ABSTRACT
From the very beginning, some of the expectations for technical progress based on nanotechnology have comprised promises concerning the “further development” of man by means of “technical enhancements.” In the “converging technologies,” the idea of a convergence of biotechnology, nanotechnology, brain research, and information technology was linked with the explicit goal of “improving human performance” (Roco and Bainbridge, 2002; cf. Section 9.1). Advances made in research, but also frequently undifferentiated reporting in the mass media as well as the film industry — in particular, in science fiction films — have attracted attention to this field. The creation of “neuroelectric” interfaces between the nervous system, in particular the brain, and information technology systems such as computers is a prominent example of these visionary expectations. This leads to a whole series of ethical issues, some of them far reaching (Section 9.3), the discussion of which — as in the preceding chapters — is preceded by terminological considerations (Section 9.2) and followed by hermeneutic questions (Section 9.4), here about the relationship between humans and technology. 9.1 Improving Human Performance of
Converging TechnologiesA controversial international debate about human enhancement has been ongoing in the last few years in consequence of a publication
based on a workshop held by the National Science Foundation (NSF) (Roco and Bainbridge, 2002). Building on discussions about perfecting humans by means of genetic engineering and about the philosophical criticism of this (e.g., Habermas, 2001), the controversial international debate enriched the debate about the future of man by adding further aspects. In the context of transhumanism (Coenen, 2006), this debate has even taken on ideological qualities. 9.1.1 The Vision of Converging Technologies
The recent discussion of human enhancement was initiated by the report of an American research group to the NSF, which has considerable influence on the agenda for the sciences (Roco and Bainbridge, 2002). The title of this report conveys its program: Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance. Nanotechnology and the converging technologies offer, according to this report, far-reaching perspectives for perceiving even the human body and mind to be formable and for improving them through precisely targeted technical measures. Human enhancement is understood in this connection to be technical enhancement, initially especially at the level of individual abilities: “The individually desired enhancement of human features and functions — in place of a compulsory state one — is now conceivable, a form of ‘liberal eugenics’” (Siep, 2006, p. 309). Only as a result of this mediation at the individual level do we reach considerations of social enhancement:Rapid advances in convergent technologies have the potential to enhance both human performance and the nation’s productivity.
