July 28, 6:30 p.m.

This online event is sponsored by the Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service at Washington State University and the KCLS Foundation, in cooperation with Humanities Washington.

Should we use biotechnology to make humans “better?” Gene editing, pharmaceuticals, and computer tissue implants, among other interventions, will soon be used not just to treat problems, but to enhance human abilities. Everything from our physical capacities to our emotions, intelligence, and personalities could soon be enhanced or altered according to our wants—or the wants of others.

How might biomedical enhancement reshape humans and society? Should we support and prioritize this research? What are the ethical questions that we as individuals and a society need to answer? Join Bill Kabasenche, professor of philosophy, for a discussion on what defines humanity, and how technology could change that forever.

Bill Kabasenche is a professor of philosophy at Washington State University’s School of Politics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs. He is also the ethics thread director for the WSU College of Medicine and a fellow in the Center for Reproductive Biology. He has written about the use of pharmaceutical and genetic interventions to enhance human capacities for memory, moral behavior, and athletic performance.

For more information: https://www.humanities.org/event/online-should-we-build-better-humans/