Human enhancement describes any attempt, whether temporary or permanent, to overcome the current limitations of human cognitive and physical abilities, whether through natural or artificial means. Cognitive The scientific study of how people obtain, retrieve, store and manipulate information. ... With regard to living things, a body is the integral physical material of an individual, and contrasts with soul, personality and behavior. ... Look up ability in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Ability - the quality of person of being able to perform; A quality that permits or facilitates achievement or accomplishment. ... Natural is defined as of or relating to nature; this applies to both definitions of nature: essence (ones true nature) and the untouched world (force of nature). Natural is often used meaning good, healthy, or belonging to human nature. This use can be questioned, as many freely growing plants... Look up artificial in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Overview

While in some circles, such as the writings of bioethicist Nicholas Agar, the expression "human enhancement" is roughly synonymous with human genetic engineering, it also is used to refer to the general application of converging NBIC technologies and human enhancement technologies. This includes the modification of DNA, the use of nootropic drugs, or the replacement of parts of the human anatomy, such as limbs, organs, or functional systems, with prosthetic substitutes capable of superior functioning. Bioethics is the ethics of biological science and medicine. ... Nicholas Agar is a professor of ethics and a senior lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington (VUM). ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... NBIC is an acronym for the convergence of Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Information technology and Cognitive science. ... The general structure of a section of DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions for the biological development of a cellular form of life or a virus. ... Nootropics, popularly referred to as smart drugs, are substances which boost human cognitive abilities (the functions and capacities of the brain). ... Human anatomy or anthropotomy is a special field within anatomy. ... Cyberware is a relatively new and unknown field. ...

Since the 1990s, transhumanists have risen to become the most prominent advocates of human enhancement while bioconservatives have always been its most prominent critics. See also 1990s, the band The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, sometimes informally including popular culture from the very late 1980s and from 2000 and beyond. ... This page contains a list of notable individuals who have identified themselves or been identified by others as advocates of transhumanism (in alphabetical order). ... It has been suggested that Barrister#Advocates in Scotland be merged into this article or section. ... Techno-progressivism, technoprogressivism, or tech-progressivism (a portmanteau word combining technology-focused and progressivism), is a stance of active support for technological development and social progress. ... The word critic comes from the Greek κριτικός, kritikós - one who discerns, which itself arises from the Ancient Greek word κριτής, krités, meaning a person who offers reasoned judgement or analysis, value judgement, interpretation, or observation. ...

Human enhancement technologies

Human enhancement technologies (HET) are technologies that can be used not simply for treating illness and disability, but also for enhancing human capacities and characteristics. Technology (Gr. ... This article needs more context around or a better explanation of technical details to make it more accessible to general readers and technical readers outside the specialty, without removing technical details. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

HET are closely associated with transhumanism, a movement which espouses the ethical use of these technologies to increase human health, abilities, and lifespan. Natasha Vita-Mores Primo is an artistic depiction of a hypothetical posthuman of transhumanist speculation. ... Ability is one of the many ilities. ... Lifespan is the maximum number of years a species can survive, defined by the oldest documented age of an individual member. ...

The following are examples of human enhancing technologies:

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... An antidepressant is a medication used primarily in the treatment of clinical depression. ... // A brain-computer interface (BCI), sometimes called a direct neural interface or a brain-machine interface, is a direct communication pathway between a human or animal brain (or brain cell culture) and an external device. ... Cybernetics is the study of communication and control, typically involving regulatory feedback, in living organisms, in machines and organisations and their combinations, for example, in sociotechnical systems, computer controlled machines such as automata and robots. ... Doping drugs on display at The Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland In sports, doping refers to the use of performance-enhancing drugs, such as anabolic steroids, particularly those that are forbidden by the organizations that regulate competitions. ... Gene therapy using an Adenovirus vector. ... Growth hormone Growth hormone is a polypeptide hormone synthesised and secreted by the anterior pituitary gland which stimulates growth and cell reproduction in humans and other vertebrate animals. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Binaural beats or binaural tones are auditory processing artifacts, that is apparent sounds, the perception of which arises in the brain independent of physical stimuli. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Intelligence amplification (IA) refers to the process of enhancing human intelligence through the use of technology. ... Life extension refers to an increase in maximum or average lifespan, especially in humans, by slowing down or reversing the processes of aging. ... Nanomedicine is the medical application of nanotechnology and related research. ... NBIC is an acronym for the convergence of Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Information technology and Cognitive science. ... Nootropics are so-called smart drugs. ... Plastic surgery is a general term for operative manual and instrumental treatment which is performed for functional or aesthetic reasons. ... Reprogenetics is a term referring to the merging of reproductive and genetic technologies expected to happen in the near future as techniques like preimplantation genetic diagnosis become more available and more powerful. ...

