Against Human Enhancement as a Defaultfor Space Societies
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Start Date
16-12-2020 10:00 AM
End Date
16-12-2020 10:20 AM
Description
Humanity should not attempt to establish space societies that would not be open to “baseline” humans (e.g., those with species-typical oxygen or radiation protection needs). I argue via analogy with disability and accessibility. Just as it would be impermissible today to mandate disability-removing medical procedures, so too would it be impermissible to require bodily modification in order to participate in a space society. We should only create space societies that are accessible to humanity, broadly speaking.
Recommended Citation
Schwartz, James, "Against Human Enhancement as a Defaultfor Space Societies" (2020). Society for Social and Conceptual Issues in Astrobiology (SSoCIA) Conference. 26.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/ssocia/2020/schedule/26
Against Human Enhancement as a Defaultfor Space Societies
Humanity should not attempt to establish space societies that would not be open to “baseline” humans (e.g., those with species-typical oxygen or radiation protection needs). I argue via analogy with disability and accessibility. Just as it would be impermissible today to mandate disability-removing medical procedures, so too would it be impermissible to require bodily modification in order to participate in a space society. We should only create space societies that are accessible to humanity, broadly speaking.