ORIGINEA NATURII UMANE – FUNDAMENT PENTRU DREPTURILE OMULUI
The Origins of Human Nature – Foundation for Human Rights

Summary/Abstract: Enhancement technologies are not only object of fundamental controversies but also affect both the boundaries of the human and the concept of individual rights. They range from plastic surgery, smart pills, genetic diagnostics and intervention, clones and chimeras to the production of cyborgs1 or the creation of artificial life. Human enhancement proves to be a complex, inherently reflexive concept. It also sets off new debates with regard to other key concepts. A closer analysis of the enhancement debates shows that human nature, human dignity, identity, autonomy or equality are the origin of oppositional arguments. The problem of enhancement reveals how varied and in need of contextualization these concepts are. The relationship between the concept of human nature on the one hand and human rights on the other has always been complex, and in the present-day human rights discourse „human nature” might be assigned a particular role just because of its ambiguity and rich implications. The enhancement problem can be seen as a catalyst for reflexivity because it sets off new discussions on fundamental questions. It enriches the discourse on human nature and human rights and, in turn, benefits from being part of such a discourse.

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