Ethics / Cognitive Enhancement Drugs: Buchanan/Sandel/Liao - Essay Example

ETHICS COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT DRUGS: BUCHANAN/SANDEL/LIAO Introduction Human enhancement entails progressive measures taken to overcome the human body weaknesses by improving its abilities using both standard and scientific means. The use of technological means to successfully change the human body structure and alter its genetic codes leads to the rise of characteristics and abilities that do surpass the current human level. The study and research on human enhancement cover various fields. Those areas include; cognitive science, nano-technology, information technology, and biotechnology just to mention but a few. The goals and aim for converging this field into a specific study and research are to increase human efficiency and to be able to cope up with the constant changing environment. This can be termed as the modern age evolution of humankind. Not only does it deal with improving Human being abilities but also aims at creating cures and helping people with disabilities. Due to the involvement in genetics and technology about human body, this field works hand in hand with human genetic engineering. The two areas are closely related to various aspects of improving the human body by use of technology (Buchanan, Allen, pp.1-25). Ethics / Cognitive Enhancement Drugs: Buchanan/Sandel/Liao Challenges will always arise when there is involvement in dealing with people and techniques. Ethics and moral guideline governing the society may conflict with this scientific approach in dealing with human survival aspects. This emerges questions like, is human enhancement morally permissible? In answering this query, one must keep into account that the rise of technology, in this case, its involvement with people, has brought about massive changes both positive and negative. Thou human enhancement made people as a species reach new greater the risk in improvement poses a significant risk too. Most people can say that enhancement is the next step in human evolution, what if we as the human species will result in our extinction. This cannot be overruled, consider the following in the attempt to cure a disease like HIV/AIDS by scientist they just end up creating a more deadly virus. This will heighten the mortality rate, which before its fully controlled there would be the significant loss of life. In another situation, cosmetic surgery ends up modifying people body parts at the expenses of beauty. This modification can bring about more and more changes that eat up taxpayers’ money through State-funded insurance health. Seriously, should taxpayers’ money be used for more investment to increase the economy or countlessly trying to modify people body part? Human enhancement is morally impermissible and should rather be left since it poses a large threat to the existence of Human beings (Buchanan, Allen, pp.1-25). There exist a contradictive nature in the definition of human enhancement and that of therapy. Thou, sounding similar to each due to the human involvement in both, the two are quite different from each other. Therapy can be referred to as the remedies taken in case of abnormal human behavior to return them to the average; standard here refers to the intense nature of body functions. Medically these solutions are drawn from the symptoms of a patient and administering a counter measure to rectify the abnormalities. Enhancement, as stated above, however, aims more precisely in improving human abilities that in most cases happen to be above the normal. To complete bring out the difference between the following arguments can be put in place. Firstly, take into account a person involve in an accident and apparently, one of the limb has to be amputated. After surgery then individual may be given crutches to assist in walking or a wheelchair to make one locomotive. The amputation limits the person to do some of the things he could have done prior the accident. Such is the immediate remedy given to people with such disabilities. In this case, this can be referred to as therapy (Buchanan, Allen, pp.1-25). In another instance of the same situation entails a person who has gone for further surgery for a robotic leg attachment that works and functions entirely as a normal human limb. In such a case, the person does not have any limitations to that of a normal human state. However, they can venture into any activity as they were doing before the accident. Not only does the robotic leg return the person to a normal state but it also enable to withstand and overcome the typical human limitation. In this case, one cannot suffer or feel leg injuries prone to the delicate nature of human flesh. So in a situation where one face difficulty due to leg injuries the person can continue as normal since he is not affected by the pain like normal human being. Thus giving the person an added advantage. In another situation where a person has an eye problem, a Lasik surgery may help to rectify the situation back to normal. This is also a remedy associated with therapy. However, if the person has to be given contact lens or glasses to assist them to see properly, this can be said to be an enhancement of the individual. The effect may be due to the enhancement ability associated