CitizenCyborg:WhyDemocraticSocietiesMustRespondtotheRedesignedHumanoftheFuture

AprovocativeworkbymedicalethicistJamesHughes,CitizenCyborgarguesthattechnologiespushingtheboundariesofhumannesscanradicallyimproveourqualityoflifeiftheyarecontrolleddemocratically.HugheschallengesboththetechnophobiaofLeonKassandFrancisFukuyamaandtheuncheckedenthusiasmofothersforlimitlesshumanenhancement.Hearguesinsteadforathirdway,"democratictranshumanism,"byaskingthequestiondestinedtobecomeafundamentalissueofthetwentyfirstcentury:Howcanweusenewcyberneticandbiomedicaltechnologiestomakelifebetterforeveryone?Thesetechnologiesholdgreatpromise,buttheyalsoposeprofoundchallengestoourhealth,ourculture,andourliberaldemocraticpoliticalsystem.Byallowinghumanstobecomemorethanhuman"posthuman"or"transhuman"thenewtechnologieswillrequirenewanswersfortheenduringissuesoflibertyandthecommongood.Whatlimitsshouldweplaceonthefreedomofpeopletocontroltheirownbodies?Whoshouldowngenesandotherlivingthings?Whichtechnologiesshouldbemandatory,whichvoluntary,andwhichforbidden?Foranswerstothesechallenges,CitizenCyborgproposesaradicalreturntoafaithintheresilienceofourdemocraticinstitutions.