4/10/14

1
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updaLes
Aprll 3: no Class

Aprll 2: LxLra CredlL lecLure: hll Zuckerman,
SocleLy wlLhouL Cod?" 3-6pm Allce eLers
AudlLorlum
Aprll 4: Andrew llala, hllosophlcal Anarchlsm"
lresno ClLy College, 7:30pm CA8 231

May 2: lree Angela & All Lhe ollucal rlsoners"
aL 3 p.m. ln SaLelllLe SLudenL unlon
ulalogue ro[ecL
8eporL uue: Aprll 22

Lngage aL leasL Lwo dlerenL people ln a
dlalogue abouL LACP Cl Lhe Loplcs:
euLhanasla
sexual morallLy
punlshmenL and Lhe deaLh penalLy
bloLechnology
vlolence/war
global [usuce
unlshmenL and 8loLechnology
Aeon, March 2014
hup://aeon.co/magazlne/llvlng-LogeLher/should-bloLech-make-llfe-
helllsh-for-crlmlnals/
As bloLech companles pour bllllons lnLo llfe
exLenslon Lechnologles, some have suggesLed
LhaL our cruelesL crlmlnals could be kepL allve
lndenlLely, Lo serve senLences spannlng
mlllennla or longer. Lven wlLhouL llfe exLenslon,
prlvaLe prlson rms could one day develop drugs
LhaL make ume pass more slowly, so LhaL an
lnmaLe's 10-year senLence feels llke an eLernlLy.
Cne way or anoLher, humans could soon be ln a
posluon Lo creaLe an aruclal hell.
8ebecca 8oache
Aeon, March 2014
hup://aeon.co/magazlne/llvlng-LogeLher/should-bloLech-make-llfe-
helllsh-for-crlmlnals/
Some crlmes are so bad Lhey requlre a really
long perlod of punlshmenL, and a loL of people
seem Lo geL ouL of LhaL punlshmenL by dylng.
And so l LhoughL, why noL make prlson
senLences for parucularly odlous crlmlnals
worse by exLendlng Lhelr llves?
8ebecca 8oache
Aeon, March 2014
hup://aeon.co/magazlne/llvlng-LogeLher/should-bloLech-make-llfe-
helllsh-for-crlmlnals/
lf you sLarL ouL wlLh Lhe premlse LhaL a
punlshmenL should be proporuonal Lo Lhe crlme,
lL's dlmculL Lo Lhlnk of a crlme LhaL could [usufy
eLernal lmprlsonmenL. ?ou could lmaglne glvlng
PlLler one Lerm of llfe lmprlsonmenL for every
person kllled ln Lhe Second World War. 1haL
would make for qulLe a long senLence, buL lL
would sull be nlLe. 1he endangermenL of
manklnd as a whole mlghL quallfy as a sumclenLly
serlous crlme Lo warranL lL.
4/10/14
2
8ebecca 8oache
Aeon, March 2014
hup://aeon.co/magazlne/llvlng-LogeLher/should-bloLech-make-llfe-
helllsh-for-crlmlnals/
1here are a number of psychoacuve drugs LhaL dlsLorL people's
sense of ume, so you could lmaglne developlng a plll or a llquld LhaL
made someone feel llke Lhey were servlng a 1,000-year senLence.

