Kingston Philosophy Café

Presented by Dr Blay Whitby, Cognitive Science Research Group, School of Informatics, University of Sussex. 

Blay is a widely published philosopher and technology ethicist, specialising in computer science, artificial intelligence and robotics. 

There’s a school of thought which insists that while we humans have become much cleverer, we have not become any better behaved than our stone age ancestors. Prominent thinkers in transhumanism are now actively campaigning for research into technologies of 'moral enhancement'. The main argument for this campaign is that technologies that will further improve our intellectual capabilities are now in prospect, so it is essential to balance this by finding technologies that will make us morally better. This might include such means as genetic selection, genetic modification, adding drugs to the water supply, or compulsorily modifying people’s brains. 

After very briefly considering the ethics and politics of this argument, Blay will explore some of the scientific possibilities. Chemical correction, brain modification, and genetic selection of humans have already been tried – with interesting and varied results, few of which could honestly be described as 'moral enhancement'. Finally Blay will try to answer the question of whether the very idea even makes sense.