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"Body"
Anthony Gregory, a researcher with the Independent Institute, makes the case in The Atlantic for legalizing organ sales:
Several years ago, transplant surgeon Nadley Hakim at St. Mary’s Hospital in London pointed out that “this trade is going on anyway, why not have a controlled trade where if someone wants to donate a kidney for [...]
Pretty people are not inclined to cooperate. When people will do what you want because you’re better looking, why compromise?
Santiago Sanchez-Pages, who works at the universities of Barcelona and Edinburgh, and Enrique Turiegano, of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, base their claims on the “prisoner’s dilemma” model of behaviour, played out under laboratory [...]
Via ESPN:
He will be the first amputee athlete at the worlds when he represents South Africa in Daegu, South Korea, as its only runner in the 400 meters. He was also chosen for the 4×400 relay.
The 24-year-old Pistorius was part of a group of 26 athletes picked by Athletics South Africa [...]
Scott Daigle has invented Intelli-Wheels, which are wheelchair wheels with a built in automatic gear change system. The system is still in development, but if it works the way he describes, the system will adjust the gearing as one goes uphill or across a flat surface to maximize a user’s [...]
m1k3y at grinding points to an excellent video on prosthetics on PBS:
Watch the full episode. See more
My latest Science Not Fiction post addresses the “My body, my choice” mantra in relationship to transhumanism. Somatic rights and the freedom of bodily determination are at stake:
Because you have the right to do something, you are also responsible for the results of that decision. For example, if you choose to do drugs, [...]
Researchers are starting to figure out which piece of our brain lets us know our body is our own:
In the new study, the researchers used a “body-swap” illusion, in which people experienced a mannequin to be their own, in combination with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Participants observed touching of the mannequin’s body [...]
Prosthetics and artificial organs become so high quality that they surpass the performance, durability, comfort, and safety of natural human biology. As a result, humans are genetically engineered to be born without arms and legs to reduce the need for elective amputation surgery.
Definition of an Unthinkable here.
Image via Playmedesign
The Irish Council for Bioethics has a well designed and marvelously informative pdf entitled “Euthanasia: Your Body, Your Death, Your Choice?” It’s one of the most lucid explanations of the big questions in three pages I’ve seen. A sample:
About
Pop Bioethics, written by Kyle Munkittrick, is an effort to study the ethics of the continuing evolution of the human species via the lens of pop culture and be somewhat entertaining in the process.
Kyle's writing can also be found at Discover's The Crux, Slate's Future Tense, and at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies. For questions or comments: comments [at] popbioethics [dot] com
All opinions, ideas, and words either explicit or implicit found within this website are my own and represent no other person, organization, or group.Categories
