Ontologija – seminar: Human Nature and Human Enhancement
Course title: Human Nature and Human Enhancement
Course holders: Prof. Benedikt Paul Göcke, PhD; Assoc. Prof. Marija Selak Raspudić, PhD
Lecturers: Prof. Benedikt Paul Göcke, PhD; Assoc. Prof. Marija Selak Raspudić, PhD; Matija Vigato, MA
Duration of the course: 1 semester (2 hours per week; 30 hours during semester)
ECTS credits: 3
Language of the course: English
Teaching methods: Lectures and discussions
Methods of assessment: Students are expected to actively participate in discussions and to work on their own research projects within the subject field of philosophy. There is no oral or written exam. Students are expected to write one paper on the topic of their choice under the supervision of a lecturer of their choice.
Evaluation of the course: Evaluation of student participation in discussions, evaluation of student papers.
Aim of the course: The aim of this course is to distinguish different philosophical approaches, to describe the historical development of the main philosophical concepts related to human nature and human enhancement, to compare different philosophical views on the particular philosophical subject, to critically assess contemporary philosophical issues and to apply philosophical approach in an interdisciplinary context.
Description of the course: Since the technical advancement and the perception of knowledge as power have enabled man to enhance his own nature, this course strives to contribute to the current debate on human biomedical enhancement by once again posing the question of the essence of human nature and the essence of technology. An overview of the understanding of human nature through history will be presented along with thoughts on human nature from the point of view of philosophical anthropology. Here emphasis has will be put on the interpretation of man as a “defective being” (“mangelhaftes Wesen”) in Herder’s, Gehlen’s and Fromm’s philosophy. This research has created preconditions for the understanding of modern technology as compensation for man’s defectiveness. Consequently, this brought the need for consideration of contemporary efforts in overcoming human nature in the biological sense, in other words, human biomedical enhancement. The question of human nature in terms of its continuity and volatility has been re-examined by considering transhumanist and bioconservativist standpoints in the human enhancement debate thus questioning the metaphysical foundations of the idea of human biomedical enhancement.
Contents of the course:
- Human nature
- Introductory lecture
- What is human nature and does it exist?
- Interpretation of human being as a “defective being” (Herder – Gehlen – Fromm)
- Modern technology
- Techne vs. technology
- The essence of modern technology (Heidegger)
- Human enhancement
- Cognitive enhancement
- Mood enhancement
- Physical Enhancement
- Moral enhancement
- Good in metaphysical tradition
- Evil in metaphysical tradition
- Transhumanism vs. bioconservatism
- Metahumanism
- Trahshumanism and feminism
- Concluding lecture
Literature: Classical and contemporary philosophical works according to particular issues
A) Obligatory literature
– Berdyaev, Nicolas: The End of Our Time, San Rafael: Semantron Press, 2009.
– Bostrom, Nick: “A History of Transhumanist Thought”, Journal of Evolution and Technology, 14 (2005) 1, pp. 1-125, http://www.nickbostrom.com.
– Bostrom, Nick: “In Defence of Posthuman Dignity”, Bioethics, 19 (2005) 3, pp. 202-214.
– Fromm, Erich: Man for Himself: An Inquiry into the Psychology of Ethics, London, New York: Routledge, 2003.
– Fukuyama, Francis: Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002.
– Gehlen, Arnold: Man: His Nature and Place in the World, New York: Columbia University Press, 1987.
– Gehlen, Arnold: Man in the Age of Technology, New York: Columbia University Press, 1989.
– Habermas, Jürgen: The Future of Human Nature, Cambridge: Polity Press, 2003.
– Heidegger, Martin: “The Question Concerning Technology”, in: Martin Heidegger, The Question Concerning Technology and Other Essays, New York, London: Garland Publishing, 1977, pp. 3-35.
– Heidegger, Martin: Being and Time, New York: SUNY Press, 1996.
– Herder, Johann Gottfried von: “Treatise on the Origin of Language”, in: Johann Gottfried von Herder, Philosophical Writings, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002, pp. 65-164.
B) Non-obligatory literature
– Berdyaev, Nicolas: The Destiny of Man, London: Geoffrey Bles, 1948.
– Bostrom, Nick; Savulescu, Julian (eds.): Human Enhancement, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.
– Bostrom, Nick: “The Transhumanist FAQ”, http://www.nickbostrom.com.
– Jonas, Hans: The Imperative of Responsibility: In Search of an Ethics for the Technological Age, Chicago, London: The University of Chicago Press,1984.
– Rifkin, Jeremy: The Biotech Century: Harnessing the Gene and Remaking the World, New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher / Putnam, 1999.