Human Enhancement Edited by Julian Savulescu and Nick Bostrom

摘要

This book on the bioethics of human enhancement contains an Introduction by the editors on ‘the state of the debate’; 10 chapters on human enhancement in general; seven chapters on specific enhancements; and a coda chapter on practical challenges to enhancement. The line-up of authors is impressive and includes a number of leading bioethicists. The editors are well known for their transhumanist views grounded in a broadly consequentialist position, so I was interested to see how fair they are to their anti-enhancement opposition. The answer is, scrupulously: anti-enhancement authors contribute to this book and their views are treated respectfully (though I was disappointed not to see a contribution by heavyweight critics of enhancement, such as Fukuyama; there was a striking over-reliance on Sandel as the major voice of disquiet).