RESUMO
The recent development of NBIC technologies has led to the emergence of new techniques that allow the modification of genetic, morphological, and physiological aspects of the human being to improve their capacities. In light of this situation, the eternal debate continues: is everything technically possible ethically acceptable? To answer this question, an ethical reflection is needed to assess the scope of enhancement techniques and to direct them to the service of human progress and the common good. Many authors have already begun this reflection, opting for a case-by-case evaluation. However, there is a great lack of specificity in the definition of the criteria that would allow an ethical analysis of each technique, in order to determine the licitness of its application. In response to this need, a practical guide for the ethical assessment of not only human enhancement techniques, but of any intervention on the human body is proposed. This guide is based on the four principles of personalist bioethics proposed by Sgreccia: the principle of defense of physical human life, the principle of totality or the therapeutic principle, the principle of freedom and responsibility, and the principle of sociability and subsidiarity. These principles are the common thread of some questionnaires that serve as support in discerning the licitness of a technique, by virtue of the overall good of the person in their three-dimensional structure: body, mind and spirit, and the respect for their inalienable dignity.
Assuntos
Bioética , Corpo Humano , Análise Ética , Humanos , Princípios Morais , Justiça SocialRESUMO
El reciente desarrollo de las tecnologías emergentes NBIC ha propiciado la aparición de nuevas técnicasque permiten modificar aspectos genéticos, morfológicos y fisiológicos del ser humano para mejorar suscapacidades. Ante esta circunstancia, se reabre el eterno debate: ¿es todo lo técnicamente posible ética-mente aceptable? Para responder a esta pregunta, se hace necesaria una reflexión ética para valorar elalcance de las técnicas de mejoramiento y orientarlas al servicio del progreso humano y del bien común.Muchos autores han comenzado ya esta reflexión y optan por la evaluación caso por caso. Sin embargo,se considera que hay un gran déficit de concreción en la definición de los criterios que permitirían un aná-lisis ético de cada técnica para determinar la licitud de su aplicación. Como respuesta a esta necesidad, sepropone una guía práctica de valoración ética ya no solo de las técnicas de mejoramiento humano, sino,en general, de cualquier intervención sobre nuestro cuerpo. Esta guía se basa en los cuatro principios de labioética personalista propuestos por Sgreccia: principio de defensa de la vida humana física, de totalidado terapéutico, de libertad y responsabilidad, y de sociabilidad y subsidiariedad. Estos principios son el hiloconductor de unos cuestionarios que sirven como apoyo en el discernimiento sobre la licitud de una técni-ca, en virtud del bien global de la persona en su estructura tridimensional: cuerpo, psique y espíritu, y delrespeto a su dignidad inalienable.(AU)
The recent development of NBIC technologies has led to the emergence of new techniques that allowthe modification of genetic, morphological, and physiological aspects of the human being to improve theircapacities. In light of this situation, the eternal debate continues: is everything technically possible ethicallyacceptable? To answer this question, an ethical reflection is needed to assess the scope of enhancementtechniques and to direct them to the service of human progress and the common good. Many authors have already begun this reflection, opting for a case-by-case evaluation. However, there is a great lack of speci-ficity in the definition of the criteria that would allow an ethical analysis of each technique, in order to de-termine the licitness of its application. In response to this need, a practical guide for the ethical assessmentof not only human enhancement techniques, but of any intervention on the human body is proposed. Thisguide is based on the four principles of personalist bioethics proposed by Sgreccia: the principle of defenseof physical human life, the principle of totality or the therapeutic principle, the principle of freedom andresponsibility, and the principle of sociability and subsidiarity. These principles are the common thread ofsome questionnaires that serve as support in discerning the licitness of a technique, by virtue of the overallgood of the person in their three-dimensional structure: body, mind and spirit, and the respect for theirinalienable dignity.(AU)
