News - Interdisciplinary Centre for Ethics - Faculty of Philosophy

9th May: research seminar – Olga Dryla – Medical enhancement: descriptive aspect and initial normative findings

We have the pleasure to invite you for yet another research seminar organized as part of the ‘BIOUNCERTAINTY’ research project.

The subject of the seminar is ‘Medical enhancement – descriptive aspect and initial normative findings’ and it will be delivered by dr hab. Olga Dryla from the Department of Professional Ethics of the Jagiellonian University.

The seminar will take place on Thursday, 9th May, at 5:30pm (planned until 7pm) in room 25 of the Institute of Philosophy, 52 Grodzka Street.

Abstract

The lecture is going to refer to analysis of the concept and normative status of medical human enhancement according to findings concerning conceptual definitions of the terms “disease” and “health”, as well as the scope of medical practice and the status of medical ethics. In other words, I’m going to describe the phenomenon of medical enhancement and to make broad initial analyses of the accompanying normative sphere.

a) Enhancement – descriptive aspect

Proposed analysis of the concept of “enhancement” includes the assumption of contextual classification of procedures as therapy or enhancement. It is based on the thesis that the baseline state of the patient is the deciding factor in the correct classification of a specific effect of intervention: the same medical procedure can be used to treat or enhance, depending on the specific circumstances

b) Enhancement – the normative aspect

Thus the starting point is the question of whether or not it is possible to assign enhancement a moral status that is universal, unchangeable, and not dependent on context. Given the negative answer to that question, I’m going to present the most universal guidelines for a moral appraisal of individual enhancement procedures.

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