In Service to Others: A New Evolutionary Perspective on Human Enhancement

Abstract

In enhancement ethics, evolutionary theory has been largely perceived as supporting liberal views on enhancement, in which decisions to enhance are predominantly regulated by the principle of individual autonomy. In this article, I critique this perception in light of recent scientific developments. Cultural evolutionary theory suggests a picture in which individual interests are entangled with community interests, and this undermines the applicability of the principle of autonomy. This is particularly relevant for enhancement ethics given how—I argue—decisions to enhance are often influenced by desires to increase social status. The service view on enhancement, based on principles of service and trust, offers, I propose, better guidance for the challenges of social living.

The Varieties of Darwinism: Explanation, Logic, and Worldview

“…and how to relate these properties in a coherent explanation. Such an ideal could at first approximation be categorized as a Kuhnian paradigm iv , but the term "logic" entails that there is from the sociology of the even more suggestively as a professional ideal that organizes work, in that such an ideal is both an "ideology" (system of values) and a "logic (manner of reasoning) (Freidson 2001;Desmond 2020).…”

Ethical and legal considerations of mood enhancement technology

“…The principle of justice, particularly distributive justice, is discussed in the HET debate when developing or deploying a specific HET entails individual privilege. Many authors fear that introducing HETs might provoke an increase in inequality should their regulation remain within the scope of the free market since only a smaller group of people will be able to afford them, at least during the early days of their availability (Palazzani, 2019;Desmond, 2021). A group of authors discussing justice calls for examining not only the consequences of this technology but also more rooted issues, such as why some have access to the technology and others do not, as well as how this could impact their access to different opportunities.…”

Personhood, Welfare, and Enhancement

“…Such examples are not marginal considerations for the ethics of enhancement. Elsewhere I have worked to show how social status infiltrate many of our decisions-especially decisions to enhance-and how an ethics of enhancement should reflect this (Desmond 2020(Desmond , 2021. The examples also point to the limits of an individual-focused ethics, since our ideas about what will bring us "welfare" or "benefit" is inextricably bound up with the evaluative judgments present in families, communities, or even online environments such as social media (for the latter, see Desmond 2022).…”