Dawn of Immortality: Dusk of Humanity? The Consequences of Life Extension for Human Nature
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2017-09-13
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nl
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This thesis investigates whether immortality will negatively affect human nature. The concept of immortality is reinterpreted as life-extension through biological, robotic, and substrate independent enhancements. Human nature is interpreted as an essence by most opponents of human enhancement, whereas many proponents subscribe to a dynamic view. The essentialist account is used to predict that human enhancement will lead to the disappearance of three essential features of humanity: vulnerability, naturalness, and sociality. This thesis reveals that life-extension is unlikely to negatively affect these three features. Moreover, it also reveals that life-extension is unlikely to negatively affect human nature if the latter is interpreted as a dynamic process. In conclusion it appears that life-extension is unlikely to endanger human nature unless improvidently consumed.
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Faculteit der Filosofie, Theologie en Religiewetenschappen