Criticism

The general criticism of human enhancement, which is also voiced by some of its supporters, is that it is or will often be practiced with a reckless and selfish short-term perspective that is ignorant of the long-term consequences on individuals and the rest of society. They also feel that if, for example, a person takes a cognitive enhancing drug before an exam that they have an unfair advantage. It could be seem as being the same as taking a performance enhancing drug before a sports event.

Advocates of human enhancement who stress social responsibility, such as democratic transhumanists, defend and promote rigorous, independent safety testing of human enhancement technologies. Social responsibility is a doctrine that claims that an entity whether it is state, government, corporation, organization or individual has a responsibility to society. ... Democratic transhumanism, a term coined by James Hughes in 2002, refers to the ideas of transhumanists (humanists who support morphological freedom and the ethical use of technologies that enhance human capacities) who espouse liberal, social or radical democratic political views. ...

See also

Bioethics is the ethics of biological science and medicine. ... A neologism invented by Michel Foucault, the term Biopolitics or Biopolitical can refer to several different yet not incompatible concepts: In the work of Michel Foucault, the style of government that regulates populations through biopower. ... Bionics (also known as biomimetics, biognosis, biomimicry, or bionical creativity engineering) is the application of methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology. ... Cognitive liberty is the freedom to be the absolute sovereign of one’s own consciousness. ... Seven of Nine, a Borg in Star Trek: Voyager The term cyborg, a portmanteau of cybernetic organism, is used to designate an organism which is a mixture of organic and mechanical (synthetic) parts. ... The Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies was founded in 2004 by philosopher Nick Bostrom and bioethicist James Hughes. ... Intelligence amplification (IA) refers to the process of enhancing human intelligence through the use of technology. ... Liberal eugenics is the study and use of genetic engineering to improve human beings, specifically in regards to biological characteristics and capacities. ... Morphological freedom is, according to neuroscientist Anders Sandberg, an extension of one’s right to one’s body, not just self-ownership but also the right to modify oneself according to one’s desires. ... Participant evolution is a process of deliberately redesigning the human body and brain using technological means, with the goal of removing biological limitations. ... Posthuman Future by Michael Gibbs A posthuman or post-human is a hypothetical future being whose capabilities so radically exceed those of present humans as to be no longer human by current standards. ... Procreative beneficence is a term refering to the moral obligation of parents to have the healthiest children. ... Reprogenetics is a term referring to the merging of reproductive and genetic technologies expected to happen in the near future as techniques like preimplantation genetic diagnosis become more available and more powerful. ... Techno-progressivism, technoprogressivism, or tech-progressivism (a portmanteau word combining technology-focused and progressivism), is a stance of active support for technological development and social progress. ... Transhuman is a term that refers to an intermediary form between the human and the posthuman. ... Natasha Vita-Mores Primo is an artistic depiction of a hypothetical posthuman of transhumanist speculation. ...

References

• Agar, Nicholas. Liberal Eugenics: In Defence of Human Enhancement. Blackwell, 2004. ISBN 1-4051-2390-7 / ISBN 1-4051-2389-3
• Miah, Andy. Genetically Modified Athletes: Biomedical Ethics, Gene Doping and Sport. Routledge, 2004. ISBN 0-415-29880-6
• Naam, Ramez. More Than Human: Embracing the Promise of Biological Enhancement. Broadway Press, 2005. ISBN 0-7679-1843-6

Nicholas Agar is a professor of ethics and a senior lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington (VUM). ... Andy Miah is a lecturer in media, bioethics, and cyberculture at theUniversity of Paisley, Scotland and a Tutor in the Ethics of Science & Medicine in the Graduate School of Biomedical & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Scotland. ... Ramez Naam is a professional technologist who helped create two of the most widely used pieces of software in the world: Microsoft Internet Explorer and Microsoft Outlook. ...

External links

• Community Perspectives on the Right to Human Enhancement
• Enhancement Technologies Group
• Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies