![]() Liberal Eugenics: In Defence of Human Enhancement
December 2004, ©2004, Wiley-Blackwell
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- 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
Chapter 1: Genius sperm, eugenics, and enhancement technologies.
Chapter 2: A pragmatic optimism about enhancement technologies.
Chapter 3: Making moral images of biotechnology.
Chapter 4: The moral image of therapy.
Chapter 5: The moral image of nature.
Chapter 6: The moral image of nurture.
Chapter 7: Our Postliberal Future.
Chapter 8: Enhanced humans when?.
Further readings on human enhancement.
Bibliography.
Index
- A provocative defence of the idea that parents should be allowed to enhance their children’s genetic 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
“With Liberal Eugenics, Nicholas Agar has given us a lively, sophisticated defense of genetic enhancement, challenging the anxious sentimentality of biotech luddites without embracing the naïve, reckless optimism of bio-tech enthusiasts. Readers may not always agree with Agar, but they will be engaged by his original and forceful arguments and his apt and delightful examples. The book is a pleasure to read and a provocative piece of applied philosophy – a rare combination.” David Wasserman, University of Maryland
"A very persuasive case for an informed, liberal though not laissez-faire approach to research." The Guardian
"This [is a] clear, scientifically well informed and philosophically sophisticated study." Notre Dame Philosophical Review





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