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Enhancement and Obsolescence: Avoiding an "Enhanced Rat Race"
Continuous technological progress in human enhancement may lead to an "enhanced rat race." This could make individuals obsolete, suggesting a need to prohibit certain enhancements to avoid negative societal consequences.
Area of Science:
- Philosophy of Technology
- Bioethics
- Future Studies
Background:
- The philosophical discourse on human enhancement often assumes continuous technological progress.
- This assumption's implications for the long-term desirability of enhancement are underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the potential negative consequences of rapid advancements in human enhancement technologies.
- To introduce the concept of an "enhanced rat race" and its societal risks.
Main Methods:
- Philosophical argumentation and conceptual analysis.
- Examination of the dynamics of competition for social goods under conditions of rapid technological change.
Main Results:
- Continuous improvement in enhancement tech could create a scenario where each generation of enhanced individuals is outcompeted by the next.
- This "enhanced rat race" poses risks of technological and social obsolescence for individuals.
Conclusions:
- The pursuit of certain human enhancements may be irrational due to the potential for an "enhanced rat race."
- A novel argument is presented for prohibiting enhancements that create significant positional disadvantages outweighing absolute benefits.
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