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Thomistic Appraisal of Human Enhancement Technologies
Jason Eberl, PhD, Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Debate concerning the enhancement of human capacities through genetic, pharmacological, or technological means often revolves around the question of whether there is a common “nature” that all human beings share and which is unwarrantedly violated by enhancing a human being’s capabilities beyond the normal level defined by this shared “nature.” In this presentation, I critically analyze various historical and contemporary religious and philosophical views on what features might define human nature. I will then explicate the 13th-century philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas’s hylomorphic theory of human nature, noting certain key traits commonly shared among human beings that define each as a “person” who possesses inviolable moral status. Understanding the qualities that uniquely define the nature of human persons created in the "imago Dei," which includes self-conscious awareness, capacity for intellective thought, and volitional autonomy, informs the ethical assessment of various forms of human enhancement. Some forms of enhancement—assuming they are demonstrably safe and efficacious—for certain types of capacities may be not only morally permissible, but even desirable from the perspective of what constitutes the “flourishing” of human persons in our fundamental nature—for example, enhancing one’s immune system or cognitive capacity for memory. Other forms of enhancement run the risk of detracting from human flourishing or altering one’s nature in ways that would lead to complicated social relationships with other human persons, with the result that such forms of enhancement ought not to be pursued—for example, attempts to enhance one’s emotive responses. Finally, I will evaluate attempts to “morally enhance” human beings from the virtue-theoretic perspective Aquinas promotes.
Debate concerning the enhancement of human capacities through genetic, pharmacological, or technological means often revolves around the question of whether there is a common “nature” that all human beings share and which is unwarrantedly violated by enhancing a human being’s capabilities beyond the normal level defined by this shared “nature.” In this presentation, I critically analyze various historical and contemporary religious and philosophical views on what features might define human nature. I will then explicate the 13th-century philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas’s hylomorphic theory of human nature, noting certain key traits commonly shared among human beings that define each as a “person” who possesses inviolable moral status. Understanding the qualities that uniquely define the nature of human persons created in the "imago Dei," which includes self-conscious awareness, capacity for intellective thought, and volitional autonomy, informs the ethical assessment of various forms of human enhancement. Some forms of enhancement—assuming they are demonstrably safe and efficacious—for certain types of capacities may be not only morally permissible, but even desirable from the perspective of what constitutes the “flourishing” of human persons in our fundamental nature—for example, enhancing one’s immune system or cognitive capacity for memory. Other forms of enhancement run the risk of detracting from human flourishing or altering one’s nature in ways that would lead to complicated social relationships with other human persons, with the result that such forms of enhancement ought not to be pursued—for example, attempts to enhance one’s emotive responses. Finally, I will evaluate attempts to “morally enhance” human beings from the virtue-theoretic perspective Aquinas promotes.