Resisting Sparrow's Sexy<i>Reductio</i>: Selection Principles and the Social Good

Douglas, Thomas; Powell, Russell; Devolder, Katrien; Stafforini, Pablo; Rippon, Simon

doi:10.1080/15265161.2010.482642

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Because transhumanists are predominantly males and unmarried (Pelissier and Dal Santo , 23–24), they generally tend (unconsciously) to take the male body and modes of rationality as normative when thinking of enhancement (Douglas et al. ; Hughes ; Kahane and Savulescu ). On the road to “postgenderism,” some authors (such as Dvorsky and Hughes ), are somewhat condescending toward women, downgrading all that has to do with motherhood.…”

Section: Transhumanists and The Evolution Of Birthmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Evolution of Human Birth and Transhumanist Proposals of Enhancement

Cruz¹

2015

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Some transhumanists argue that we must engage with theories and facts about our evolutionary past in order to promote future enhancements of the human body. At the same time, they call our attention to the flawed character of evolution and argue that there is a mismatch between adaptation to ancestral environments and contemporary life. One important trait of our evolutionary past which should not be ignored, and yet may hinder the continued perfection of humankind, is the peculiarly human way of bearing and raising children. The suffering associated with childbirth and a long childhood have demanded trade-offs that have enhanced our species, leading to cooperation, creativity, intelligence and resilience. Behaviors such as mother-infant engagement, empathy, storytelling, and ritual have also helped to create what we value most in human beings. Therefore, the moral, cognitive, and emotional enhancements proposed by these transhumanists may be impaired by their partial appropriation of evolution, insofar as the bittersweet experience of parenthood is left aside.

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Section: Transhumanists and The Evolution Of Birthmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Evolution of Human Birth and Transhumanist Proposals of Enhancement

Cruz¹

2015

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“…4.For an earlier formulation of this principle, see Douglas et al (2010). Jakob Elster (2011) has suggested a similar selection principle, which he calls General Procreative Beneficence .…”

Section: Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…7.For discussion of the other-regarding reasons bearing on selection decisions, see Faust 2008, Walker 2009, Douglas et al 2010, and Elster 2011.…”

Section: Notesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Procreative Altruism: Beyond Individualism in Reproductive Selection

Douglas¹,

Devolder²

2013

Journal of Medicine and Philosophy

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Existing debate on procreative selection focuses on the well-being of the future child. However, selection decisions can also have significant effects on the well-being of others. Moreover, these effects may run in opposing directions; some traits conducive to the well-being of the selected child may be harmful to others, whereas other traits that limit the child’s well-being may preserve or increase that of others. Prominent selection principles defended to date instruct parents to select a child, of the possible children they could have, likely to have a good (or nonbad) life, but they do not instruct parents to independently take the well-being of others into account. We refer to these principles as individualistic selection principles. We propose a new selection principle—Procreative Altruism—according to which parents have significant moral reason to select a child whose existence can be expected to contribute more to (or detract less from) the well-being of others than any alternative child they could have. We present the case for adopting Procreative Altruism alongside any of the major individualistic selection principles proposed to date and defend this two-principle model against a range of objections.

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Why BioethicistsStillNeed to Think More About Sex …

Sparrow

2010

The American Journal of Bioethics

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Resisting Sparrow's SexyReductio: Selection Principles and the Social Good

Cited by 3 publications

References 5 publications

The Evolution of Human Birth and Transhumanist Proposals of Enhancement

The Evolution of Human Birth and Transhumanist Proposals of Enhancement

Procreative Altruism: Beyond Individualism in Reproductive Selection

Why BioethicistsStillNeed to Think More About Sex …

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