questions that need to be addressed before its full application. Human enhancement attracts social, ethical and health concerns among the general population. There are numerous unknown impacts of the process on human beings and various ethical issues of their application. Even though the process of human enhancement is praised for several benefits, it is essential to address the existing fears and concerns.
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