Open AccessBiomedical Moral Enhancement for Human Space Missions
Author(s) -
Konrad Szocik
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
studia humana
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2299-0518
DOI - 10.2478/sh-2019-0026
Subject(s) - environmental ethics , space (punctuation) , relation (database) , context (archaeology) , moral disengagement , space exploration , epistemology , psychology , sociology , social psychology , philosophy , engineering , computer science , geography , linguistics , archaeology , database , aerospace engineering
Biomedical moral enhancement is an idea which states that human moral intuitions and patterns may be artificially improved by biomedical means. The rationale which lies behind moral bioenhancement is rooted in the idea that humans – in a moral and behavioral sense – are not evolutionally adapted to current ecological challenges. This idea is discussed in the paper in relation to human space missions to Mars and beyond. Because the space environment is a hazardous environment, there are some reasons to consider the idea of moral bioenhancement for the purposes of mission success and the safety of astronauts/space settlers. This paper discusses that idea in the context of a broader discussion on moral enhancement, moral bioenhancement related to earthly issues, and the idea of moral progress.