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Making Humans Better?

Exploring Young People’s Attitudes to Enhancement

Is a future in which we have the power to change human beings through biotechnology possible? Can we eradicate bodily suffering so we all live longer, healthier and happier lives? Or will technology benefit a few, control many, and eradicate humanity? Treating human beings may be less controversial than enhancing them, but new technologies like gene and stem cell therapies have the potential to both treat and enhance, and both uses are contentious.

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Artwork by a primary school child considering human enhancement

This project was undertaken to gain an insight into how young people feel about the possibilities and potential uses of future science. It reports on the views of young people, aged 10-18, who were encouraged to discuss issues pertinent to human enhancement. They considered real life and potential scenarios with topics introduced in schools, through film and internet media.

The findings of this research are published in Nowgen Digest 10 (219kb)

Some of the participants expressed their views by producing the following artwork:
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