Document Type
Essay
Publication Date
4-24-2020
Abstract
This paper assumes a basic understanding of Aristotelian philosophy, but that which I draw from is both explicated and articulated in the paper in a way which makes the philosophy salient. One can look to Book II of The Nicomachean Ethics, the edition to which I referred is listed in the works cited, to further their understanding of the philosophy from which I am drawing, but to do so is not necessary. In what follows, I wrestle with the ethical issues related to the subject of the genetic selection of intelligence, both in its positive and negative forms, and offer a defense of the procedure through developing my argument with the following themes: Science and Virtue, Abortion, and Selection. It is these three themes upon which I establish my argument, hence the paper being organized and divided in such a manner. I begin by appealing to the purpose of selection, assuming that the science behind the procedure is without flaw and accessibility to not be an issue, while drawing from an Aristotelian philosophical understanding of humanness, virtue, and excellence. I follow this by addressing the potential of negative selection to allow for abortion, given certain information, and offer a view which provides a moral justification for abortion. To finish, I discuss selection itself, and utilize what previous argumentation I have articulated in the prior sections to solidify my claim on the matter of the selection of intelligence: We, as humanity, ought to move forward with these procedures on a universal level such that we increase the standard of intelligence and, by direct consequence, increase the general capacity for virtue of the human population as a result, thus progressing humanity towards a higher standard of excellence.
Recommended Citation
Opperman, Chase, "Defending the Genetic Selection of Intelligence: A Moral Exploration of Principle" (2020). Richard T. Schellhase Essay Prize in Ethics. 19.
https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/ethics_essay/19
Comments
First prize winner.