Publication: Intervenciones biomédicas de mejora, mejoras objetivas y mejoras discriminatorias: ¿De la eugenesia al darwinismo social?
Loading...
Identifiers
Publication date
2015-01-01
Defense date
Authors
Advisors
Tutors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Universidad de Granada
Impact
Export
Abstract
La tecnología biomédica, especialmente la genética, podrá ser previsiblemente aplicable
para intervenciones que no tendrán carácter terapéutico, sino de “mejora” de las capacidades
o aptitudes de los seres humanos. Ante estas prácticas, que según algunos resucitan la idea
de eugenesia, distintos autores han negado que sean aplicables sin más las prevenciones
desarrolladas frente a la eugenesia histórica. Además, reivindican una eugenesia liberal que
librada de las decisiones estatales y confiada a las decisiones individuales pasaría a estar
justificada o incluso a ser moralmente obligatoria en la medida que supusiese un beneficio
para los descendientes. En este artículo se defiende que aunque las acusaciones que se le
hacían a la eugenesia histórica no son, en efecto, aplicables, eso no significa que se trate
de unas prácticas y de una teoría exenta de problemas. Particularmente se examina en qué
consistiría una “mejora” y se sostiene que determinadas intervenciones, aun constituyendo
mejoras en un determinado contexto, no por ello han de reputarse necesariamente como
aceptables, como es el caso de las mejoras discriminatorias. Por último, como muchas
mejoras lo son únicamente en términos posicionales, se cuestiona si no están más cerca
del darwinismo social que de la propia eugenesia.
Biomedical technology, especially genetics, will predictably be used for treatments that far from being therapeutic would be aimed to enhance human capabilities or abilities. These practices revive in a certain way the idea of eugenics, but certain authors have denied the accuracy of using against them the traditional reasons and preventions against historical eugenics. Moreover, they defend what is called “liberal eugenics”: being those practices freed from state reliance they would become morally justified or even morally obligatory when they can be used for the benefit of our future children. This article defends that even if charges against historical eugenics are not in general applicable here, these practices and theories present several problems. It is discussed what an “enhance” could be and to what extent to enhance can be inacceptable from a moral perspective even in cases of objective improvement. This could be the case of what it is named here as discriminatory enhancement. Finally, it is suggested that the fact that so many enhancements provide only positional improvements, invites to consider these practices to be closer to Social Darwinism than to eugenics.
Biomedical technology, especially genetics, will predictably be used for treatments that far from being therapeutic would be aimed to enhance human capabilities or abilities. These practices revive in a certain way the idea of eugenics, but certain authors have denied the accuracy of using against them the traditional reasons and preventions against historical eugenics. Moreover, they defend what is called “liberal eugenics”: being those practices freed from state reliance they would become morally justified or even morally obligatory when they can be used for the benefit of our future children. This article defends that even if charges against historical eugenics are not in general applicable here, these practices and theories present several problems. It is discussed what an “enhance” could be and to what extent to enhance can be inacceptable from a moral perspective even in cases of objective improvement. This could be the case of what it is named here as discriminatory enhancement. Finally, it is suggested that the fact that so many enhancements provide only positional improvements, invites to consider these practices to be closer to Social Darwinism than to eugenics.
Description
Keywords
Intervención de mejora, Eugenesia, Discriminación, Darwinismo social, Enhancement, Eugenics, Discrimination, Social Darwinism
Bibliographic citation
Lema Añón, C. (2015). Intervenciones biomédicas de mejora, mejoras objetivas y mejoras discriminatorias: ¿De la eugenesia al darwinismo social? Anales de la Cátedra Francisco Suárez, 49, pp. 367-393.