La libertad de elegir o la tiranía de la mejora

Lydia Feito

doi:10.5565/rev/enrahonar.1531

Freedom to choose or the tyranny of enhancement?

Authors

Lydia Feito Universidad Complutense de Madrid https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9300-5470

PDF (ES)

Abstract

Attempts to improve the human being are based on the assumption that it is possible to achieve something more perfect than what we are at present. However, the ultimate goal of enhancement actions is not always considered. If what is produced is not the achievement of an optimal range, but an unlimited process of continuous enhancement, a question arises as to how the identity of individuals is altered, what the consequences of this reconstruction process would be, and what it means to speak about the human being when the characteristics that define him or her can be altered at will. Likewise, it is also worth asking how much freedom of choice is left to individuals, how parents’ autonomy in decisions about their children is compromised, and to what extent enhancement becomes a demand for modifications in order to achieve a better humanity.

Keywords

enhancement, identity, autonomy, narrative, ethics

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Author Biography

Lydia Feito, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Lydia Feito is a professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the Complutense University of Madrid. She has a PhD in Philosophy and Neuroscience. She is currently president of the Association of Fundamental and Clinical Bioethics and a member of the Spanish Bioethics Committee.