Public Lecture: Michael Sandel, "The Case Against Perfection: Ethics in the Age of Genetic Engineering"

Past Event

Date
 08 November 2007, 6:30pm - 8:00pm

Location
 Manor Road Building
University of Oxford, Manor Road, Oxford, OX1 3UQ

Michael Sandel, Harvard University

Should new genetic technologies be used only for medical purposes, or also to create "designer children"? In this public lecture, hosted by the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, Michael Sandel of Harvard University, will explore moral quandaries connected with the quest to perfect ourselves and our children.

He will argue that the pursuit of perfection is flawed for reasons that go beyond safety and fairness. The drive to enhance human nature through genetic technologies is objectionable because it represents a bid for mastery and dominion that fails to appreciate the gifted character of human powers and achievements.