Should we select for genetic moral enhancement? A thought experiment using the MoralKinder (MK+) haplotype

Theoretical Medicine - Tập 29 - Trang 397-416 - 2009
Halley S. Faust1
1Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of New Mexico, Santa Fe, USA

Tóm tắt

By using preimplantation haplotype diagnosis, prospective parents are able to select embryos to implant through in vitro fertilization. If we knew that the naturally-occurring (but theoretical) MoralKinder (MK+) haplotype would predispose individuals to a higher level of morality than average, is it permissible or obligatory to select for the MK+ haplotype? I.e., is it moral to select for morality? This paper explores the various potential issues that could arise from genetic moral enhancement.

Tài liệu tham khảo

Mill, John S. 1869. On liberty. London: Longmans, Green, Reader and Dyer.

Walker, Mark. 2003. Genetic virtue. http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/walker20031119/. Accessed Oct 4 2008.

Cole-Turner, Ronald. 1998. Do means matter? In Enhancing human traits: Ethical and social implications, ed. Erik Parens, 151–161. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.

Searle, John R. 2001. Rationality in action. Boston, MA: MIT Press.

Juengst, Eric T. 1998. What does enhancement mean? In Enhancing human traits: Ethical and social implications, ed. Erik Parens, 29–47. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.

Horsey, Kirsty. 2008. Three million IVF babies born worldwide. http://www.ivf.net/ivf/three_million_ivf_babies_born_worldwide-o2105-en.html. Accessed 20 Oct 2008.