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Bleu Rively
Adam Padgett
ENGL 102
September 22 2016
Ethical Path of Biomedical Enhancement
Modern society revolves around rapid technological advancement. Technology extends
from entertainment to convenience, all the way to life saving innovation. A broad, ever-changing
field of technology based innovation is the branch of biomedical enhancement. Biomedical
enhancement encompasses both vital and non-vital ways of changing the human body for
improving illness, recovery, and stamina. In the known universe, the human is the most advanced
species, yet there are so many engineering flaws in the midst of our greatness. From a purely
biological standpoint, abnormalities seem to have become engrained into our DNA. It is only by
random order that some experience the abnormalities, and some do not. We may never figure out
why this happens to certain people but we are on the path to preventing it from happening to
anybody. Most people believe that science is a force so powerful that it could change the world
forever with one discovery. Most, however, are not aware of how much innovation is actually
happening right now. The most significant of modern bio-enhancement is still in the early stages
of development, so it is important to know the current trends of what people believe before the
work is done, in case society rejects it. This is not to say that a poll with negative results will halt
medical research, but it gives people a chance to see new perspective about the world of science,
and how their contemporaries feel on the same subject. The perfect humans do not yet exist,
and may not exist for generations, but they are on the horizon, and it is important for people to

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know how they feel about their role in the universe and if there are some things they have the
right to control or if there are things that should be left alone. Through the examination of
scientific principles and social perception, I deduce that the perception of biomedical
enhancements is marred by a general weariness of what these enhancements might do to our
society.
One article perfectly captures the held beliefs of biomedical enhancement from an
American perspective is entitled U.S. Public Wary of Biomedical Technologies to Enhance
Human Abilities. This article concludes that the American people are more worried about the
prospect of human enhancement than enthusiastic. Several surveys were conducted in which
people were asked how they feel about three specific types of bio-enhancement. These include
gene editing, brain chip implants for better cognitive performance, and synthetic blood for
greater speed, strength, and stamina. A wide variety of characteristics were taken into
consideration, including a scale of religiosity that may help to establish a relationship between
religious beliefs and the perception of human enhancement. Nearly 5000 respondents from
across the US participated in the polls. The major interest of this article was to examine what
American society believes about the potential of human enhancing technologies. The goal was to
isolate a general mindset about bio-engineering and establish relationships between lifestyles and
biomedical enhancement perception. Overall, the article introduced excellent insight into the
world of modern biological science and combined this with a broad sociological perspective.
When is diminishment a form of enhancement? Rethinking the enhancement debate in
biomedical ethics, will be used to add dimension to the definition of biomedical enhancement.
This article allows for an introduction to the philosophical side of biomedical enhancement. This
article argues that enhancement should be applied to a biological or psychological change that

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has the potential to increase well-being in certain circumstances after the treatment is done. The
article also argues that diminishment should also be considered a form of enhancement. This
is to say that any treatment that diminishes the concentration of a mechanism could be
considered an enhancement. An example of diminishing enhancement is Ritalin, which decreases
the uptake of neurotransmitters, therefore leading to better focus and concentration. One of the
goals of this article was to show there is something to be gained by distinguishing functional
enhancement from enhancement of well-being (Earp et al.). This article will help to strengthen
my defense of why it is important to understand how people feel about enhancement. This will
also help me to introduce more philosophical complexity to an innately biological topic.
One Danger of Biomedical Enhancements proposes that the current
trend of biomedical enhancements may lead to an over valuing and an
allocation of resources that could otherwise be used for other things. The
author argues that enhancements could lead to unnecessary unhappiness
and misappropriation of funds. He also enhancements could become so
prevalent that it would add meaning to ones life. The article even dives into
the realm of over marketing by large businesses if bio enhancements
become available to the public. The author discusses the idea that humans
place great value on new innovations and how humans are bad at estimating
if a means will lead to a desired end. This article would be helpful in defining
perception, and how outside factors influence our perception of things.
Ethical issues that will not go away offers a unique audience as it directly addresses
physicians. This article presents a survey of physicians from another article that determined
physicians neither wish wholly to endorse nor reject medical enhancements (Wasson 21). This

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article particularly dives into the physical effects as well as the social effects. It also addresses
the idea that medical enhancements may cause harmful side effects. She uses the manipulation of
the sickle cell anemia gene, leading to a defect in defense against malaria, as an example. This
article is yet another that argues the gap between classes will widen. Wassor says that the
disparities will widen (Wasson 21). I can use this as yet another example of the idea that the
gap between people will widen.
This paper also examines the darker side of biomedical enhancements. This paper dives
into the argument that biomedical enhancements will divide humans into distinct sections. The
abstract indicates that biomedical enhancements will split people into inferior species and
superior species. This article also introduced me to an interesting term called transhumanism.
This term refers to the advancements of humans beyond previously common limits. This term
opens up a floodgate of research into the philosophical and sociological perspective on this issue.
I will not only use this article to examine yet another reason troubling individuals on biomedical
enhancements but the introduction of the term transhumanism will allow me to find even more
research that will potentially strengthen my stance.

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Works Cited

Earp, Brian D., Anders Sandberg, Guy Kahane, and Julian Savulescu. "When Is Diminishment a
Form of Enhancement? Rethinking the Enhancement Debate in Biomedical Ethics."
Frontiers. N.p., 4 Feb. 2014. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.
Funk, Cary, Brian Kennedy, and Elizabeth Podrebarac Sciupac. "U.S. Public
Wary of
Biomedical Technologies to Enhance Human Abilities." Pew Research
Center Internet Science Tech RSS. N.p., 26 July 2016. Web. 27 Oct.
2016.
Rajczi, Alex, Bioethics. Jul 2008, Vol. 22 Issue 6, p328-336. 9p
Terec-Vlad, Loredana, and Daniel Terec-Vlad. "About The Evolution Of The
Human Species: Human Robots And Human Enhancement."
Postmodern Openings / Deschideri Postmoderne 5.3 (2014): 67-75.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Sept. 2016.
Wasson, K. (2011). Medical and genetic enhancements: Ethical issues that will not go away. The
American Journal of Bioethics : AJOB, 11(1), 21-22.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2011.566671