Transhumanism and Elective Amputation Essay

Humanity is always trying to find a way to make themselves better. In recent news, this has led to a moral debate on weather or not using performance enhancing drugs for sports is morally correct or not. But, what if we had already manipulated the human body to make it better before we were even born? This is what Bill McKibben is referencing in his essay “Designer Genes”, on the morality and the biological arms race that could result when dealing with genetic manipulation and engineering. Though the cat isn’t out of the bag for genetic engineering he references what scientists are doing to skim the fine line that laws and ethics have laid down for us. McKibben’s audience is people who can make laws

Humans are on a constant quest in the search for perfection and advancement in all areas of life through progressive scientific knowledge. From such a stance, the future of humans appears boundless with all the potential possibilities biotechnology provides, but such developments will cause ethical, social and biological implications.

Scientist are researching genetic modification for many reasons. Some people think we are not good enough the way we are, and want to create a ‘perfect’ person. We have been given the ability to learn how to heal sickness and fix wounds with science. However, we have a responsibility to use this information wisely. We have been created with unique gifts and those gifts are important to the enhancement of life. Likewise, while researching about the Author of “The Perfect Stranger”, Amy Sterling Casil, I have discovered that she also has similar feelings about the gifts that we have all been given. We need to consider a few things as we review Casil’s story “The Perfect Stranger”. First, medical advancement is a great thing. Next, we need to make sure we are taking responsible steps while advancing and not creating even more division in our society. And lastly, we need to make sure we don’t lose our diversity and unique qualities. Although, some people believe genetic modification is what we need to better the human race, in actuality genetic modification can be dangerous, because overstepping our boundaries will produce something that is no longer authentic or that is unable to relate on a genuine level.

The evolution of technology has been hand in hand with the human subjugation of earth, but the question persists, when does the use of technology go too far? Advances in medical science have increased the average human lifespan and improved the quality of life for individuals. Medical science and biology are steadily arriving at new ways to alter humans by the use of advanced genetic alteration. This technology gives rise to the question of how this new technology ought to be used, if at all. The idea of human enhancement is a very general topic, since humans are constantly “enhancing” themselves through the use of tools. In referring to human enhancement, I am referring specifically to the use of genetic intervention prior to

To examine this possibility, Garreau interviewed Nick Bostrom, co-founder of the World Transhumanist Association. Bostrom shows his agreement with human transcendence by asserting that “Technological progress makes it harder for people to ignore the fact that we might actually change the human nature” (qtd. in Garreau, 242).

In the article “Amputees by choice”, Elliott talks about two desires that some people have, which are called Apotemnophiliacs and Acrotomopiliacs. Acrotomophilia is expressed for people with a sexual desire towards amputees. And for Apotemnopilia are people who have an attraction towards the idea of being an amputee. Elliott also explains that their culture on the internet, Acrotomphiles are known as “devotees” and Apotemnophiles are known as “wannabes”. The wannabes pretend to be disabled in public using crutches, wheelchairs, and etc to feel disabled. Elliott said in his article “Like Robert Smith, I have been struck by the way wannabes use the language of identity and selfhood in describing their desire to lose a limb. “I have always felt

When dealing with the morality of making ourselves more than human we need to draw a line between therapy and enhancement. Several proponents of the human enhancement argument, or transhumanists, are rather loathe to separate the two for a few reasons. Currently, modern medicine practices several methods of treatment that can be considered enhancements, as there is nothing currently wrong with the patient so there is technically nothing to treat. This includes things like vaccines, preventative care, and cosmetic surgery. (Bostrom, Roache 1) Another is that we treat things that are intrinsic to the person, such as a genetic or mental disorder. We use things such as chemicals or surgery to bring the person to a level as close to “average” human as possible. Their personal baseline of their physiology is brought up to speed with humanity and they tend to live happier lives. However, even though the argument is quite sound, human nature is much more complex. While we hopefully like to celebrate others ' individuality, we still want to strengthen those we see as weak, while at the same time maintaining our own superiority. This is where the fundamental difference between therapy and enhancements lie. While we want everyone to be

In the first portion of Sandel’s paper titled, The Case Against Perfection, Michael Sandel discussed the moral and ethics debate surrounding the notion of in the future designing our offspring by altering their genes prior to conception. Within his argument, Sandal focuses on four main arguments surrounding the following realms of enhancement: muscles, memory, growth hormone treatment, and reproductive technologies (Sandel 52). Firstly, Sandel argues that genetic modifications in improving muscles whether it be to aid in the elderly population, a majority whom struggle with immobility and must rely upon medical devices such as wheelchairs, walkers, or are restricted to their homes and consequently often have a decreased quality of life.

