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Social enhancement: re-thinking the role of emerging technologies

Published:28 March 2012Publication History

ABSTRACT

The discussion about human enhancement has been dominated by two main and somehow extreme views. One is the biomedical view, still the dominant view, which sees enhancement as interventions going beyond therapeutic goals. The other is what I refer to as the transhumanist view, which sees enhancement as interventions that promote atypical features in order to reach a posthuman stage. This paper starts by highlighting the main features of the biomedical and the transhumanist views of human enhancement. Then, it explores an alternative view on human enhancement, a view refer to as social enhancement. In order to provide some background behind the idea of social enhancement, the social determinants of health are introduced. After this, the paper describes the main characteristics of social enhancement. Finally, it argues that social enhancement, as an alternative way to approach human enhancement, could be a better and more ethical way to use emerging technologies while addressing the pitfalls of the current dominant views of human enhancement.

References

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  1. Social enhancement: re-thinking the role of emerging technologies

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        Barrett Hazeltine

        The intention of this paper seems to be to provoke a discussion about the importance of using technologies to enhance an individual's relationships with other people, social groups, and the environment. Social enhancement is different from the more common technological enhancement, such as biomedically based technology aimed at enhancing the physical or cognitive strengths of an individual. The point made here is that the historical reduction in the number of deaths from disease came from improvements in living conditions, including sanitation, rather than from pharmaceuticals or medical technology. Thus, emerging technologies should focus on changing social and environmental conditions rather than the power of an individual. Social enhancement is based on the recognition that human beings relate to others and are dependent on them. This implies that technology and research should be focused on improving social settings and, further, that each person benefits from such improvements. One example of a social enhancement is a soccer ball that charges a battery every time it bounces, providing energy not otherwise available. Other examples include smart sensors and smart environments. The paper mentions some challenges to the acceptance of social enhancement: biological approaches are taken more seriously than social approaches; companies and governments prefer quick solutions; and planners are fascinated with high technology, which is often not designed to be used widely. The paper is worthwhile because the perspective is different. Beyond raising consciousness, though, the next step is not clear. Online Computing Reviews Service

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        • Published in

          cover image ACM Other conferences
          VRIC '12: Proceedings of the 2012 Virtual Reality International Conference
          March 2012
          77 pages
          ISBN:9781450312431
          DOI:10.1145/2331714
          • Conference Chair:
          • Simon RICHIR

          Copyright © 2012 ACM

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          New York, NY, United States

          Publication History

          • Published: 28 March 2012

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