Human enhancement

Fitter, happier, more productive. Who would say no? And a bit more attractive, please!

Not so very long ago, any form of human enhancement was considered taboo. One had to make the best of what nature had provided. Times have changed. Plastic surgery, fertility treatments and drugs to enhance mood or performance are rapidly becoming socially acceptable, if not the norm. Such developments threaten to overtake the debate on human enhancement.

Proponents of human enhancement would claim that the desire for improvement is nothing new. Cosmetics, education – even coffee – are all intended to make us more beautiful, smarter and more alert. Moreover, it is claimed, human enhancement can save the healthcare system a lot of money.

But does this mean we shall no longer care about the sick? Have we lost our solidarity? If health and intelligence can be bought, is there a choice or must everyone pursue the ideal? Is the healthcare system itself becoming far too expensive? Have we lost sight of the risks?

The debate threatens to reach an impasse, a stalemate between the 'fors' and the 'againsts'. The Rathenau Institute monitors public opinion and analyses the dilemmas. We wish to open all the fundamental, ethical and legal aspects to a full and frank discussion, placing well-defined questions on the agenda. This will enable both government and society to develop new perspectives on human enhancement.

By now, one of these new perspectives on human enhancement has been designed in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK). Namely, in a so-called ‘knowledge house’ for the political and official top [link to news article] and a conference for the broad audience of policy-making and executive officials [link to news article, see below] of both ministries, the topic on the agenda was human enhancement for a collective goal.

Generally, human enhancement revolves around individuals who autonomously choose to improve their own appearance or behaviour. What could be termed social enhancement pertains to human development geared towards social goals such as reaching social equality, security, or a higher productivity. Or even toward making soldiers braver or hooligans less aggressive. In the last case we speak of moral enhancement.