2,488 research outputs found
The ethics of cryonics : is it immoral to be immortal?
No full textCryonics—also known as cryopreservation or cryosuspension—is the preservation of legally dead individuals at ultra-low temperatures. Those who undergo this procedure hope that future technology will not only succeed in reviving them, but also cure them of the condition that led to their demise. In this sense, some hope that cryopreservation will allow people to continue living indefinitely. This book discusses the moral concerns of cryonics, both as a medical procedure and as an intermediate step toward life extension. In particular, Minerva analyses the moral issues surrounding cryonics-related techniques (including the hypothetical cryosuspension of fetuses as an alternative to abortion) by focusing on how they might impact the individuals who undergo cryosuspension, as well as society at large
Cosmetic surgery and conscientious objection
No full textIn this paper, I analyse the issue of conscientious objection in relation to cosmetic surgery. I consider cases of doctors who might refuse to perform a cosmetic treatment because: (1) the treatment aims at achieving a goal which is not in the traditional scope of cosmetic surgery; (2) the motivation of the patient to undergo the surgery is considered trivial; (3) the patient wants to use the surgery to promote moral or political values that conflict with the doctor's ones; (4) the patient requires an intervention that would benefit himself/herself, but could damage society at large
How should we tackle financial and prosocial biases against unattractive people?
No full textThe fact that attractive people benefit from their good looks is not bad per se. Rather, what is worrisome is the fact that unattractive people are discriminated against, and that such discrimination negatively affects many aspects of their lives. I focus on the moral implications of this discrimination and on the possible measures that could be taken to alleviate it
Conscientious objection, complicity in wrongdoing, and a not-so-moderate approach
No full textThis article analyzes the problem of complicity in wrongdoing in the case of healthcare practitioners (and in particular Roman Catholic ones) who refuse to perform abortions, but who are nonetheless required to facilitate abortions by informing their patients about this option and by referring them to a willing colleague. Although this solution is widely supported in the literature and is also widely represented in much legislation, the argument here is that it fails to both (1) safeguard the well-being of the patients, and (2) protect the moral integrity of healthcare practitioners. Finally, the article proposes a new solution to this problem that is based on a desirable ratio of conscientious objectors to non-conscientious objectors in a hospital or in a given geographic area
Rethinking academic freedom
No full textThe new media offer a valuable tool to spread the results of academic research outside the boundaries of academia, but they can also have a chilling effect on academic freedom. In this paper, I argue that we need to rethink academic freedom in the light of the enormous changes in communication and dissemination of ideas provided by the new media. I also argue that we need to develop strategies that would help us best use the potential of the Internet, while limiting as much as possible its potential threats to academic freedom
Note su alcuni problemi circa l'obiezione di coscienza in ambito sanitario = Annotations on some issues concercing conscientious objection in healthcare
No full textIl diritto all’obiezione di coscienza del personale medico non è un diritto assoluto, ed è soggetto a limitazioni imposte dagli stessi doveri professionali degli operatori sanitari. Inoltre, solo i singoli operatori sanitari hanno il diritto di obiettare (in alcune circostanze), mentre le strutture sanitarie non possono, per ragioni di coscienza, rifiutare un trattamento sanitario legale che sia nel miglior interesse del paziente.In this paper, I argue that the right to conscientious objection of medical practitioners is not an absolute one, as it is subject to limitations imposed by deontological duties. Moreover, I argue that only individual healthcare practitioners, and not entire administrative institutions such as hospitals, should be allowed to conscientiously object
Should We Freeze Our Bodies for Future Resuscitation?
No full textThis chapter examines the ethical implications of cryopreservation. Cryopreservation is usually performed soon after the heart has stopped beating, and after the individual has been pronounced legally dead. A few hundred people in the world had been “cryopreserved” — that is, fully immerged in liquid nitrogen at -196 C — in the hope that science will eventually discover a therapy for the disease that has killed them, and that future technology will succeed in bringing them back to life. Understandably, the root of many objections to cryonics seem to be its perceived weirdness. Another major objection to cryonics is that it is a waste of money, or a scam, i.e. a way to make money by promising dying people something that cannot possibly be achieved. The chapter then considers the concepts of human mortality and immortality
The Ethics of Brain Uploading
No full textThis chapter provides an overview of the ethics of brain uploading. It introduces brain uploading as a potential future technology aimed at creating one or more digital copies of a biological brain. Since digital entities do not age in the same way as biological entities do, the main reason why some people are interested in brain uploading is the desire to extend their lifespan by several years or indefinitely. The chapter details the practical procedures involved in brain uploading. It then considers the key questions surrounding brain uploading as a life extension tool, such as the conceivability of digital consciousness and the possibility of achieving a personal identity
- …
