scholarly journals Human enhancement and functional diversity: Ethical concerns of emerging technologies and transhumanism

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miquel-Àngel Serra
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Emerging Technologies ◽  
Human Enhancement ◽  
Collective Responsibility ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Ethical Concerns ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Radical Transformation

The concepts of posthuman, transhuman, transhumanism and human enhancement, and their use of emerging technologies, are described together with their scientific and social implications. Genome editing techniques for enhancement purposes, as well as their scientific, societal, and ethical drawbacks are specifically discussed. In particular, we focus on a perspective of personal and collective responsibility and social inclusion, considering all people, with their functional diversity or different abilities. Pros and cons of proposals for radical transformation as endorsed by transhumanism (genome editing), their impact on future generations and on subjects with functional diversity, and the need of a global ethical frame, are discussed.

Environmental DNA for functional diversity

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Taberlet ◽  
Aurélie Bonin ◽  
Lucie Zinger ◽  
Eric Coissac
Keyword(s):  
Functional Groups ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Soil Organisms ◽  
Meaningful Information ◽  
Dna Metabarcoding ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Target Community

Chapter 10 “Environmental DNA for functional diversity” discusses the potential of environmental DNA to assess functional diversity. It first focuses on DNA metabarcoding and discusses the extent to which this approach can be used and/or optimized to retrieve meaningful information on the functions of the target community. This knowledge usually involves coarsely defined functional groups (e.g., woody, leguminous, graminoid plants; shredders or decomposer soil organisms; pathogenicity or decomposition role of certain microorganisms). Chapter 10 then introduces metagenomics and metatranscriptomics approaches, their advantages, but also the challenges and solutions to appropriately sampling, sequencing these complex DNA/RNA populations. Chapter 10 finally presents several strategies and software to analyze metagenomes/metatranscriptomes, and discusses their pros and cons.

scholarly journals “It's your family that kills you”: Responsibility, Evidence, and Misfortune in the Making of Ndyuka History

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 629-658
Author(s):  
Stuart Earle Strange
Keyword(s):  
Collective Responsibility ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
The Creation

AbstractQuestions of responsibility are central to the politics and metaphysics of history. This paper examines the creation of different histories from alternative formulations of personal and collective responsibility among urban Ndyuka Maroons in present-day Suriname. Tracing conflicting attempts to assign accountability for a senior man's sickness, I argue that a distinctly Ndyuka conception of history emerges from the dialectical relation between the material qualities of misfortunes and the practices Ndyuka use to affix responsibility. Ndyuka efforts to assuage history as embodied by ghosts and other spirits that seek revenge on corporate kin groups simultaneously use the symptoms of misfortune to make history and attempt to contain or deny the transmissibility of collective responsibility to future generations. Understanding this process demonstrates how distinct perceptions of historicity emerge from different conceptions of responsibility, and the extent to which intergenerational sociality is defined by conflicted attempts to redefine historical accountability as much as to acknowledge it.

Ethical Concerns in Human Enhancement

2015 ◽  
pp. 124-150
Author(s):  
Ben Tran
Keyword(s):  
Business Ethics ◽  
Human Enhancement ◽  
Normal Range ◽  
Functional Changes ◽  
Organizational Settings ◽  
Ethical Concerns ◽  
Human Characteristic

The purpose of this chapter is on issue of fairness and equity in corporations and organizational settings due to advantages received as a result of human enhancement. In so doing, the purpose of this chapter will also analyze the paradigms of bioethics and (business) ethics and legality will be utilized in analyzing the issue of fairness and equity in corporations and organizational settings due to advantages received as a result of human enhancement. Human enhancement, used in this chapter, includes any activity by which we improve our bodies, minds, or abilities beyond what we regard today as normal. In relations to advantages in corporations and organizational settings, human enhancement, used in this chapter, means ways to make functional changes to human characteristic, also referred to as neuro-cognitive enhancements, beyond what we regard as typical, normal, or statistically normal range of functioning for an individual.

