Julian Savulescu - The Moral Obligation to Improve

Available for over a year

Julian Savulescu makes the case for human enhancement in a lecture and interview recorded at the BBC Radio 3 Free Thinking Festival 2011. In a talk entitled The Moral Obligation to Improve, he argues that it is time to enhance humans by altering their moral dispositions. Professor of Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford and Editor of the Journal of Medical Ethics, Julian Savulescu has some controversial opinions that challenge assumptions. He believes drugs should be allowed in sport, and that we should harness the incredible genetic revolution currently taking place and use technologies such as genetic manipulation and selection to improve our lives. He argues that if the human race is to survive we must embrace cognitive and moral enhancement, possibly of whole populations. Without enhancement, he says, we face potential disaster because of our innate reluctance to accept the sacrifices necessary to combat global problems like climate change. He also argues that using drugs to change behaviour and moral outlook might be required as psychopaths now have the potential power to destroy millions of lives because of developing technology and ease of access to the tools of armageddon. The event is chaired by Night Waves' Anne McElvoy and was recorded as part of BBC Radio 3's 2011 Free Thinking festival of ideas, which took place at The Sage Gateshead 4 - 6 November.