Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-2073, USA.
Bioethics. 2011 May;25(4):177-84. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8519.2009.01779.x.
Prominent thinkers such as Jurgen Habermas and Michael Sandel are warning that biomedical enhancements will undermine fundamental political values. Yet whether biomedical enhancements will undermine such values depends on how biomedical enhancements will function, how they will be administered and to whom. Since only few enhancements are obtainable, it is difficult to tell whether these predictions are sound. Nevertheless, such warnings are extremely valuable. As a society we must, at the very least, be aware of developments that could have harmful consequences. Indeed, if important values were to be jeopardized, we should take appropriate measures to protect them. This paper focuses on four central values: solidarity, personal responsibility, equality and autonomy. It delineates the conditions under which biomedical enhancements would undermine these values. It also details the circumstances under which these values would be unaffected by enhancements as well as those under which they would be promoted. Specifying these conditions is valuable; it would enable society to prepare appropriate ethical guidelines and policy responses in advance.
杰出的思想家如尤尔根·哈贝马斯（Jurgen Habermas）和迈克尔·桑德尔（Michael Sandel）警告说，生物医学增强技术将破坏基本的政治价值观。然而，生物医学增强技术是否会破坏这些价值观取决于生物医学增强技术的功能、管理方式和对象。由于只有少数增强技术是可行的，因此很难判断这些预测是否合理。尽管如此，这些警告还是非常有价值的。作为一个社会，我们至少必须意识到可能产生有害后果的发展。事实上，如果重要的价值观受到威胁，我们应该采取适当的措施来保护它们。本文关注的是四个核心价值观：团结、个人责任、平等和自主。它勾勒了生物医学增强技术破坏这些价值观的条件。它还详细说明了在何种情况下这些价值观不会受到增强技术的影响，以及在何种情况下它们会受到增强技术的促进。具体说明这些条件是有价值的；它将使社会能够提前制定适当的伦理准则和政策应对措施。