with the lens in contacts and glasses than the organic ones in the human eye (Buchanan, Allen, pp.1-25). Secondly, in the human reproduction, some female may face difficulty in conceiving and, therefore, seek medical help to bear a child. In the first account, artificial insemination may be given to the woman body if it happens that the man does not have a problem. This enables them to conceive successfully. Also, if the woman is the one with the problem, incubators may be used where incubators function fully as a womb to enable child formation and growth. The situation here does not alter the semen or ova genetically so all the associated genetic disorder and disease may be passed to the child. This is a form of therapy enabling then conceives. In the second account, the can be a genetic examination of the couple and acquiring the genes and all the related disorders associated with them. The disease can be removed and improved to the fetus to be made cannot receive any of this disorders if present. The genetic structure can be enhanced to suit the couple’s desire. In this situation, this can be termed as an enhancement since does it not only enable them to have a child but the child has some extra abilities that were acquired externally and none of their weaknesses (Buchanan, Allen, pp.1-25). Lastly, we can consider the introduction of medication into the human body. This differs if a sick or a healthy person takes the said medicine. In the circumstance where the drug is administered to a person who is ill, it will help the person to retain back the normal function of the body. This enables the person to continue with daily activities as before. This is a therapy-associated approach. Regarding an average person being issued the medication to increase the body performance than that to an ordinary person is entirely different. Since the body can withstand and maintain stability in various situations depending on the medication given than that of the normal state. Such situation may be termed as human enhancement (Buchanan, Allen, pp.1-25). Allen Buchanan, professor of philosophy at the Duke University, argues that evolution process is not enough for human flourishing. He was trying to elaborate that the theory concerning evolution as being a master engineer does not have a firm foundation. The theory that evolution is a master engineer show and illustrate that growth can be compared to a master engineer and it turn organism are masterpieces. This means that organisms, as they are in nature, are products of the work having fully adapted to nature and cannot ascend to be more complex. They impact may result in a case such organism are left alone without interference. Buchanan, however, does not agree with this he states thou this theory says it fully supports Darwin theory of evolution, but it is just an old pre-Darwinian view for the intelligence of nature. He says Darwinian Theory of natural selection take an approach in biological evolution that the master engineer does not account for at all. Organisms are not perfections and that they only adapt according to the changes in the environment (Buchanan, Allen, pp.27-51). As stated human environment and nature are always evolving. To Buchanan saying people can live in a flourishing environment is a next to impossible. The changes in the world are far too many for organisms to live in one state. A good example is that of the flu virus which enhances every time a cure is found. This only takes into action if there is a change in current environment. He says organisms change frequently only to cope with the current change in nature. This show practically how natural selection is involved in the survival of an organism (Buchanan, Allen, pp.27-51). He further states that evolution does not formulate a complete structure of its products earlier, so in saying that people can live in a flouring environment is not entirely correct. The changes in evolution are mostly short-lived; it does not equip an organism with long-term attributes. Hence, no organism can flourish in a continuous state of change in nature. A change or enhancement at the current time can prove to be hazardous in the future, meaning a cure used to treat a disease today may as well prove to be threat in future (Buchanan, Allen, pp.27-51) In his book, Beyond Humanity, Buchanan believes that non-nave conservative ought to hold the view that human enhancement is morally permissible. Conservatives, in this case, Burkean conservative, thinks and say that human enhancement poses as a threat to the human race and most of the projects set forward to progress in this field are prone to fail or produce hazardous results. However, Buchanan disapproves this thesis as to it is only dependent on one constraint that human beings cannot evolve to a higher being. Due to the help of biomedical enhancement, it has made people overcome their limited abilities by increasing. For example, one can increase his strength by the help of augmentation and or medication, enabling them to do tasks that can be otherwise done by several people. (Buchanan, Allen, pp.176-179). Michael Sandels thesis bases his arguments that the rise in human enhancement has led to a rapid breakthrough in science discoveries than the corresponding moral understanding of such phenomena. Relating