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Nick Boström Is the the co-founder and joint coordinator of the World Transhumanist Association and an editor of the Journal of Transhumanism. He has a background in physics, computational neuroscience, AI, mathematical logic and philosophy. Currently he is teaching at the London School of Economics where he is also completing the final year of his PhD in the philosophy of science. His reseach interests include: transhumanism, the future of nanotechnology and artificial intelligence, anthropic reasoning, and the methodology of probabilistic forecasting. On the non-academic side, Nick Bostrom has been doing stand-up comedy on the London circuit and for television. Presentation: Towards a transhumanist medical ethics. We are entering an era when medicine will not only cure diseases but will also be used to extend human capacities and improve on what has hitherto been regarded as "normal" healthy conditions. These developments will raise difficult ethical challenges. Should national health care pay for anti-aging drugs? Should parents be allowed to use genetic engineering to improve the intelligence or other desirable traits of their offspring? Should some genetic enhancements be mandatory? What restrictions need to be imposed? Should schoolchildren taking exams be allowed to use smart-drugs? How could present anti-drug legislation be changed to allow people to benefit from mood-drugs and drugs that can be used to fine-tune personality? This paper attempts to outline what some of the issues are, and to highlight the wide range of ethical considerations that need to be addressed in order to develop a responsible transhumanist medical ethics that will enable people to enjoy the benefits enhancement-technologies. |
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