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227Human enhancement and perfectionJournal of Medical Ethics 39 (10): 647-650. 2013.Both, bioconservatives and bioliberals, should seek a discussion about ideas of human perfection, making explicit their underlying assumptions about what makes for a good human life. This is relevant, because these basic, and often implicit ideas, inform and influence judgements and choices about human enhancement interventions. Both neglect, and polemical but inconsistent use of the complex ideas of perfection are leading to confusion within the ethical debate about human enhancement interventi…Read more
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138Ideas of Perfection and the Ethics of Human EnhancementBioethics 29 (9): 622-630. 2015.Whatever ethical stance one takes in the debate regarding the ethics of human enhancement, one or more reference points are required to assess its morality. Some have suggested looking at the bioethical notions of safety, justice, and/or autonomy to find such reference points. Others, arguing that those notions are limited with respect to assessing the morality of human enhancement, have turned to human nature, human authenticity, or human dignity as reference points, thereby introducing some pe…Read more
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75Human freedom and enhancementMedicine, Health Care and Philosophy 17 (1): 13-21. 2014.Ideas about freedom and related concepts like autonomy and self-determination play a prominent role in the moral debate about human enhancement interventions. However, there is not a single understanding of freedom available, and arguments referring to freedom are simultaneously used to argue both for and against enhancement interventions. This gives rise to misunderstandings and polemical arguments. The paper attempts to disentangle the different distinguishable concepts, classifies them and sh…Read more
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69Evaluating human enhancements: the importance of idealsMonash Bioethics Review 32 (3-4): 205-216. 2014.Is it necessary to have an ideal of perfection in mind to identify and evaluate true biotechnological human “enhancements”, or can one do without? To answer this question we suggest employing the distinction between ideal and non-ideal theory, found in the debate in political philosophy about theories of justice: the distinctive views about whether one needs an idea of a perfectly just society or not when it comes to assessing the current situation and recommending steps to increase justice. In …Read more
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59The Ethics of AI Ethics. A Constructive CritiquePhilosophy and Technology 35 (3): 1-20. 2022.The paper presents an ethical analysis and constructive critique of the current practice of AI ethics. It identifies conceptual substantive and procedural challenges and it outlines strategies to address them. The strategies include countering the hype and understanding AI as ubiquitous infrastructure including neglected issues of ethics and justice such as structural background injustices into the scope of AI ethics and making the procedures and fora of AI ethics more inclusive and better infor…Read more
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58Moral ProgressOxford University Press. 2021."The overall aim of this book is to understand the character of moral progress, so that making moral progress may become more systematic and secure, less chancy and less bloody. Drawing on three historical examples - the abolition of chattel slavery, the expansion of opportunities for women, and the increasing acceptance of same-sex love - it asks how those changes were brought about, and seeks a methodology for streamlining the kinds of developments that occurred. Moral progress is conceived as…Read more
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44Der Cyborg und die Frage nach dem Menschen. Kritische Überlegungen zum „homo arte emendatus et correctus“Jahrbuch für Wissenschaft Und Ethik 12 (1): 21-44. 2007.
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44Relative explainability and double standards in medical decision-making: Should medical AI be subjected to higher standards in medical decision-making than doctors?Ethics and Information Technology 24 (2): 20. 2022.The increased presence of medical AI in clinical use raises the ethical question which standard of explainability is required for an acceptable and responsible implementation of AI-based applications in medical contexts. In this paper, we elaborate on the emerging debate surrounding the standards of explainability for medical AI. For this, we first distinguish several goods explainability is usually considered to contribute to the use of AI in general, and medical AI in specific. Second, we prop…Read more
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32Anthropological Arguments in the Ethical Debate about Human EnhancementHumana Mente 7 (26). 2014.The paper discusses the role of anthropological arguments in contemporary ethics as exemplified in the current debate about biotechnological human enhancement interventions. Anthropological arguments refer to a normative conception of what it means to be a human being and are highly contested in contemporary moral philosophy. Most often they are promoted to constrain the ethically acceptable use of enhancement technologies. I argue that anthropological arguments can play a fundamental and import…Read more
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31Cosmopolitanism Within Borders: A Normative Foundation for Health Care for Asylum Seekers?American Journal of Bioethics 13 (7): 17-19. 2013.Asgary and Smith (2013) identify an important challenge: the difficult position of physicians caught between the obligation to treat every human being with the same professional rigor, and their feelings of responsibility toward the state and its judicial decisions on asylum requests. The authors show that in some cases this conflict leads to a tendency to "sacrifice their medical responsibilities". The authors' core demand is that health care workers should be independent of the state and judic…Read more
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29“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that, Doctor”: meaningful disagreements with AI in medical contextsAI and Society 1-8. forthcoming.This paper explores the role and resolution of disagreements between physicians and their diagnostic AI-based decision support systems. With an ever-growing number of applications for these independently operating diagnostic tools, it becomes less and less clear what a physician ought to do in case their diagnosis is in faultless conflict with the results of the DSS. The consequences of such uncertainty can ultimately lead to effects detrimental to the intended purpose of such machines, e.g. by …Read more
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29Individual responsibility and global structural injustice: Toward an ethos of cosmopolitan responsibilityJournal of Social Philosophy 52 (2): 185-200. 2021.Journal of Social Philosophy, EarlyView.
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26Global justice and structural injustice: Theoretical and practical perspectivesJournal of Social Philosophy 52 (2): 158-161. 2021.Journal of Social Philosophy, EarlyView.
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25The debate about 'human enhancement' and its anthropological dimensionMedicine, Health Care and Philosophy 13 (2): 177-179. 2010.