Ethical Concerns in Human Enhancement

2016 ◽  
pp. 119-144
Author(s):  
Ben Tran
Keyword(s):  
Business Ethics ◽  
Human Enhancement ◽  
Normal Range ◽  
Functional Changes ◽  
Organizational Settings ◽  
Ethical Concerns ◽  
Human Characteristic

The purpose of this chapter is on issue of fairness and equity in corporations and organizational settings due to advantages received as a result of human enhancement. In so doing, the purpose of this chapter will also analyze the paradigms of bioethics and (business) ethics and legality will be utilized in analyzing the issue of fairness and equity in corporations and organizational settings due to advantages received as a result of human enhancement. Human enhancement, used in this chapter, includes any activity by which we improve our bodies, minds, or abilities beyond what we regard today as normal. In relations to advantages in corporations and organizational settings, human enhancement, used in this chapter, means ways to make functional changes to human characteristic, also referred to as neuro-cognitive enhancements, beyond what we regard as typical, normal, or statistically normal range of functioning for an individual.

scholarly journals Moral reasons to edit the human genome: picking up from the Nuffield report

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (8) ◽  
pp. 514-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Gyngell ◽  
Hilary Bowman-Smart ◽  
Julian Savulescu
Keyword(s):  
Human Genome ◽  
Genome Editing ◽  
Human Enhancement ◽  
Moral Reasons ◽  
Detailed Consideration ◽  
Nuffield Council ◽  
Council Report ◽  
Guiding Principles

In July 2018, the Nuffield Council of Bioethics released its long-awaited report on heritable genome editing (HGE). The Nuffield report was notable for finding that HGE could be morally permissible, even in cases of human enhancement. In this paper, we summarise the findings of the Nuffield Council report, critically examine the guiding principles they endorse and suggest ways in which the guiding principles could be strengthened. While we support the approach taken by the Nuffield Council, we argue that detailed consideration of the moral implications of genome editing yields much stronger conclusions than they draw. Rather than being merely ‘morally permissible’, many instances of genome editing will be moral imperatives.

scholarly journals The technical risks of human gene editing

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (11) ◽  
pp. 2104-2111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Davies
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Gene Editing ◽  
Human Gene ◽  
Ethical Concerns ◽  
Technical Risks ◽  
Genomic Mutation ◽  
Cas Gene

Abstract A recent report from Dr He Jiankui concerning the birth of twin girls harbouring mutations engineered by CRISPR/Cas nucleases has been met with international condemnation. Beside the serious ethical concerns, there are known technical risks associated with CRISPR/Cas gene editing which further raise questions about how these events could have been allowed to occur. Numerous studies have reported unexpected genomic mutation and mosaicism following the use of CRISPR/Cas nucleases, and it is currently unclear how prevalent these disadvantageous events are and how robust and sensitive the strategies to detect these unwanted events may be. Although Dr Jiankui’s study appears to have involved certain checks to ascertain these risks, the decision to implant the manipulated embryos, given these unknowns, must nonetheless be considered reckless. Here I review the technical concerns surrounding genome editing and consider the available data from Dr Jiankui in this context. Although the data remains unpublished, preventing a thorough assessment of what was performed, it seems clear that the rationale behind the undertaking was seriously flawed; the procedures involved substantial technical risks which, when added to the serious ethical concerns, fully justify the widespread criticism that the events have received.

scholarly journals Public and Stakeholder Engagement in Developing Human Heritable Genome Editing Policies: What Does it Mean and What Should it Mean?

