Less Than a God, More Than a Man

In Kevin S. Decker (ed.), Dune and Philosophy. Wiley. pp. 179–188 (2022-10-17)
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Abstract

In the Dune universe, humans relied on computers for thousands of years. Their immense capacity for mathematical calculations made space travel possible, until the Butlerian Jihad ended that era. Humans found the means to cognitively and physically enhance themselves to replace and outmatch intelligent machines by using nootropic drugs, revolutionary training methods, artificial selection, and genetic engineering. There are also moral and social problems that come along with human enhancement technologies. In a society where enhancement is popular, the poor would have fewer chances to succeed in social and economic competitions. Many moral philosophers argue that our freedoms and basic rights are guaranteed by a special moral status, personhood. Nicholas Agar has proposed that post‐personhood could be seen as the end of a continuum of intelligence and reasoning abilities. The Bene Gesserit education and selective breeding program claims to be all about producing human beings who maximize the well‐being of all humankind.

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Alexandru Dragomir
University of Bucharest

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References found in this work

Conditions of personhood.Daniel C. Dennett - 1976 - In Amelie Oksenberg Rorty (ed.), The Identities of Persons. University of California Press.
Moral status and human enhancement.Allen Buchanan - 2009 - Philosophy and Public Affairs 37 (4):346-381.
The Social and Economic Impacts of Cognitive Enhancements.Anders Sandberg, Julian Savulescu & Guy Kahane - 2011 - In Julian Savulescu, Ruud ter Meulen & Guy Kahane (eds.), Enhancing Human Capacities. Blackwell. pp. 93--112.

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