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22The world we live in is unjust. Preventable deprivation and suffering shape the lives of many people, while others enjoy advantages and privileges aplenty. Cosmopolitan responsibility addresses the moral responsibilities of privileged individuals to take action in the face of global structural injustice. Individuals are called upon to complement institutional efforts to respond to global challenges, such as climate change, unfair global trade, or world poverty. Committed to an ideal of relationa…Read more
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22Cyberhate against academicsIn S. Karly Kehoe, Eva Alisic & Jan-Christoph Heilinger (eds.), Responsibility for Refugee and Migrant Integration, De Gruyter. pp. 205-226. 2019.
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18Responsibility for Refugee and Migrant Integration (edited book)De Gruyter. 2019.This volume brings together a range of practical and theoretical perspectives on responsibility in the context of refugee and migrant integration. Addressing one of the major challenges of our time, a diverse group of authors shares insights from history, philosophy, psychology, cultural studies, and from personal experience. The book expands our understanding of the complex challenges and opportunities that are associated with migration and integration, and highlights the important role that in…Read more
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18The Philosophy of Human Rights: Contemporary Controversies (edited book)De Gruyter. 2011.The notion of “human rights” is widely used in political and moral discussions. The core idea, that all human beings have some inalienable basic rights, is appealing and has an eminently practical function: It allows moral criticism of various wrongs and calls for action in order to prevent them. On the other hand it is unclear what exactly a human right is. Human rights lack a convincing conceptual foundation that would be able to compel the wrong-doer to accept human rights claims as well-foun…Read more
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17Realizing Justice in the Coordinated Global Coronavirus ResponseGlobal Justice: Theory Practice Rhetoric 13 (2): 21-40. 2022.The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting countries across the globe. Only a globally coordinated response, however, will enable the containment of the virus. Responding to a request from policy makers for ethics input for a global resource pledging event as a starting point, this paper outlines normative and procedural principles to inform a coordinated global coronavirus response. Highlighting global connections and specific vulnerabilities from the pandemic, and proposing standards for reasonable an…Read more
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17Konflikte in der Ethik: Anmerkungen aus pragmatistischer PerspektiveIn Jan-Christoph Heilinger & Julian Nida-Rümelin (eds.), Moral, Wissenschaft Und Wahrheit, De Gruyter. pp. 145-160. 2016.
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17Zwei Ideale globaler GleichheitDeutsche Zeitschrift für Philosophie 64 (5): 757-767. 2016.Name der Zeitschrift: Deutsche Zeitschrift für Philosophie Jahrgang: 64 Heft: 5 Seiten: 757-767.
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15Biotecnologie e argomenti antropologiciIride: Filosofia e Discussione Pubblica 24 (3): 499-514. 2011.
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15Mensch, Weltbürger: Über Anspruch und Umsetzbarkeit des moralischen KosmopolitismusIn Jan-Christoph Heilinger & Julian Nida-Rümelin (eds.), Anthropologie und Ethik, De Gruyter. pp. 113-134. 2015.
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13Anthropologie und Ethik (edited book)De Gruyter. 2015.The relationship between anthropology as the study of human beings and ethics as the study of what humans ought to do is close and multifaceted. The authors address the following questions: Are moral norms grounded in human nature or are they independent of it? Does ethics take into account human weaknesses or is morality absolute? If people change, do the requirements of morality change as well?
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11Schwerpunkt: Der Pragmatismus als Theorie globaler GerechtigkeitDeutsche Zeitschrift für Philosophie 64 (5): 738-739. 2016.Name der Zeitschrift: Deutsche Zeitschrift für Philosophie Jahrgang: 64 Heft: 5 Seiten: 738-739.
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8Was ist der Mensch? (edited book)de Gruyter. 2008.Die Frage des Menschen nach sich selbst beschäftigt Menschen zu allen Zeiten und an allen Orten, so auch in der Gegenwart. Die hier versammelten Wissenschaftler, Politiker, Theologen, Journalisten und Schriftsteller aus verschiedenen kulturellen Traditionen geben in über fünfzig prägnanten Beiträgen ihre persönliche Antwort auf die aufgeworfene Frage. Was ist davon zu erwarten? Sicherlich keine abschließende Lösung der Frage. Doch ist ein schillerndes Spektrum aktueller Positionen zum menschlich…Read more
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7Moral, Wissenschaft Und Wahrheit (edited book)De Gruyter. 2016.Normen beeinflussen die Interaktion von Menschen miteinander und den Umgang von Menschen mit ihrer Umwelt. Was aber ist Normativität? Muss sie unabhängig von Menschen sein, um objektiv sein zu können? Oder entsteht sie erst in Abhängigkeit von Menschen, die sie formulieren oder nach ihr handeln, und ist deshalb nicht objektiv? Oder ist dieser Gegensatz grundsätzlich verfehlt und es bedarf eines anderen Ansatzes, um die Rolle von Normativität in der lebensweltlichen Verständigungspraxis angemesse…Read more
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7Moralische Verantwortung in und für Organisationen (review)Deutsche Zeitschrift für Philosophie 68 (6): 967-976. 2020.
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7Anthropologie Und Ethik des EnhancementsDe Gruyter. 2010.Advances in biotechnology have enabled interventions in the human organism that promise to increase physical and intellectual perform over the 'normal' or 'natural' boundary, as well as make possible targeted changes in human experience. The author investigates ethical debates surrounding these issues with a particular focus on arguments that employ a normative concept of a person in order to establish that particular interventions are permissible or impermissible. He develops an integrated mode…Read more
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6AutorenIn Jan-Christoph Heilinger & Julian Nida-Rümelin (eds.), Moral, Wissenschaft Und Wahrheit, De Gruyter. pp. 273-274. 2016.
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Ludwig Maximilians Universität, MünchenFaculty of Philosophy, Philosophy of Science and Study of ReligionRegular Faculty