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KMID : 1172020230240010031
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Journal of Korean Bioethics Association
2023 Volume.24 No. 1 p.31 ~ p.50
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The Problem of the Concept of Nature in Human Enhancement and the Call for a New Ontology
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Cha Hyun-Jae
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Abstract
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With the continuous and rapid progression of genetic engineering and nanotechnology, enhancement technologies are unveiling various possibilities for future medicine. This paper seeks to investigate how various discussions of 'nature' and 'human nature' influence moral judgment and support for these technologies in the discourse on enhancement. To accomplish this, I will closely scrutinize the debates of enhancement technologies by bio-conservatives, bio-liberalists, and transhumanists, centering around the concept of 'nature'. Despite their opposing positions, their stances share a common limitations: they conceive of enhancement and promote certain values within an humanistic framework and dualistic ontology. Consequently, I suggest that the enhancement discussion should evolve within a new ontological framework that includes 1) environmental and contextual considerations, 2) questions about ‘which’ human and ‘what’ gets enhanced, and 3) thoughts beyond the biological body and mind of human. Lastly, through the adoption of a posthumanist ontology, I propose a perspective that perceives enhancement technologies as expansive systems that transcend boundaries, rather than simplistically reducing humans, nature, and technology to a single axis.
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KEYWORD
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Enhancement, Technology, Nature, Human Nature, Posthumanism
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