An Error Theory of Biotechnology and the Ethics of Chemical Breakups: It Is the Reasons, Not the Pharmaceuticals, That Are Important in Defending Against Perilous Love

摘要

In this commentary, I offer an account of an error theory of biotechnology and apply it to Brian D. Earp, Olga A. Wudarczyk, Anders Sandberg, and Julian Savulescu’s (2013) ethical framework for chemical breakups. Applying this error theory to their framework has two interesting implications. First, it illustrates that rather than the ethics of using pharmaceuticals for chemical breakups, this framework is really about the reasons and conditions for which individuals should act to defend against perilous love. Second, it shows that the manner inwhich this framework approaches the topic of chemical breakups is one way to advance discussions about the ethics of biotechnologies.