Modular Ontologies for Genetically Modified People and their Bioethical Implications

Dados Bibliográficos

ID12954231
AutoresDerek So (0000-0002-8211-3222, McGill Genome Centre, autor correspondente), Robert Sladek (0000-0002-2730-1204, McGill Genome Centre), Yann Joly (0000-0002-8775-2322, McGill Genome Centre)
Ano2024
Volume18
Fascículo2
Páginas9-9
Data de publicação2024-08-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoNanoEthics (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1871-4757 • E-ISSN: 1871-4765
EditoraSpringer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1007/s11569-024-00459-4
PMID39170757
OpenAlexW4401708808
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas260

Participants in the long-running bioethical debate over human germline genetic modification (HGGM) tend to imagine future people abstractly and on the basis of conventionalized characteristics familiar from science fiction, such as intelligence, disease resistance and height. In order to distinguish these from scientifically meaningful terms like "phenotype" and "trait," this article proposes the term "persemes" to describe the units of difference for hypothetical people. In the HGGM debate, persemes are frequently conceptualized as similar, modular entities, like building blocks to be assembled into genetically modified people. They are discussed as though they each would be chosen individually without affecting other persemes and as though they existed as components within future people rather than being imposed through social context. This modular conceptual framework appears to influence bioethical approaches to HGGM by reinforcing the idea of human capacities as natural primary goods subject to distributive justice and supporting the use of objective list theories of well-being. As a result, assumptions of modularity may limit the ability of stakeholders with other perspectives to present them in the HGGM debate. This article examines the historical trends behind the modular framework for genetically modified people, its likely psychological basis, and its philosophical ramifications

Bioethics · Biology · Engineering ethics · Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Modular design · Ontology · Philosophy of science · Philosophy of technology · Biomedical Text Mining and Ontologies · Computer Science · Engineering · Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations · Nutrition, Genetics, and Disease · Philosophy · Genetics