Authenticity and the problem of human augmentation

The practice of augmenting hunan beings using technological or pharmaceutical means is rapidly expanding and there are many who fear the practice may be a threat to our very humanity. In this work I trace the primary source of that concem to the moral ideal of authenticity and examine how authenticity is used in the contemporary literature on human augmentation. Each conception, or framework of authenticity in the literature is expounded on and evaluated, and each is found somewhat lacking. Finally, I propose an altemative view of authenticity based on Wittgenstein's concept of family resemblance and use it to evaluate whether particular augmentation procedures are authentic, inauthentic, or entirely neutral.

Grantor dc:publisher

Boston University

Year dc:date.issued

2012

Author dc:creator

• Wargo, Matthew A.

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Dc Identifier Other

b38092207

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.bu.edu:2144/31620