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Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Establishment of Genome-edited Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines: From Targeting to Isolation
Published on: February 2, 2016
Genetic enhancement, human nature, and rights
1Department of Philosophy, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27402-6170, USA. tmcconn@uncg.edu
Abstract:
Authors such as Francis Fukuyama, the President's Council on Bioethics, and George Annas have argued that biotechnological interventions that aim to promote genetic enhancement pose a threat to human nature. This paper clarifies what conclusions these critics seek to establish, and then shows that there is no plausible account of human nature that will meet the conditions necessary to support this position. Appeals to human nature cannot establish a prohibition against the pursuit of genetic enhancement.
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