Posthuman Condition (Paperback)

Kasper Lippert-Rasmussen

ISBN 10: 8779345700 / ISBN 13: 9788779345706

Published by Aarhus University Press, Aarhus, 2012

About this Item

Paperback. If biotechnology can be used to "upgrade" humans physically and mentally, should it be used at all? And, if so, to what extent? How will biotechnology affect societal cohesion? Can the development be controlled, or is this a Pandora's box that should remain closed? These are but a few of the perplex questions facing scientists as a result of the increasing ability of technology to change biology and, in turn, profoundly change human living conditions. This development has created a new post-human horizon that will influence contemporary life and politics in a number of ways. This book addresses the challenges of: Imagining a society where the properties of humans have shifted radically; Assessing the scope of deploying technologies that are already underway; Basing decisions on an ethical foundation that does not entail a concept of human nature; Ascertaining the types of political action that can and should be taken in the face of this situation The anthology brings together researchers from a wide range of disciplines: biotechnology, medicine, ethics, politics, and aesthetics, and among contributors are Francis Fukuyama, Julian Savulescu, Maxwell Mehlman, John Harris and Chris Hables Gray. Biotechnologys promise to upgrade human bodies and minds ignites ethical and political dilemmas, challenging our limits in altering human nature. As rapid technological advances reshape everyday life, interdisciplinary debates probe profound impacts on society, politics, and the essence of being human. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9788779345706

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Posthuman Condition (Paperback)
• Publisher: Aarhus University Press, Aarhus
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 8779345700
• ISBN 13: 9788779345706
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

If biotechnology can be used to "upgrade" humans physically and mentally, should it be used at all? And, if so, to what extent? How will biotechnology affect societal cohesion? Can the development be controlled, or is this a Pandora's box that should remain closed? These are but a few of the perplex questions facing scientists as a result of the increasing ability of technology to change biology and, in turn, profoundly change human living conditions. This development has created a new posthuman horizon that will influence contemporary life and politics in a number of ways. The Posthuman Condition addresses the challenges of: Imagining a society where the properties of humans have shifted radically Assessing the scope of deploying technologies that are already underway Basing decisions on an ethical foundation that does not entail a concept of human nature Ascertaining the types of political action that can and should be taken in the face of this situation The anthology brings together researchers from a wide range of disciplines: biotechnology, medicine, ethics, politics, and aesthetics, and among contributors are Francis Fukuyama, Julian Savulescu, Maxwell Mehlman, John Harris and Chris Hables Gray.

About the Author

Kasper Lippert- Rasmussen (born 1964), DPhil (Oxford), MA (Essex), Cand. Scient. Pol. & Exam. Art. (Aarhus), is a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. He works primarily in ethics, political philosophy and informal logic. His articles on these matters have appeared in journals such as Journal of Political Philosophy, Ethics, Philosophy & Public Affairs, The Journal of Ethics, Philosophical Studies, Politics, Economics & Philosophy, and Philosophical Books. Jacob Wamberg is Professor of Art at the University of Aarhus in Denmark. He works on evolutionistic theories of the history of the visual arts, especially in relation to nature and technology, focussing periodically in the Renaissance and 20 and 21 centuries.