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana S. Iltis ◽  
Sarah Hoover ◽  
Kirstin R. W. Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Genome Editing ◽  
Stakeholder Engagement ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Scientific Practice ◽  
Human Embryos ◽  
Unrealistic Optimism ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Ethical Concerns ◽  
New Treatments

As scientific research pushes the boundaries of knowledge, new discoveries and technologies often raise ethical and social questions. Public responses vary from surprise, to unrealistic optimism about imminent new treatments, confusion, and absolute opposition. Regardless of the intent, the use of a precise gene editing tool on human embryos, such as CRISPR-Cas9, is an example of such a controversial emerging technology. Substantive disagreement about the appropriate research pathways and permissible clinical applications is to be expected. Many ethical concerns, especially related to genetic manipulation of human embryos, are rooted in deeply held moral, religious, or ideological beliefs that science alone cannot address. Today, more scientists and scientific societies as well as policy makers are calling for public and stakeholder engagement in developing guidelines and policies governing scientific practice. We conducted a critical interpretive review of the literature on public and stakeholder engagement in science policy development regarding emerging technologies to determine the ideals that should guide engagement efforts of entities developing recommendations or guidelines on policy for such technologies. We identify and describe five ideals. To illustrate possible applications of these ideals, we review the engagement efforts described in three reports on heritable human genome editing and assess those efforts in light of these ideals. Finally, we recommend possible avenues for engagement that would advance those goals.

scholarly journals Current Capabilities, Precision, and Risks of Genome Editing Techniques in Agricultural Systems

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgan Carter
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Genome Editing ◽  
Target Selection ◽  
Agricultural Systems ◽  
Molecular Tools ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Regulatory Measures ◽  
Wide Testing ◽  
Careful Design

We are in a new chapter of crop and livestock improvement with the emergence of genome editing. This latest generation of molecular tools can be used to make targeted changes in a genome including insertions, deletions, and mutations. With new advances comes new risks for unintended changes and impacts, thus the need for appropriate risk assessment for product development and to inform regulatory measures. Though CRISPR/Cas has arisen as the predominant technology, there are multiple types of genome editing tools each with pros and cons depending on the organism and desired outcome. Furthermore, each editing tool differs in specificity as they may edit non-intended sites, referred to as off-target edits. The consensus of the agricultural editing community is to avoid off-target editing through design and detection, instead of determining whether off-target editing in each case is detrimental. The design of a targeting component, the tool chosen, and the identification of the edit(s) made are the critical factors in avoiding off-target edits and confirming intended edits in final products that are released commercially. The limited amount of head-to-head comparisons of genome editing tools in diverse crops and livestock make it difficult to develop broad conclusions and best practices, which is further compounded by the diversity of techniques, targets, and processes. Developers and breeders should consult the literature and test as needed to determine which editing technology will be the most effective for their purposes, especially as more tools with altered efficiency and specificity become available. Yet, the lack of off-target edits in studies that employed careful design of targeting components followed by wide testing for on- and off-target edits bodes well for the use of genome editing with proper precautions of target selection and screening.

scholarly journals Global divisions of health; bioethical principles, practices and regulations on human genome editing and stem cell research in Latin America

Bionatura ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 895-896
Author(s):  
Abril Saldaña Tejeda
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Stem Cell ◽  
Human Genome ◽  
Genome Editing ◽  
Stem Cell Research ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Human Enhancement ◽  
Genetic Technologies ◽  
Somatic Genome ◽  
Cell Genome

Recent genetic technologies have uncovered the urgent need for global governance of health that can guarantee an ethical consensus on human genome editing and stem cell research. Although the majority of gene-transfer trials have been located in the Americas and Europe, the regulation of human somatic cell genome editing is generally limited in Latin America and largely informed by ethical concerns about genetically modified plants and animals, biopiracy, biosecurity, and use of stem cells for clinical care. Few jurisdictions in the region (i.e., Chile, Panama, Ecuador, and Colombia) have explicitly addressed somatic genome editing. Jurisdictions often address concerns regarding the use of new biotechnologies (i.e., CRISPR-Cas9) for human “enhancement” purposes rather than the prevention or cure of serious medical conditions 1.

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