What if you just want to live a longer and healthier life? What would you be prepared to do?

These questions are discussed in Michael Hauskeller’s new book, a philosophical exploration of the arguments surrounding human enhancement. Hauskeller is sceptical about the value of such aspirations. We know this even before Better Humans? begins, as his acknowledgements thank, among others, Carl Elliott, Walter Glannon and Erik Parens – all well-known critics of human enhancement.

He goes on to build up each example of enhancement only to knock it down, broadly rejecting the claim that there is any uncontested value to human enhancement. Instead, he sees pro-enhancement arguments as failing to grasp fundamental aspects of the human condition. Cognitive improvements and artificial brain implants will leave us devoid of any authenticity or sense of self, he argues; defeating ageing will lead us to devalue life, or deny ourselves crucial mental maturation. Improving beauty, moreover, he sees as impossible, since “our standards of beauty are so much tied to the human form”. Cue the current “bagel head” fashion in Japan, which involves injecting saline solution into the forehead to create a bagel-shaped lump.

Click Here to read more...