The Ethics of Generating Posthumans: Philosophical and Theological Reflections on Bringing New Persons into Existence

Description

Should transhuman and posthuman persons ever be brought into existence? And if so, could they be generated in a good and loving way? This study explores how society may respond to the actual generation of new kinds of persons from ethical, philosophical, and theological perspectives. Contributors to this volume address a number of essential questions, including the ethical ramifications of generating new life, the relationships that generators may have with their creations, and how these creations may consider their generation. This collection's interdisciplinary approach traverses the philosophical writings of Aristotle, Aquinas, Kant, Nietzsche, and Heidegger, alongside theological considerations from Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions. It invites academics, faith leaders, policy makers, and stakeholders to think through the ethical gamut of generating posthuman and transhuman persons.

Calum MacKellar is Director of Research of the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. Trevor Stammers is Associate Professor of Bioethics and Director of the Centre for Bioethics and Emerging Technologies at St Mary's University, London, UK.

"This book is a tour de force. The authors offer a detailed critical analysis of the neuroscience of morality, arguing that it gives a reductive account of the human, profoundly shaped by neoliberal economic thought. The book is at once an incisive and provocative critique of current neuroscience and a call for a more humane cultural conversation about what it means to be human." --Neil Messer, Professor of Theology, University of Winchester, UK