Episode #13: Laura Cabrera on Human Enhancement, Communication and Values

In this episode I interview Dr Laura Cabrera. Laura is an Assistant Professor at the Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences at Michigan State University where she conducts research into the ethical and societal implications of neurotechnology. I ask Laura how human enhancement can affect inter-personal communication and values and talk about the issues in her recent book Rethinking Human Enhancement : Social Enhancement and Emergent Technologies.

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 Show Notes

• 0:00 – 1:00 - Introduction
• 1:00 – 11:15 - What is human enhancement- definitions and translations
• 11:15 – 13:35 - Discussing moral enhancement - Savulescu and Persson
• 13:35 – 14:35 - Human enhancement and communication - discussing Laura’s paper with John Wekert
• 14:35 – 28:40 - Shared lifeworlds, similar bodies, communication problems
• 28:40 – 39:48 - Augmented reality and sensory perception
• 39:48 – 46:20 - Cognitive capacity and memory – Oliver Sacks & Borges
• 46:20 – 49:50 - Ethics – hermeneutic crises and empathy gaps
• 49:50 – 52:30 - Can technology solve communication problems?
• 53:32 – 1:00:00 - What are human values?
• 1:00:00 – 1:08:20 - How does cognitive enhancement affect values?
• 1:08:20 – 1:16:00 – Neoliberalism values - pressures and competitiveness
• 1:16:00 – End - How to prioritise values and see the positives in enhancement

 

Relevant Links

• Laura's recent book  Rethinking Human Enhancement Social Enhancement and Emergent Technologies
• Human enhancement and communication: on meaning and shared understanding - Laura Cabrera & John Weckert
• Laura's homepage at the Center for Ethics & Humanities in the Life Sciences
• The Perils of Cognitive Enhancement and the Urgent Imperative to Enhance the Moral Character of Humanity - by Savulescu & Persson
• What is it like to be a Bat?  - Thomas Nagel
• The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat - Oliver Sacks
• The Country of the Blind - H.G. Wells
• Funes the Memorious - Borges