Daoism and Liberal Eugenics: Response to Chai

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in EnglishIn this paper, I respond to David Chai’s attempt to buttress Jürgen Habermas’s critique of genetic enhancement with Daoist metaphysics. I argue that this attempt is unsuccessful because Habermas’s position begins with the conviction that ethical prescriptions cannot be derived from metaphysical truths. I then consider whether Daoist metaphysics on its own might provide grounds for rejecting enhancement. I suggest not. To support this, I present a dilemma for Daoist critiques of enhancement: either Daoism rules out both therapy and enhancement, in which case it is too demanding, or it rules out neither therapy nor enhancement, in which case it is too permissive.DOWNLOAD HISTORY | This article has been downloaded 70 times in Digital Commons before migrating into this platform.