Liberal Eugenics: In Defence of Human Enhancement / Edition 1

by Nicholas Agar

Overview

In this provocative book, philosopher Nicholas Agar defends the idea that parents should be allowed to enhance their children’s characteristics.

• Gets away from fears of a Huxleyan ‘Brave New World’ or a return to the fascist eugenics of the past
• Written from a philosophically and scientifically informed point of view
• Considers real contemporary cases of parents choosing what kind of child to have
• Uses ‘moral images’ as a way to get readers with no background in philosophy to think about moral dilemmas
• Provides an authoritative account of the science involved, making the book suitable for readers with no knowledge of genetics
• Creates a moral framework for assessing all new technologies

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781405123907
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	11/30/2004
Series:	Wiley Desktop Editions Series
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.65(d)

About the Author

Nicholas Agar is Senior Lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington. His previous books include Life’s Intrinsic Value (2001) and Perfect Copy (2002).

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgments..

1. Genius Sperm, Eugenics, and Enhancement Technologies..

2. A Pragmatic Optimism about Enhancement Technologies..

3. Making Moral Images of Biotechnology..

4. The moral image of therapy..

5. The moral Image of Nature..

6. The Moral Image of Nurture.

7. Our Postliberal Future?.

8. Enhanced Humans When?.

Notes.

Further Reading.

References.

Index.