to these issues has been proved difficult morals-wise. Take into account the field of genetic engineering. The ability of parents being able to choose the attributes is seen as modern day slavery. Since the specific attributes bind the child, they lack the freedom to decide on their own what they want. They cannot choose their characteristics on their own. He further says that enhancement for personal gain raises the query if people have the right to get worried about such improvements. This is because it enables the enhanced people to have advantages over an unenhanced person thus question like those related to morality and equality are bond rise. Supposing genetic enhancement evolves to the point that introduction of these genes is safe for consumption with no side effects, will they be approved for sports personalities, beauticians, and academicians? Will these divide human beings into two categories of those enhanced and those unenhanced? What about that poor unenhanced child do they stand a chance in the ever-changing world? Do the genetically enhanced people honor hard work and effort? (Sandel, Michael, pp.45-62). He criticizes the genetic enhancement procedures as a way to strip off humanity for the sake of better performance. A person desires to succeed will be continually reduced due to the increased use of enhancement. Hard work will not be recognized as it should be and the human moral will be gradually reduced. This is due to the increment in performance as a product of performance. It is one thing to run 5 miles for a reasonable person and completely different when on steroids. The enhancement of children abilities by parents tend to impact heavily on parental love. Parents with enhanced children tend to have a lesser love to a child as that compare to an average child with similar abilities. Parents who cultivate on their children’s talent tend to increase this bond of parental love, unlike the enhanced children. Due to some traditional belief, there is the preference of the boy child to the girls. In a situation where parents chose the sex of the child, in most cases boys, it raises a gender disparity issue (Sandel, Michael, pp.45-62). Matthew Liaos tries to give a solution as raised by Michael Sandals concerning the diminutive nature of parental love due to genetic enhancement. This is done through parental love pill administration. He states with the increase in scientific ventures there will need to develop a parental loving drug that increase the level of the parent to love a child since children require parental love to develop fully. The pill will induce the secretion of oxytocin, the love hormone, to enable parents to love their children irrespective of sex and abilities. This will allow the parent to nature their children entirely to produce quality beings. Since it has been proved that lack of parental love, have diverse effects on a child morality and overall performance as they grow up. In doing this, they can deal with problems raised due to the rise of genetically enhanced children (Matthew, Liaos, pp. 489-494). Conclusion Human enhancement is the use technology to adjust to human abilities beyond that of the normal. In doing so, there are significant benefits involved but this cannot overshadow the threats it poses. Bioethics should keep into account this threat and rather leave alone the persuasion in this field. The therapeutic area and human enhancement works are closely related. They can be referred to as sister due to the sharing of most of their resource. However, it should be noted that they differ slightly from one aims, therapy, returning the human body conditions to normal the other, enhancement, improves these abilities beyond normal. Allen Buchanan tries to explain that evolution is not enough for human flourishing. His point is that evolution does not produce perfect beings, and the world is dynamic. Due to this change organism, adapt short-term characteristics to deal with the natural selection process. He further states that conservative, Burkean conservative, base their judgment on one argument that humans are perfection, and cannot evolve further. To him, human beings have never seized to change, and he considered human enhancement as the next stage of evolution. Michael Sandel view on human enhancement shows that their bond to be several arising problem towards genetic improvement. One of these challenges that are and will be faced is a reduction of parental love before enhancement in their children. However, Liaos provides a remedy for this. In dealing with the education in parental love, he has proposed a parental love pill. This pill will stimulate the release of the oxytocin hormone to increase the love of parents for children. Such enhancement may enable parents to offer moral support to their children to boost their performance and develop fully as human beings. Works Cited Buchanan, Allen. Better than human: the promise and perils of enhancing ourselves. Oxford University Press, 2011. Buchanan, Allen E. beyond Humanity? The Ethics of Biomedical Enhancement. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. Sandel, Michael J. The case against perfection. Harvard University Press, 2009. Liaos, "Parental love pills: some ethical considerations." Bioethics 25.9 (2011): 489-494. Read More