Document Detail


Will biomedical enhancements undermine solidarity, responsibility, equality and autonomy?
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20002073     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Prominent thinkers such as Jurgen Habermas and Michael Sandel are warning that biomedical enhancements will undermine fundamental political values. Yet whether biomedical enhancements will undermine such values depends on how biomedical enhancements will function, how they will be administered and to whom. Since only few enhancements are obtainable, it is difficult to tell whether these predictions are sound. Nevertheless, such warnings are extremely valuable. As a society we must, at the very least, be aware of developments that could have harmful consequences. Indeed, if important values were to be jeopardized, we should take appropriate measures to protect them. This paper focuses on four central values: solidarity, personal responsibility, equality and autonomy. It delineates the conditions under which biomedical enhancements would undermine these values. It also details the circumstances under which these values would be unaffected by enhancements as well as those under which they would be promoted. Specifying these conditions is valuable; it would enable society to prepare appropriate ethical guidelines and policy responses in advance.
Authors:
Ori Lev
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Bioethics     Volume:  25     ISSN:  1467-8519     ISO Abbreviation:  Bioethics     Publication Date:  2011 May 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2011-04-12     Completed Date:  2011-08-23     Revised Date:  2012-05-02    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  8704792     Medline TA:  Bioethics     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  177-84     Citation Subset:  E; IM    
Copyright Information:
Published 2009. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Affiliation:
Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-2073, USA. levo@mail.nih.gov
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Biomedical Enhancement / ethics*
Democracy*
Humans
Personal Autonomy
Social Identification
Social Justice
Social Responsibility
Social Values*
Grant Support
ID/Acronym/Agency:
Z99 OD999999/OD/NIH HHS
Comments/Corrections
Comment In:
Bioethics. 2011 May;25(4):ii   [PMID:  21480931 ]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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