Climate change, cooperation and moral bioenhancement

Area of Science:

• Moral psychology and bioethics
• Evolutionary biology and cooperation
• Climate change mitigation strategies

Background:

• Human moral judgment is ill-equipped for large-scale, long-term challenges such as climate change.
• The concept of moral bioenhancement proposes using medical technologies to increase prosocial behaviors like trust and altruism.
• Enhanced cooperation is crucial for addressing global environmental issues effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of moral bioenhancement for improving climate change cooperation.
• To review proximate and ultimate causes of human cooperation.
• To identify potential obstacles and future research directions for bioenhancement strategies.

Main Methods:

• Systematic survey of recent scientific literature on the evolutionary and psychological underpinnings of human cooperation.
• Analysis of proposed moral bioenhancement techniques.
• Identification of key challenges and limitations for implementing bioenhancement.

Main Results:

• Existing research on cooperation provides insights into potential targets for bioenhancement.
• Significant theoretical and practical obstacles are likely to impede the effectiveness of moral bioenhancement.
• The complexity of human cooperation suggests that simple bioenhancement interventions may be insufficient.

Conclusions:

• Moral bioenhancement presents a novel but challenging approach to fostering climate action.
• Further research is needed to understand the intricate factors influencing human cooperation before bioenhancement can be effectively applied.
• Addressing obstacles in cooperation mechanisms is essential for successful climate change mitigation.