Ethical consequences of the positive views of enhancement in Asia.
There are positive views towards use of science and technology in all Asian countries, and positive views towards use of enhancement in China, India and Thailand. After considering of the widespread use of cosmetic surgery and other body enhancements in Asian countries, and the generally positive views towards letting individuals make choices about improvement of themselves, the paper concludes that we can expect other enhancements to also be adopted rapidly in Asia. There will be future ethical dilemmas emerging from this with concepts of preservation of nature, flow with nature, and definitions of human-ness, along with concepts of harmony and social justice. Japan is less willing to engage in genetic enhancement compared to China, India and Thailand, despite widespread cosmetic surgery across Asia.
Regional Unit for Social and Human Sciences in Asia and the Pacific (RUSHSAP), UNESCO Bangkok, 920 Sukhumvit Road, Prakanong, Bangkok, 10110, Thailand. d.macer@unesco.org
Darryl
D
Macer
D024803:Biomedical Enhancement / Q000941:ethics*; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000941:ethics; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000941:ethics; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008149:Love; D008297:Male; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D028723:Personhood; D013785:Thailand