l haven'L found any speclc cases of ume dllauon belng used ln
prlsons, buL ume dlsLoruon ls a Lechnlque LhaL ls someumes used ln
lnLerrogauon, where people are exposed Lo consLanL llghL, or
unusual llghL ucLuauons, so LhaL Lhey can'L Lell whaL ume of day lL
ls. 8uL ln LhaL case lL's noL belng used as a punlshmenL, per se, lL's
belng used Lo break people's sense of reallLy so LhaL Lhey become
more dependenL on Lhe lnLerrogaLor, and more pllable as a resulL.
ln LhaL sense, a ume-slowlng plll would be a preuy radlcal
lnnovauon ln Lhe hlsLory of penal Lechnology.
8ebecca 8oache
Aeon, March 2014
hup://aeon.co/magazlne/llvlng-LogeLher/should-bloLech-make-llfe-
helllsh-for-crlmlnals/
1hese concerns abouL auLonomy become parucularly
poLenL when you sLarL Lalklng abouL braln lmplanLs
LhaL could poLenually conLrol behavlour dlrecLly. 1he
classlc example ls 8oberL C PeaLh [a psychlaLrlsL aL
1ulane unlverslLy ln new Crleans], who dld Lhls
famously creepy experlmenL [ln Lhe 1930s] uslng
elecLrodes ln Lhe braln ln an auempL Lo modlfy
behavlour ln people who were prone Lo vlolenL
psychosls. 1he elecLrodes were osLenslbly belng used
Lo LreaL Lhe pauenLs, buL he was also, raLher gleefully,
Lrylng Lo move Lhem ln a soclally approved dlrecuon.
8ebecca 8oache
Aeon, March 2014
hup://aeon.co/magazlne/llvlng-LogeLher/should-bloLech-make-llfe-
helllsh-for-crlmlnals/
We have Lo ask ourselves wheLher
punlshmenLs llke lmprlsonmenL are only
consldered humane because Lhey are famlllar,
because we've all grown up ln a world where
lmprlsonmenL ls whaL happens Lo people who
commlL crlmes. ls lL really Ck Lo lock someone
up for Lhe besL parL of Lhe only llfe Lhey wlll
ever have, or mlghL lL be more humane Lo
unker wlLh Lhelr bralns and seL Lhem free?
ulscusslon Cuesuons
1. Would lL be morally accepLable
Lo use drugs or Lechnologles Lo
alLer a crlmlnals mlnd ln order Lo
punlsh hlm?
2. Would lL be morally accepLable
Lo exLend a prlsoner's llfe-span ln
order Lo exacL punlshmenL?
3. Could we klll Lhem and brlng
Lhem back Lo klll Lhem agaln?
4. Could we use bloLechnologles Lo
predlcL crlme or prevenL crlmlnal
behavlor (ex. chemlcal casLrauon
for sex oenders)?
8loLech lssues
8raln-CompuLer lnLerfaces
lmplanLs and replacemenL
parLs
erformance and mood
enhanclng drugs
SuperlongevlLy
1herapy or LnchancemenL?
1herapy: resLores normal funcuon
LnhancemenL: provldes more Lhan normal
funcuon
Moral Cuesuons:
Are Lheraples accepLable?
Are enhancemenLs accepLable?
Should sclenuc research be llmlLed by moral
concerns?
4/10/14
3
lssues and Lxamples
Cscar lsLorlus and
Clymplc Compeuuon?
SLerolds, LLc.
lssues and Lxamples
Cognluve enhancemenLs: nlcoune, caelne,
oLher drugs, Lranscranlal magneuc
sumulauon, eLc?
lssues and Lxamples
SLem cell research and
'&/&.&'#45& 6&0,1,.&
Aboruon lssue.
embryonlc sLem cells
ln vlLro lerullzauon
problem.
lssues and Lxamples
Clonlng
1herapeuuc
clonlng: Lo grow
organs
8eproducuve
clonlng
lssues and Lxample
Ceneuc Lnglneerlng and Ceneuc Screenlng
ueslgner bables
Lugenlcs
ulsease screenlng
Cene doplng
lssues and Lxamples
Ceneucally
modled food
(CMC)
lncreased
crop yleld
esuclde
reslsLance
Lnglneerlng
vlLamlns and
edlble
vacclnes
4/10/14
4
Clonlng worrles
1he Clone would be a mere Lool
Lhe clone army".
Confuslon ln Lhe famlly (naLural order of
famllles):
Who ls Lhe clone's faLher/moLher or slsLers/
broLhers?
?uck facLor
Clonlng and human dlgnlLy
Clonlng creaLes" a person
WhaL would LhaL do Lhe person's dlgnlLy
uo clones have a rlghL Lo an open fuLure-noL
deslgned by anoLher human belng
uo morphologlcal muLauons and
enhancemenLs respecL Lhe dlgnlLy of persons
(as free chooslng agenLs) or noL?
Ceneuc screenlng/englneerlng worrles
8eneL of knowlng your geneuc rlsks
8uL psychologlcal rlsk of knowlng you carry a
dlsease
uo people have a rlghL Lo Lhelr own geneuc
prlvacy?
Cr can lnsurance companles demand Lo know
your geneuc desuny?
value of rlvacy!
8lsk of geneuc dlscrlmlnauon"
Anlmals and planLs
Creaung chlmeras. Wow or ?uck!?
PealLh beneLs for humans
roblem of playlng wlLh moLher naLure-
unlnLended consequences of Lamperlng wlLh
mlllennla of evoluuon
Moral erspecuves: Lmouvlsm
?uck facLor (kass and emouvlsm)
Clonlng-faLher of Lhe clone ls Lhe Lwln broLher
Puman-anlmal chlmeras
Llvlng for 130 years
Cyborgs and compuLer lnLerfaces
Moral erspecuves: uullLy
CreaLer good (uullLy)
Wlll Lhe beneL be long Lerm or shorL Lerm?
unknown long-Lerm rlsks?
Wlll Lhe aMuenL/ellLe beneL aL Lhe expense of
Lhe poor?
WhaL abouL non-human belngs (embryos,
anlmals, eco-sysLems): do Lhey counL?

4/10/14
3
Moral erspecuves: naLural ulgnlLy
ulgnlLy of persons and ulgnlLy of naLural
World (kanL and naLural Law)
ls Lhere some lnLrlnslcally valuable Lhlng LhaL
should noL be alLered/damaged?
WhaL does geneuc screenlng or bloLechnology say
abouL respecL for Lhe dlsabled?
uo englneered" persons have souls" or lnherenL
value?
Moral erspecuves: LlberLy and Cholce
LlberLy and lndlvldual cholce (kanL and
naLural Law)
Should we llmlL Lhe free cholces of lndlvlduals?
ulverslLy and plurallsm-can we allow lL Lo
radlcally grow (cyborgs, clones, and normals")?
Would free cholces lead Lo negauve
consequences?
roblem of normallzlng" Lhese cholces (ex.
growLh of Lauoos)?
Moral erspecuves
laylng Cod" and messlng wlLh MoLher
naLure" (naLural Law)
Are we smarL enough Lo predlcL Lhe ouLcomes?
ls naLure a good moLher" or a bad one?
Are we forced Lo passlvely accepL Lhe world and
our bodles as Lhey are?
Lvoluuon: does lL produce opumal ouLcomes? ls
lL fasL enough?
Pubrls and lnsLrumenLal usage
Are we smarL enough Lo manlpulaLe naLure
and play Cod?

AnLhropocenLrlsm, narclsslsm, eLc.
Are we vlewlng naLure (and human bodles/
genes) as mere Lools LhaL we can use for our
purposes (and noL seelng Lhem as ends-ln-
Lhemselves" wlLh lnLrlnslc value)?
LLhlcal osluons
8loconservausm
kass = don'L mess wlLh naLure

osLhuman/LranshumanlsL
8osLrom = provlde people wlLh freedom Lo do
whaL Lhey wanL wlLh Lhelr own bodles