What is involuntary moral enhancement?

Joint Meeting on 6^th World Congress on Human Genetics and Genetic Diseases & 12^th World Conference on Human Genomics & Genomic Medicine

April 08-09, 2019 Abu Dhabi, UAE

Vojin Rakic

Center for the Study of Bioethics-University of Belgrade, Serbia

Keynote: J Mol Genet Med

Abstract :

During the previous years, voluntary moral bioenhancement (VMBE) has been contrasted to Compulsory Moral Bioenhancement (CMBE), promoted primarily by Persson and Savulescu. In this presentation a third possible type of MBE will be discussed: Genome editing for moral enhancement of the unborn that is neither voluntary nor compulsory, but involuntary. The focus of the presentation will therefore be on genome editing that is aimed at moral enhancement of human offspring. It will be argued that genome editing might have the potential to engineer human offspring in three domains: To be more empathetic, less violently aggressive and with a higher potential for complex moral reflection. Genome editing will be discussed in these three domains. It will be argued that a combination of VMBE and IMBE might be the best option humans have to enhance themselves morally.

Biography :

Vojin Rakić is a Full Professor and is Director of the Center for the Study of Bioethics and Head of the European Division of the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics. He is also Chair of the Cambridge Working Group for Bioethics Education in Serbia. He is also Head of the Serbian Unit of the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics. He has a PhD in Political Science from Rutgers University in the United States (1998). He has graduated in Philosophy in Serbia and has MA degrees in European Studies from the Central European University in Prague and from the Department of Political Science of Rutgers University. He has worked as a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Higher Education Policy Studies at the University of Twente in the Netherlands (1999-2001). Between 2001 and 2003, he was a U.N. Special Adviser to the Government of Serbia. Since 2003 he works as a university Professor in Belgrade. His publications include various books and edited collections, as well as numerous articles from the domain of (bio-)ethics and political philosophy.

E-mail: vojinrakic@hotmail.com