Moral enhancement: do means matter morally?

One of the reasons why moral enhancement may be controversial, is because the advantages of moral enhancement may fall upon society rather than on those who are enhanced. If directed at individuals with certain counter-moral traits it may have direct societal benefits by lowering immoral behavior and increasing public safety, but it is not directly clear if this also benefits the individual in question. In this paper, we will discuss what we consider to be moral enhancement, how different means may be used to achieve it and whether the means we employ to reach moral enhancement matter morally. Are certain means to achieve moral enhancement wrong in themselves? Are certain means to achieve moral enhancement better than others, and if so, why? More specifically, we will investigate whether the difference between direct and indirect moral enhancement matters morally. Is it the case that indirect means are morally preferable to direct means of moral enhancement and can we indeed pinpoint relevant intrinsic, moral differences between both? We argue that the distinction between direct and indirect means is indeed morally relevant, but only insofar as it tracks an underlying distinction between active and passive interventions. Although passive interventions can be ethical provided specific safeguards are put in place, these interventions exhibit a greater potential to compromise autonomy and disrupt identity

Are Better Workers Also Better Humans? On Pharmacological Cognitive Enhancement in the Workplace and Conflicting Societal Domains

The article investigates the sociocultural implications of the changing modern workplace and of pharmacological cognitive enhancement (PCE) as a potential adaptive tool from the viewpoint of social niche construction. We will attempt to elucidate some of the sociocultural and technological trends that drive and influence the characteristics of this specific niche, and especially to identify the kind of capabilities and adaptations that are being promoted, and to ascertain the capabilities and potentialities that might become diminished as a result. In this context, we will examine what PCE is, and how and why it might be desirable as a tool for adaptation within the workplace. As human beings are, or at least should be allowed to be, more than merely productive, able-bodied and able-minded workers, we will further examine how adaptation to the workplace niche could result in problems in other domains of modern societal life that require the same or other cognitive capabilities. In this context we will also focus on the concept of responsibility and how it pertains to PCE and the modern workplace niche. This will shed some light on the kind of trends related to workplace niche construction, PCE and capability promotion that we can expect in the future, and on the contexts in which this might be either beneficial or detrimental to the individual as a well-rounded human being, and to other members of society

The future of direct-to-consumer clinical genetic tests

In light of the meeting of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 2011 to discuss the regulation of clinical direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests, we have invited five experts to consider the best means of overseeing the ordering and interpretation of these tests. Should these tests be regulated? If so, who, if anyone, should communicate results to consumers

The trophodynamics of Southern Ocean Electrona (Myctophidae) in the Scotia Sea

The Scotia Sea is one of the most productive regions of the Southern Ocean, but its surface waters are experiencing a rapid increase in temperature, which may be changing the behaviour and distribution of many myctophids and their prey species. Electrona antarctica and Electrona carlsbergi are two of the most abundant myctophids in the region, but their ecology is poorly understood and their response to ongoing environmental change is difficult to determine. This study investigated spatial and temporal patterns in their abundance, population structure and diets using mid-water trawl nets deployed across the Scotia Sea during spring, summer and autumn. E. antarctica was the most numerically abundant species (0.09–0.21 ind. 1,000 m−3), with greatest concentrations occurring in the sea-ice sectors. E. carlsbergi occurred in more northern regions, comprising densities of 0.02–0.11 ind. 1,000 m−3. There was evidence of seasonal variation in depth distribution, size-related sexual dimorphism and size-specific vertical stratification for both species. Latitudinal trends in sex ratio and female body size were apparent for E. antarctica. Its diet varied between regions, seasons and size classes, but overall, Euphausia superba, Metridia spp. and Themisto gaudichaudii were the dominant prey items. E. carlsbergi appeared not to recruit in the Scotia Sea. Its diet was dominated by copepods, particularly Rhincalanus gigas and Metridia spp., but regional, seasonal and ontogenetic variations were evident. This study contributes to our understanding of how mid-water food webs are structured in the Southern Ocean and their sensitivity to ongoing environmental change

Energy Content of Antarctic Mesopelagic Fishes: Implications for the Marine Food Web

For a better understanding of the role of mesopelagic fish in the Southern Ocean food web, the energy and water content of Bathylagus antarcticus, Electrona antarctica and Gymnoscopelus braueri from the Lazarev Sea were investigated. Mean dry weight energy content of B. antarcticus (20.4 kJ g-1) was significantly lower than in E. antarctica and G. braueri (both 29.4 kJ g-1). In E. antarctica, an increase of dry weight energy density with age was evident from 26.9 kJ g-1 in juveniles of less than 1 year of age to 32.0 kJ g-1 in 3-year-old fish. Water content decreased with size in all three species. Abundant high-energy species such as E. antarctica are at a key position in the food web. Due to a marked influence of age on energy content, population structure can be an important variable in estimates of energy fluxes in the Southern Ocean ecosystem