There seem to be an idea that enhancing a person, is doing something that violates the dignity of that person. What are your thoughts, & are there arguments that will profoundly validate that idea, or not?
Firstly, we need to understand the term enhancement: Enhancement is an intervention that improves the functioning of some subsystem of an organism beyond its reference state, or that creates an entirely new functioning or subsystem that the organism previously lacked.
Secondly to add some of the plenty ideas of what Dignity is:
There is one idea of dignity as social status. Traditionally thought of as something a person could be born into, or keep without merit, such as Aristocrat or Brahmin. Nowadays potentially achieved, about living and acting in dignified ways, not only, or not necessarily involving notions of morality.
There is an idea as dignity, as something we should respect. Bearers of dignity have rights, and such rights entails duty. We have a duty, or a moral obligation to not interfere with what is their right to have. Whether it is freedom of speech, or property, or their physical health, that is their right, to impede or obstruct them on those points, is to show disrespect for dignity. (Which indeed is wrong.)
There is an idea of dignity as being a synonymous to autonomy. Simply to respect peoples self-reigin and liberty, is to treat them with dignity. Can be linked to things like the fittingness of informed consent, or informed refusal, and respecting the persons will.
Firstly, we need to understand the term enhancement: Enhancement is an intervention that improves the functioning of some subsystem of an organism beyond its reference state, or that creates an entirely new functioning or subsystem that the organism previously lacked.
Secondly to add some of the plenty ideas of what Dignity is:
There is one idea of dignity as social status. Traditionally thought of as something a person could be born into, or keep without merit, such as Aristocrat or Brahmin. Nowadays potentially achieved, about living and acting in dignified ways, not only, or not necessarily involving notions of morality.
There is an idea as dignity, as something we should respect. Bearers of dignity have rights, and such rights entails duty. We have a duty, or a moral obligation to not interfere with what is their right to have. Whether it is freedom of speech, or property, or their physical health, that is their right, to impede or obstruct them on those points, is to show disrespect for dignity. (Which indeed is wrong.)
There is an idea of dignity as being a synonymous to autonomy. Simply to respect peoples self-reigin and liberty, is to treat them with dignity. Can be linked to things like the fittingness of informed consent, or informed refusal, and respecting the persons will.
