Kendra Gordillo
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
A major topic in the bioethical community as well as the broader ethical community is the status of human enhancement. (Bio)technological innovations such as gene editing, brain implants, and AI continue to challenge our notion of what it means to be human and what forms of enhancement are morally permissible, if at all. However, the discussion around human enhancement has reached a stalemate. I want to renew the discussion around human enhancement by connecting the transhumanist movement to concepts of materiality found in STS studies. I argue that we have already been modifying ourselves and will continue to do so – indeed, the era of modification has been, and certainly is, well underway.
Recent news of new techniques for gene editing and Neuralink’s brain implant have renewed ethical interests in whether or not we should allow people to use these devices. Interestingly, discussions around human enhancement have been only briefly touched upon despite being alluded to at major international conferences (https://www.thehastingscenter.org/what-happened-to-concerns-about-human-enhancement/). I aim to renew the conversation on human enhancement by first showing that we (as a society) are already comfortable with the idea of human enhancement in that many of the technologies we use(d) are already modifying us. Then, using the concept of materiality, I propose that the discussions around human enhancement should move towards how enhancements change our relationships with each other and the world, instead of primarily focusing on debates about human dignity. This reframing of the human enhancement debate will bring a new element into the discussion, namely, expanding the idea of what constitutes human enhancement and new ways to discuss the acceptability of new enhancements.
Chair: Dominik Boll
Time: September 11th, 17:00 – 17:30
Location: SR 1.007
SOPhiA 2026 