Conclusion: The Debate About Human Enhancement

Abstract

The social debate surrounding the concept of human enhancement provides a guideline for reflection and further discussion. The debate often centres on definitions: what is a human being, what is an ‘ideal’ human being and what does it mean to ‘enhance’ it? A second common issue is a concern when technologies move from medical treatment to enhancement, raising issues of (in)equality and responsibility. Although widely different manifestations of human enhancement are discussed, they constitute a common debate: who should take life-changing decisions, and how should we deal with different frames, ethical outlooks and risk attitudes? This debate is often polarised. We can enhance the quality and effectiveness of the debate, as is attested by the contributions to this volume, by means of clarifying, broadening and deepening the subject matter. If we analyse human enhancement issues in clearer, richer and more nuanced ways, we can take the discussion to a next level.

Translated by Maartje Wienke.