Human Enhancements and Voting: Towards a Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities of Beings
The phenomenon and ethics of “voting” will be explored in the context of human enhancements. “Voting” will be examined for enhanced humans with moderate and extreme enhancements. Existing patterns of discrimination in voting around the globe could continue substantially “as is” for those with modera...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Philosophies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9287/6/1/5 |
| _version_ | 1797411783607058432 |
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| author | S. J. Blodgett-Ford |
| author_facet | S. J. Blodgett-Ford |
| author_sort | S. J. Blodgett-Ford |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The phenomenon and ethics of “voting” will be explored in the context of human enhancements. “Voting” will be examined for enhanced humans with moderate and extreme enhancements. Existing patterns of discrimination in voting around the globe could continue substantially “as is” for those with moderate enhancements. For extreme enhancements, voting rights could be challenged if the very humanity of the enhanced was in doubt. Humans who were not enhanced could also be disenfranchised if certain enhancements become prevalent. Voting will be examined using a theory of engagement articulated by Professor Sophie Loidolt that emphasizes the importance of legitimization and justification by “facing the appeal of the other” to determine what is “right” from a phenomenological first-person perspective. Seeking inspiration from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) of 1948, voting rights and responsibilities will be re-framed from a foundational working hypothesis that all enhanced and non-enhanced humans should have a right to vote directly. Representative voting will be considered as an admittedly imperfect alternative or additional option. The framework in which voting occurs, as well as the processes, temporal cadence, and role of voting, requires the participation from as diverse a group of humans as possible. Voting rights delivered by fiat to enhanced or non-enhanced humans who were excluded from participation in the design and ratification of the governance structure is not legitimate. Applying and extending Loidolt’s framework, we must recognize the urgency that demands the impossible, with openness to that universality in progress (or universality to come) that keeps being constituted from the outside. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:50:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a7f37db491384777acf639d7eb0880ed |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2409-9287 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:50:10Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Philosophies |
| spelling | doaj.art-a7f37db491384777acf639d7eb0880ed2023-12-03T13:11:07ZengMDPI AGPhilosophies2409-92872021-01-01615010.3390/philosophies6010005Human Enhancements and Voting: Towards a Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities of BeingsS. J. Blodgett-Ford0Boston College Law School, Boston College, Newton Centre, MA 02459, USAThe phenomenon and ethics of “voting” will be explored in the context of human enhancements. “Voting” will be examined for enhanced humans with moderate and extreme enhancements. Existing patterns of discrimination in voting around the globe could continue substantially “as is” for those with moderate enhancements. For extreme enhancements, voting rights could be challenged if the very humanity of the enhanced was in doubt. Humans who were not enhanced could also be disenfranchised if certain enhancements become prevalent. Voting will be examined using a theory of engagement articulated by Professor Sophie Loidolt that emphasizes the importance of legitimization and justification by “facing the appeal of the other” to determine what is “right” from a phenomenological first-person perspective. Seeking inspiration from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) of 1948, voting rights and responsibilities will be re-framed from a foundational working hypothesis that all enhanced and non-enhanced humans should have a right to vote directly. Representative voting will be considered as an admittedly imperfect alternative or additional option. The framework in which voting occurs, as well as the processes, temporal cadence, and role of voting, requires the participation from as diverse a group of humans as possible. Voting rights delivered by fiat to enhanced or non-enhanced humans who were excluded from participation in the design and ratification of the governance structure is not legitimate. Applying and extending Loidolt’s framework, we must recognize the urgency that demands the impossible, with openness to that universality in progress (or universality to come) that keeps being constituted from the outside.https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9287/6/1/5human enhancementsvotinghuman rightsethicsdiscriminationracism |
| spellingShingle | S. J. Blodgett-Ford Human Enhancements and Voting: Towards a Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities of Beings Philosophies human enhancements voting human rights ethics discrimination racism |
| title | Human Enhancements and Voting: Towards a Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities of Beings |
| title_full | Human Enhancements and Voting: Towards a Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities of Beings |
| title_fullStr | Human Enhancements and Voting: Towards a Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities of Beings |
| title_full_unstemmed | Human Enhancements and Voting: Towards a Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities of Beings |
| title_short | Human Enhancements and Voting: Towards a Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities of Beings |
| title_sort | human enhancements and voting towards a declaration of rights and responsibilities of beings |
| topic | human enhancements voting human rights ethics discrimination racism |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9287/6/1/5 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sjblodgettford humanenhancementsandvotingtowardsadeclarationofrightsandresponsibilitiesofbeings |