Abstract

Human enhancement through technology is a complex phenomenon that allows for different forms of bodily manipulation, and raises the issue of distinguishing between what should be deemed licit and not in light of the existing legal framework. The paper takes into account the existing philosophical debate (transhumanists v. bioconservatives): the anthropology of vulnerability forces us to acknowledge that all improvements come at a cost to be assessed in light of the fundamental values that govern society. To this end it looks at the principles of human dignity – as elaborated in the existing bioethical debate – and equality – both in its formal an substantive specification – to conclude with the need to refine the former, and the insufficiency of the latter