Humanity and nanotechnology--judging enhancements
tihamer toth-fejelThe national Catholic bioethics quarterly
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Abstract
At the current rate of progress, molecular nanotechnology will soon make it possible to precisely arrange individual atoms in bulk quantities, making many extraordinary medical enhancements possible. In order to judge whether a given enhancement is right or wrong, we need a well-thought-out value system and a methodology for applying it. If we can determine the morality of nanomedical enhancements, then we will have gone far towards learning how to safely and morally handle other, more dangerous applications of nanotechnology, such as those involved in national security. On the other hand, if we do not understand these new technologies and their moral implications, and if our values are self-contradictory and selfishly shortsighted, then these powerful technologies will rightfully frighten and confuse us, and might even cause our extinction-within the next decade or two. Attempting to relinquish or banish the technology will only push it underground where it will become even more dangerous. One way to start avoiding all these dangers is to ask the right questions.
Key takeaways
- At the current rate of progress, molecular nanotechnology will soon make it possible to precisely arrange individual atoms in bulk quantities, making many extraordinary medical enhancements possible.
- One can use natural law to determine if an enhancement is right or wrong by asking the following questions: 1) Which phenomenon is primary?
- In the case of enhancements, most of the goals are goods, such as increased beauty or abilities.
- This means that enhancements are wrong if their primary intent is to better allow a person to fall into the artificial happiness of virtual reality.
- The morality of brain enhancements is not as clear, partially because we do not know enough about how the brain works, though nanotechnology will help in discovering that knowledge.
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