[SydPhil] IES Research Seminar: Prof Rob Sparrow -- “Yesterday’s Child: How Gene Editing for Enhancement Will Produce Obsolescence—and Why It Matters”

[Institute for Ethics and Society]

Dear all,

A friendly reminder that The Institute for Ethics and Society is hosting a brief seminar tomorrow on the ethics of human genetic engineering. Prof Rob Sparrow (Monash University) will be presenting a paper entitled “Yesterday’s Child: How Gene Editing for Enhancement Will Produce Obsolescence—and Why It Matters”.

Abstract: Despite recent advances, safe and effective gene editing for human enhancement remains well beyond our current technological capabilities. For the discussion about enhancing human beings to be worth having, then, we must assume that gene-editing technology will improve rapidly. However, rapid progress in the development and application of any technology comes at a price: obsolescence. If the genetic enhancements we can provide children get better and better each year, then the enhancements granted to children born in any given year will rapidly go out of date. Sooner or later, every modified child will find him- or herself to be “yesterday’s child.” The impacts of such obsolescence on our individual, social, and philosophical self-understanding constitute an underexplored set of considerations relevant to the ethics of genome editing.

Time: 2:00pm - 3:30pm

Date: Thursday August 15th

Location: Moorgate Directors' Boardroom, School of Philosophy & Theology (Cnr. Moorgate St and Grafton St. Chippendale), The University of Notre Dame Australia, Sydney.??

About the speaker: Robert Sparrow is Professor of Philosophy at Monash University, a chief investigator in the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, and one of Australia's leading bioethicists. He is the author of some seventy-five refereed papers and book chapters. He mainly works on ethical issues raised by new technologies.

About the seminar series: The Institute for Ethics & Society Research Seminar exists to foster rigorous, creative and collaborative research on our three research focus areas: (i) Moral Philosophy & Ethics Education, (ii) Bioethics & Healthcare Ethics, and (iii) Religion & Global Ethics.

If you have any questions, or wish to RSVP, please email ies at nd.edu.au

Kind regards,

Xavier Symons.

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