The technology is used to help humans overcome the physical and/ or mental limitations of the human body, resulting in the temporary or permanent augmentation of a person's abilities and features. In the piece, “The Case Against Perfection,” Michael J. Sandel argues that genetic enhancement is morally questionable. I will argue why his reasoning, more specifically his defense of “the giftedness of life,” is irrational. In this essay, I will explain Sandel’s moral objection against genetic enhancement, argue that his idea of “giftedness” is not as valuable as he states, and finally consider why my argument could be seen as fallible.

Amputations saved more lives than any other wartime medical procedure. The battlefield surgeons had made a pact that they would never slice through the joints of a human body unless it was absolutely required, to keep the patient secure and conscious. Furthermore, when amputations came along, it took no more than six minutes to make the cut. Within that hour, the body part of the patient was safely amputated. Compared to the old battlefield technique of trying to save the limbs, amputation was a much better resolution for the health of the damaged. In addition, the expertise of an amputation included cutting as far away from the heart as possible, due to cardiothoracic matters. As a result to this advancement, they lost about 25% of civilians compared to 75% of civilians before the amputation.

Biology is the science of life. Technology uses science to solve problems. Our society has progressed in its understanding of life to the point that we are able to manipulate it on a fundamental level through technology. This has led to profound ethical dilemmas. The movie Gattaca explores some important bioethical issues that are currently the focus of much dispute. The underlying thematic issue presented is the question of the extent to which biologically inherent human potential determines the true potential of a person. Perhaps the most controversial issue in Gattaca is the use of genetic engineering technology in humans to create a more perfect society; this is, essentially, a new

We can see that, human will evolve according to their environment. However, under the big change of the environment and the criminal affect, human body may have a great change due to the gene mutation. Trans-human is to strengthen or enhance their mental and physical by a scientific way. Nick Bostrum defined trans-humanism as "the intellectual and cultural movement that affirms the possibility and desirability of fundamentally improving the human condition through applied reason, especially by using technology to eliminate aging and greatly enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities. (Cole-Turner, 2011, p. 11) On the other side, under the great change of the environment, we may find different man-made system to help us keep survive. We may have an artificial life in the future. Steve and Veronika said that (Fuller & Lipinska, 2014, p. 64)"Transhumanism" is a coinage Thomas Henry Huxley. This is combination of Darwin's original vision of natural history and Mendel's experimental approach to genetics that continues to anchor research in the more theoretical reaches of the biological

Birds eye vision, ant-like strength, Einstein level intelligence, and the ability to live to 1,000 years are all possible changes to humanity in the near future. Humans have been enhancing themselves all over the world for many centuries, and the advancement of nanotechnologies is not slowing that down. These modifications already take place in the form of ancient Olympians eating mushrooms before events, Renaissance women wearing corsets to slim their waists, and modern athletes using steroids for muscle development . Enhancing ourselves through education, caffeine, herbal medications, meditation, and exercise are non-technological approaches that are not morally debated. Although inevitably unresolved, the first thing that needs to be

Amputation often causes patients to experience sensory illusions that the limb is still present. This is often called a phantom limb. This sense of having a phantom limb is a natural and frequent development during the recovery of an amputation. (1) (2) It is reported that at first, the phantom limb feels normal in size and shape, but in time this illusion of the size of the phantom limb usually becomes smaller.(1)

In prescription, prosthetic limb is a fake gadget that replaces a missing body part. The procedure of making this known as appendage prosthesis. It is a piece of the field of bio mechatronics, the study of utilizing mechanical gadgets with human muscle, skeleton, and sensory systems to support or improve engine control lost by trauma, ailment, or deformity. Prostheses are ordinarily used to supplant parts lost by harm (traumatic) or absent from conception (intrinsic) or to supplement imperfect body parts. Inside the body, manufactured heart valves are in like manner utilization with simulated hearts and lungs seeing less normal utilization. Other therapeutic gadgets and supports that could be considered prosthetics incorporate amplifiers,